Our hotel on Dupont Circle was a few blocks south of the Washington Hilton, which Saturday night hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. So I was not that surprised to see men in black tie and women in evening gowns. What puzzled me was the fact that they were not heading to the Hilton, but congregating on the terrace of our hotel and filling the Japanese restaurant across the street. A hostess at the former told us that these were alternate parties. Apparently, people who did not get invitations to the correspondents’ dinner dressed up anyway and went out on town. Following the Oscars, there are after-parties; in Washington, there are during-parties.
