all words (and some photos) by Dakota
to see Dakota's election party photobooth outtakes... follow that link.
other (notable!) contributing photographers: Lexie Moreland, Francis Chung, Sam Goldstein
...
...
There are certain moments in our lives that will live on forever. Where were you when Barack Obama was elected (declared?) president of the United States? I was apparently behind the bar trying to take pictures and at the same time not to get sprayed by the champagne... ha.
BYT hosted probably our most epic (epochal?) parties to date at Bohemian Caverns on U St this past Tuesday night. What follows is an attempt by myself and others to capture the zeitgeist that ensued. The pandemonium that flooded the streets, it should be noted, was a joyful and celebratory mob, I have yet to hear any occurrances of vandalism or violence. It was absolutely awesome to be a part of this, and to be here, of all places, in Washington, DC.
|
 |
And now, some absolutely breathtaking shots from Lexie Moreland (proving once again, she is such a talent!):
Francis Chung captured the magic on U St...
And young Sam Goldstein put his best effort forward...
Truly, a night to remember. In defense of Michelle Obama, on Tuesday night, I was proud to be an American for the first time in what felt like ages. Really, really proud.
Previously in I Heart DC:
- 2/2: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use:
- 2/1: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use:
- 1/31: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/30: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/30: Capital City Diner: Up All Night
- 1/27: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/26: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/25: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/24: DC News You Can (Maybe) Use
- 1/24: PHOTOS: Washington Ballet's Mad Hatter Dance Party
God loves a cheerful giver.
"Young Sam Goldstein..."?
So what if I have to sneak around the bars and clubs of Washington DC hiding under people's jackets and in butt-cavities in order to avoid bouncers? I am only young in the eyes of this government, and Obama keeps tellin' me that shit's gonna change, so I'm guessing that what he means is that I, and my underage brothers and sisters, will be able to drink legally soon. Either that or I'll turn 21, whichever comes first..
Dakota, nice spread here. The lighting on that photobooth is top notch. Good shit.
that picture of abraham lincoln playing jenga is cool. is that mary todd with him?
Thanks BYT for joining in my champagne campaign!!!
I think that the photo of me and Aaron sums it up. Black and white. Celebrating. Together. In the rain. In DC.
I haven't smiled and laughed like that in a very long time.
I've been thinking about how amazing that was the other night and why I'm so obsessed with the experience and I've come to the conclusion that it was the best day of my life primarily because I want to be like that ALL THE TIME. I was happy Obama won, but I am constantly fighting the urge to hug strangers and hi-five people who are different from me and dance in the street. This may have something to do with the Daily Daytime Drinking Dilemma, though cause and effect get a little mixed up here.
I can't wait for the inauguration, when I plan to once again act on my true and incredibly dorky instincts. Beware anti-hugs people (Michael you'll probably want to stay home).
Thanks Will the Bartender for giving us a champagne campaign!!
and pedro, i agree with you...beware hugnhighfiveaphobics, Pedro and i are out to hug and high five you!
I can't see the pictures at work, but will take the Abe Lincoln reference as a compliment. Unless another bearded man posted up at Jenga.
I must've high-fived a hundred people, walking down U Street, home. I have never felt so in the company of good people that evening - at the party, and walking home - in my 15 years in Washington, DC. Even walking alone, wanting to be alone in my thoughts, my euphoric thoughts, I still felt warmly surrounded by good people.
Props to BYT for the greatest election party ever.
Props to everyone who voted.
Let's keep the dream alive.
lol
no, it's you. the hat really says "abe".
Awesome party. Too bad 95% of those pictured won't give a shit following his inauguration.
B is right..have those jackasses getting drunk wont pay attention to anything newsworthy/political until some sort of hype starts in 4 years from now. sheep looking to get fucked up for the "cause"...
just hating for the sake of hating feels so good sometimes, doesn't it?
is the truth considered "hating?"
i bet all those drunks have really been following the markets reaction to the obama win....
and how do you even know that?
anyway, this post shows a whole city, not just a party being happy. and it is beautiful.
once most those people celebrating "change" while getting wasted in the streets will probably not be as excited when they move out of the dorms/dont see "change"..
whatever..glad you had fun.
Dakota and I even made up but he still didn't take a picture of me.
Good party.
tical - I was sober the whole time. just sayin'
poor tical
Damn. I missed a kick ass party, but wasn't it where ever you were?
Whoa! Someone on this site actually agrees with me. I thought I was the only cynical bastard here.
You're right, Svetlana. It's beautiful to see everyone so happy and dropping personal boundaries to celebrate Obama's win.
I just feel like people have forgotten that Obama is a politician and that once he starts making political decisions the Obama bubble will burst. I hope he really can bring significant 'change.' It's our responsibility to hold him to his word, but I'm doubtful most of those celebrating (or not) will do that. I'm not expecting miracles, especially given the current state of our nation, but I want 'hope' and 'change' to be more than campaign rhetoric for once.
cale.
how do you feel about the bama's stance against gay marriage?
His stance is a lie. He knows he wouldn't be elected if he revealed how he really felt, because well over half of America is ignorant. Because of this I support his decision to lie. Tricking the uneducated was a necessary move. It's going to take a few more years for the zeitgeist to move ahead, and until then, it's a necessary evil to not stand up for what you believe in.
Anyway, being critical of our event on Tues is in poor taste. It brought a lot of people together in a positive way. Sure, some of them were just there for the party, and some were just drunk, but many of them were wicked smart, politically active people who actually do give a shit. They just happened to want to watch the results with a moonbounce and cotton candy and champagne and giant jenga than at home on the sofa. Many of these same people realize that it's not going to be all rainbows and koala bears from now on, but even the cynics couldn't help being caught up in the hope and camaraderie.
Your negativity would be far better suited somewhere else, cause Tues night on U st. was undeserving of your rash generalizations and childish name calling.
PS. My portfolio dropped a grand today
Fantastic photos!
Looks like it was a lot of fun!!!!
I wrote a nice letter that spoke to a lot of this. Wonder where it went
P.S. I edited it a bit so if you want it up let me know so you can get the other version.
Michael, I was supposed to have posted it yesterday but I was too busy + my hedgehog died, please resend latest version.
"his stance is a lie"
you see..obama was to his followers anything they wanted him to be. we'll see how big of a lie it was. why wasnt it legal on the southside of chicago?
Cale - sorry about the hedgehog. I had one long ago. His name was Harley because of that noise. He escaped one day, though, when he was outside nosing around in a pen I'd made. Maybe he's still alive outside in southern VA somewhere.
You're the reason they're illegal in VA!
tical - What does this have to do with the crowd at the election party? ...or did I win that part of the argument and we're moving on?
It's not legal anywhere because the majority of Americans do not want it to be legal because the majority of Americans are homophobic. I'm not sure what you're trying to get at...
i almost considered taking the bus home to experience the election night in DC, but i'm pretty sure NYC was the next best place to experience it. i was at a similar but more subdued bar party (no moonbounce, unfortunately) but the camaraderie and electric energy was prolific throughout the whole evening. except for the end of the evening when our cab driver (who had been cheering along to Obama's acceptance speech on the radio while we drove in brooklyn) tried to charge us $40 for going 5 miles. that sucked.