Smith Point--I would like to be a mouse here and listen in on the

[rodeodance]

conversation.


.....Finally, the NYT visits what has become one of Washington, D.C.'s most well-known bars, Smith Point. The bar, made famous by the regular appearances of the Bush twins, has become a sort of refuge for young Republicans. It was packed on inauguration night after all the official balls were over. Describing the bar, the NYT states that Smith Point has become "a genuine velvet-rope hot spot." The article goes on to quote Smith Point's owner on how much he dislikes the term "velvet rope," preferring to call it a "crowd-control stanchion." Maybe the crowds needed to be controlled on inauguration night, but an article in the latest issue of Newsweek revealed that on normal nights, patrons are kept waiting outside even when the bar is mostly empty.

Daniel Politi is a writer in New York.

Article URL: http://slate.msn.com/id/2112583/