Paparazzi: Second Annual Ball on the Mall
I loved playing dress up as a little girl. As far back as I can remember, my favorite times were Christmas and Easter because I had frilly/shiny new dresses and shoes to celebrate these two occasions. I used to dream of getting dressed up more than twice a year and going to classy affairs where people danced the waltz, twirled around, laughed while holding a glass of champagne and lookeing like they were having a classy good time – just like in the movies.
My Barbies and Ken dolls also had a stellar wardrobe, mainly consisting of fur, long gowns, tuxedos and shoes and accessories to match. They were constantly going to faux dinner parties, balls, pageants and weddings. They lived a glamorous life. Either way, I couldn’t wait to grow up and go to these events myself.
Saturday night was one such occasion. My boyfriend and I decided to buy tickets to the Second Annual Ball on th
e Mall – a gala, raising funds to support the upkeep and preservation of one of the Nation’s best (and largest) pieces of our history. For those that aren’t from the area, nor have ever visited it – the mall has seen protests, flag football games, picnics, 4th of July celebrations, snowball fights and much more. And, this gala is just one more gathering that provides the ultimate backdrop to celebrate the very thing we all enjoy – an amazingly scenic view, reminding us of the very country we live in and what it stands for.
The evening started with a “pre-game” at The Willard’s Round Robin and Scotch Bar, one of the oldest bars in D.C.
Brief history from the website: Located just off the lobby of the Willard InterContinental Washington, the Round Robin & Scotch Bar has been a lively meeting place for DC’s political and social elite since the days of Abraham Lincoln. Long renowned among the best DC bars, this spot was known as the nexus of “Rum Row” and the “E Street Corridor” — plying its trade to luminaries such as Mark Twain and Walt Whitman. Today, this fashionable downtown Washington DC bar draws a smart, stylish cross section of DC movers and shakers.
“Round” isn’t just part of the name of the bar – it truly is an oval. It’s there that you can meet some interesting people that by day, have powerful jobs and by night, are just like everyone else – they just happen to like higher-end places to relax 
A little after 8 PM, we decided to head in the direction of our event. Walking onto the mall in heels and a ball gown are something I’ve never done, nor ever expected to do in my lifetime. With the sun almost gone, it was just light enough to take photos in front of the now lit-up Capitol and National Monuments – it truly was breathtaking to see them in that light.
When we got in line to be checked off the list, we ran into two of the very people that would make our night extraordinary. After some hugs and squeals, we all went in to get our drinks and begin to mingle. The area of mall we were on had been transformed with high-ceilinged tents, with mobile-type sculptures suspended from the top that when
a black light shone on them, glowed in psychedelic colors. It had a decorative dance floor, surrounded by rather impressive flooring (no sinking heels), plenty of stations of food, bars in every which direction and entryways to other tents. It was massive.
As the people started flooding in, it was interesting to see who was wearing what. To most in the D.C. area, black tie means long gowns and tuxes. As my boyfriend humorously pointed out, there were many recycled bridesmaids gowns or in his exact words, “I believe 25 out of 27 dresses are here”. Some women didn’t event take black tie seriously at all, wearing cotton cocktail dresses that could suffice for both day and night, depending on the accessories. (I know I shouldn’t nit-pick but I take these events seriously!)
Not even an hour into the event and we ran into two more of my friends. Between the six of us, we quite quickly discovered that these events are way more fun when you’re wearing formal wear, as it causes you to
do unusually immature things, like the following:
- Finding empty furniture and spontaneously posing with it
- Finding an empty podium and spontaneously posing with that too
- Taking group shots on chaise lounges
- Removing random artifacts, meant to create a certain decor, and using them as props for the aforementioned posing activities
- Eating finger foods, using no napkins or plates because who really cares? You look classier in formal wear.
- Drinking fishbowls of beer or fishbowls of alcohol-soaked fruit
- Singing loudly (and horribly) to Grease and Journey tunes
- Dancing like well, white people
- Deciding you can take over the visitor’s kiosk on the way out
- Getting into a cab to go to Hudsons, only to discover no one is there, yet making instantaneous friends with some random stranger who popped out of Hudsons to see why we looked stranded
- Taking another cab to L2, where we proceeded to talk six people in who aren’t members
- Deciding now would be the time to see who you can pick up before the night is over – mostly on a dare (initials remain out of it but they know who they are
Even though this ball wasn’t straight out of a Cotillion formal or a movie, it was better than that. The company I was with made it an amazing time. Here’s hoping to our next reality segment: Ball on the Mall: The Reunion Special.
HUGE Shout outs go to: Natalie Cartner, Charlie Martel, Tommy McFly, Jen Faber, Raea Leinster, Ken Ammann, Chandler Ramelli and Andy Baldwin for an awesomely good time!
I had THE best time with you!!! I was saying to someone else that the event was alright, but the people I was so lucky to enjoy all evening made it one of my most favorite nights in DC ever!!