Inaugural Update: Number of Presidential Balls Revealed

Does Barack Obama have a lot of balls to attend? According to the Washington Post, there will be 10 balls in 5 locations: (that makes sense)

The Presidential Inaugural Committee -- trumpets, please! -- is hosting 10 official balls on the night of Jan. 20.

These, ladies and gentlemen, are the only parties where Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their wives are guaranteed to appear, albeit for a quick wave and onstage dance.

Six of the balls will be held at the glamorous, escalator-studded Washington Convention Center. The other four will be at the National Building Museum, Union Station, the Washington Hilton Hotel and the D.C. Armory. A committee spokesman confirmed the locations last night.

Choosing where and how to hold your balls is almost as important as the number of balls, and the Presidential Inaugural Committee seems to have gotten it right. While some might say that they've got a lot of balls, keep in mind that the record for holding the most balls goes to President Clinton, with 14, in 1997.

Here are some other ball facts from WaPo:

- The balls are traditionally organized by region

- every ball will be crammed to the rafters

- All the balls -- except for the ones at the Hilton and Armory -- are clustered within a few blocks of each other

- expect to walk for blocks to get to the balls; and expect elaborate alternate routes if you're driving anywhere near the balls.

The story doesn't mention the relative size of the balls, but given the current economy, I think they're going to look too big no matter what. Under the circumstances, it takes a lot of gumption to have this many balls.

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