Where: Washington, DC
When: April 28, 2018
With: Dave
It's not that often that you get to do something that's considered "once in a lifetime". So when Dave was offered tickets to the White House Correspondents Dinner on less than three weeks notice, we decided that this qualified as one of those "once in a lifetime" times and that it was worth the last minute rush to attend.
It's funny because I knew immediately to say yes; however, I didn't really know very much about the dinner. I knew that comedians will give a speech and that the President is usually roasted a bit, but that was about it. So I dove in to learn more than I ever expected I would about the White House Correspondents Association.
The Association was created in 1914 to ensure that the White House couldn't cherry pick which journalists could cover their press conferences. Each major news outlet, network and newspaper select an individual who attends all the press conferences at the White House. These individuals make up the members of the White House Correspondents Association. Their mission is to hold the White House accountable to the People.
The dinner, which has been an annual tradition since 1921, is when all members of the press come together to celebrate journalism and the First Amendment, as well as give out scholarships and awards in the field.
With the current political situation, and a divisive President in office, it definitely was going to be an interesting time to attend. The President decided he would not be going this year, nor did he go last year, the first time a US President has not attended the dinner since Reagan was recovering from his assassination attempt in 1981. Apparently, as we learned, when the President isn't there, everyone breathes a little easier and relaxes a bit. However, it does remove the core of the dinner which is when the President usually pokes fun at himself (although, not sure how well Trump would actually do with this).
Our tickets came by way of USA Today. They hosted us in top notch fashion, and honestly, it was one of the coolest events I've ever experienced. We stayed at the Park Hyatt in DC and were carted around in black cars the whole weekend. We felt so important!
The night before THE dinner, USA Today hosted a dinner at a Daniel Boulud restaurant called DBGB. Everyone in attendance, from the USA Today representatives to the other guests like us, was incredibly friendly, smart, and fun. Everyone just went up to each other and introduced themselves so that by the end of the cocktail hour, we'd met just about everyone there.
That evening, we were sat next to a remarkable woman named Susan Page. She was the USA Today White House correspondent and at one time, the president of the White House Correspondents Association. She's covered 10 elections, interviewed nine US presidents, has attended every Correspondents Dinner since 1980 and is currently writing a book on Barbara Bush (who had just passed away a couple days earlier and Susan said that her next interview with her was meant to have been in a couple days time). She was fascinating to talk to, had a true passion for journalism, and an incredibly measured outlook on the world having seen it all over the course of her career. She was the perfect person to sit next to and get into the mood of this whole weekend.
The next day kicked off with some fancy primping courtesy of USA Today. I got my hair and makeup done while Dave ate at a Michelin-star restaurant. Then we met up in our room to get all dolled up black-tie style and head out for a swanky evening on the town, or as its affectionately called in DC, "nerd prom".
Here's Dave and I in our black car on the way to the event, trying to play it cool, but also super excited.
When: April 28, 2018
With: Dave
It's not that often that you get to do something that's considered "once in a lifetime". So when Dave was offered tickets to the White House Correspondents Dinner on less than three weeks notice, we decided that this qualified as one of those "once in a lifetime" times and that it was worth the last minute rush to attend.
It's funny because I knew immediately to say yes; however, I didn't really know very much about the dinner. I knew that comedians will give a speech and that the President is usually roasted a bit, but that was about it. So I dove in to learn more than I ever expected I would about the White House Correspondents Association.
The Association was created in 1914 to ensure that the White House couldn't cherry pick which journalists could cover their press conferences. Each major news outlet, network and newspaper select an individual who attends all the press conferences at the White House. These individuals make up the members of the White House Correspondents Association. Their mission is to hold the White House accountable to the People.
The dinner, which has been an annual tradition since 1921, is when all members of the press come together to celebrate journalism and the First Amendment, as well as give out scholarships and awards in the field.
With the current political situation, and a divisive President in office, it definitely was going to be an interesting time to attend. The President decided he would not be going this year, nor did he go last year, the first time a US President has not attended the dinner since Reagan was recovering from his assassination attempt in 1981. Apparently, as we learned, when the President isn't there, everyone breathes a little easier and relaxes a bit. However, it does remove the core of the dinner which is when the President usually pokes fun at himself (although, not sure how well Trump would actually do with this).
Our tickets came by way of USA Today. They hosted us in top notch fashion, and honestly, it was one of the coolest events I've ever experienced. We stayed at the Park Hyatt in DC and were carted around in black cars the whole weekend. We felt so important!
The night before THE dinner, USA Today hosted a dinner at a Daniel Boulud restaurant called DBGB. Everyone in attendance, from the USA Today representatives to the other guests like us, was incredibly friendly, smart, and fun. Everyone just went up to each other and introduced themselves so that by the end of the cocktail hour, we'd met just about everyone there.
That evening, we were sat next to a remarkable woman named Susan Page. She was the USA Today White House correspondent and at one time, the president of the White House Correspondents Association. She's covered 10 elections, interviewed nine US presidents, has attended every Correspondents Dinner since 1980 and is currently writing a book on Barbara Bush (who had just passed away a couple days earlier and Susan said that her next interview with her was meant to have been in a couple days time). She was fascinating to talk to, had a true passion for journalism, and an incredibly measured outlook on the world having seen it all over the course of her career. She was the perfect person to sit next to and get into the mood of this whole weekend.
The next day kicked off with some fancy primping courtesy of USA Today. I got my hair and makeup done while Dave ate at a Michelin-star restaurant. Then we met up in our room to get all dolled up black-tie style and head out for a swanky evening on the town, or as its affectionately called in DC, "nerd prom".
Here's Dave and I in our black car on the way to the event, trying to play it cool, but also super excited.
We arrived at the Washington Hilton, where the event has been held every year since it began. It was a spectacle of gowns and tuxes and bewildered hotel guests who may not have realized what weekend they booked their rooms. We went through the lobby towards the back of the hotel where a cordoned- off hallway contained all the pre-dinner cocktail parties, each hosted by different media organizations.
This is where Dave and I had one of the best photos taken of us ever.
We enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and some champagne before taking a stroll down the hallway (on Susan Page's advice) to glance into the various rooms and parties and just see who we saw. It was all very surreal. Dave was spotting politicians and news reporters left and right. I was on the hunt for celebrities even though the event has become much less A-list attractive since the current President took office.
After cocktail hour, we joined a very long line (ironically standing behind the mayor of DC) to head down the escalators towards the ballroom. Once down there, we had to go through metal detectors and then we were in! It was surprising how no one stopped us from going anywhere on the dinner floor. So rather than go to our seats, we just headed straight for the primetime tables to take a photo at the front.
We still had some time before dinner, so we just ambled around the crowded room to look at who was there. Dave saw a ton of people, but the notable ones that I actually knew included Al Sharpton, Kathy Griffin, Kelly Anne Conway, Rob Reiner, Rupert Murdoch, and Jim Kramer. We didn't bother anyone, but I was amazed to see how easy it would have been to walk up to anyone and say hello.
We eventually made it to our seats where USA Today continued to pull out the stops. Apparently, only two bottles of wine are allotted per table at the dinner and the rest must be paid for. However, we had no less than 12 bottles at the table waiting for us and more were ordered. Needless to say, we were with a fun group.
The order of events was food first (appetizers, dinner, and dessert) while people continued to mill around. Then there was a quick presentation of awards and scholarships with a few funny videos of politicians making fun of themselves. There was one particularly funny one of Paul Ryan, who had just announced he'd be leaving Congress, debating how he'd be spending his free time.
The final event is the comedian that is asked to speak. This year, it was a woman who was fairly unknown to most prior to the event (though not so unknown after) named Michelle Wolf. Aside from stand-up, she had done a few bits for Weekend Update with Trevor Noah, but that was about it. She was selected for being a "non-DC person" (which really, I don't know what celebrity guest speaker IS a DC a person) and for being a woman, particularly in a year where women and their issues are at the forefront.
Well, I guess normally the speech is a gentle ribbing that effectively celebrates the First Amendment. However Michelle Wolf opted to go the Comedy Central Roast route. Most of her jokes were scandalous but also really funny. However, when she turned towards Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the press secretary to Trump representing him in his absence that evening, things got ugly. Her jokes were...rough, but more so because Sarah Sanders looked ready to cry as the jokes went on and on and on. It was an interesting moment in this politically divided world where no one in the room was really laughing because it was just painful to watch.
And then, just like that, Michelle Wolf ended and so did the dinner. It was abrupt and sudden, and we couldn't believe how fast the night had gone. We stayed in our seats as long as possible, finishing our wine and watching everyone leave to see if we could have one last celebrity sighting. We ended up meeting the rest of the USA Today crew for a nightcap at the hotel, ending an amazing experience with a wonderful group of people.
The next day was fascinating in its own way: reading and watching the coverage and reaction of the press to the events of the night before. As united as it felt in the audience that night, the next morning was once again incredibly divided about how the evening had gone. There was very little middle ground. The opinion was either that Michelle Wolf had ruined everything or that she was amazing and only to be celebrated.
I don't think she could have ruined such an awesome night with anything she said. I did find her mostly funny, but also agree she went a bit far with Sarah Sanders. The interesting part was that not having all the A-list celebrities there made many people happy as the focus of the night could return to its core: journalism. However, the next morning, Michelle Wolf was the only topic being discussed from the evening. Oh well, it's still about the celebrities.
Regardless of any of it, this was such a cool experience.
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