Officials project 1.5 million to attend inauguration

That’s five times the number of people at each of President Bush’s inaugurals.

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama didn’t measure the White House drapes before being elected president — as Republican rival John McCain accused him of doing — but Ron Walters’ family effectively did.

Weeks before Election Day, Walters began fielding calls from relatives who were looking for beds, couches, floors or any other sleeping space available in his suburban Washington home in anticipation of Obama’s being sworn in as the nation’s first black president on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

“I had 23 relatives call us to try to get space in this home, and that’s going on everywhere around here,” said Walters, a University of Maryland professor.

“It seems as if everyone on Earth wants to come to Obama’s inauguration, especially African-Americans. There are about 90,000 hotel rooms in the Washington area and only a few are still available, for a price. Prices start around $400 a night, and for most, there’s a four-night minimum. One unidentified celebrant paid $1 million to book an entire 300-room Marriott. Hotels as far away as Richmond, Va. — 100 miles south — and Baltimore — 40 miles north — are raising their rates and getting bookings.

“It’s going to be like the Million Man March,” said author A’Lelia Bundles, a Washingtonian and descendant of Madam C.J., one of the nation’s first black female millionaires. “People are excited. It’s almost like emancipation and Jubilee.”

As many as 1.5 million people may come for Obama inaugural festivities, according to officials at Destination DC, the District of Columbia’s official convention corporation. By comparison, President Bush’s inaugurations each drew about 300,000 people, according to Rebecca Pawlowski, a Destination DC spokeswoman.

Destination DC’s inauguration Web page has received more than 10,000 visitors since it went online last Tuesday.

The national headquarters of black fraternities and sororities also have had to deal with a surge in phone calls from members who are looking for lodging and inaugural ball tickets.