I got tickets to the Downtown Countdown as part of the Yelp Elite. The location couldn't have been more convenient (I live near Adams Morgan). The venue is a nice one, but the execution, not so much.
First we had to go down a hall, show our ID and tickets and get our wristbands in a room. Then we had to go back down the hall to find the escalators to the ballrooms. There was a coat check, but I didn't want to check my coat, and it's a good thing I didn't, as it was very cold in the hotel. I wondered how some of the women in sleeveless dresses and no hose were faring.
My boyfriend and I checked out the comedy show in one of the ballrooms. However, the comedians just weren't that funny. One young man had excellent timing, but his material was awful. And one woman kept saying "like", which gets, like, really annoying. And that it was in a very dark room took away from the experience. Part of watching comedy is seeing the expressions on the performer's face, not to mention his/her body language.
There didn't seem to be much to do--see a band, see another band, go to the DJ ballroom. After the comedy show, we checked out the Pat McGee band, who we quite enjoyed, and then stayed in the (very dark) room for the countdown. We'd been in there before to check out the dinner buffet, but we couldn't even read the signs near the food.
After ringing in the new year with a balloon drop, we decided to head on home. I probably won't go to another Downtown Countdown. Maybe it's the execution of the event, maybe I'm getting too old for stuff like this, or maybe it's a combination of both. read more