Can't Put a Price on History

The combination of established revelers and novices is expected to result in a boon for the local economy, said Victoria Isley of Destination DC, the District's convention and tourism arm.

At the Claire Dratch shop in Bethesda, ball gowns with prices of as much as $4,000 are being snapped up. It has dressed Jacqueline Kennedy, opera diva Denyce Graves and members of Congress as well as teachers, nurses and saleswomen.

Lori Ross, 45, a speech pathologist who lives in Bethesda, put down plastic for a $2,000 purple sheath for a ball she and her husband will attend, their first. "I'm so excited!" she said Friday, minutes after trying on the dress. "The minute I saw it, I knew it was perfect! I wanted something I could wear again. That's especially important now in this current economic situation."

Michael Lyles, 46, a lawyer who lives in Bowie, said that he and his wife, Deneen, have cut back on eating out, vacations and Christmas presents but that they are likely to spend $3,000 for inaugural events, including a $1,300 table for friends and family at the Omegas for Obama Ball, a fraternity event where his band is playing; two tickets for another ball; and two dresses for Deneen.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Lyles said. "We supported Obama . . . and we want to be with like-minded folks who were part of the movement to reminisce and be a part of the inauguration. It's more than an inauguration -- it's a celebration."

That sentiment was echoed by Oakland, Calif., resident Maya Dillard-Smith, 30, who estimates that bringing her family to Washington for a week will run up $11,000 on her credit cards.

"When you say the amount, it sounds crazy, but this is history," she said. "I remember my mother taking me to see Nelson Mandela at the Oakland Coliseum, meeting Jesse Jackson and being there when Desmond Tutu came when I was a child. Because of the historic nature of this election, I want my daughters to be there to see this in the environment where it is happening."