Your U.S. election is for our entertainment. But where do get a good seat?

September 13, 2008 5:13 AM

So we’re planning a holiday to coincide with the election on November 4th. We figure it will be a very special occasion, with a good chance to see new sides of the U.S. But where to go?

The current favorites are Miami and L.A. (would be nice to catch some sun as well), but we might want to go somewhere a little more foreign to some liberal Scandinavians such as ourselves (Denmark). Austin has been mentioned, but we don’t really know that much about it…
(bonus info: we are single guys, late 20-ies, so partying and going out is mandatory)

posted by bering to travel & transportation (24 comments total)

Why not Washington, D.C. ?
posted by 0xFCAF at 5:33 AM on September 13, 2008

We're considering that as well, but thought it might be nice to catch some sunshine at the same time. The question is: will there be some special (public) events going on in Washington during the run-up to the election that will make it worth freezing our behinds off for?
posted by bering at 5:39 AM on September 13, 2008

We would also consider helping out at the campaign, attending rallies and similar activities. But is there a place where there is more of this than other places?
posted by bering at 5:43 AM on September 13, 2008

Pretty much the only interesting part of election day is watching the returns come in at a bar. So I don't think it matters where you go. Austin is pretty fun, and since it's the state capital, I'd imagine you'd have some hardcore politicos out.
posted by dame at 6:57 AM on September 13, 2008

Go to Miami, not DC (I'm from the latter - it will be cold and boring on election day). Try to watch the election returns with some Cuban-Americans... who will have very strong feelings regardless of the outcome.
posted by phrontist at 7:04 AM on September 13, 2008

You might try volunteering for a campaign. In the last few days there's TONS of stuff to do both in the local offices and out on the streets. There's more going on in bigger cities obviusly and if you concentrate on swing states you'll see the most action, since that's where each party will be putting most of its campaign effort in the last days. Maybe try Las Vegas since Nevada is a swing state. As is Florida and New Mexico, if you're looking for warmer climates. And then once you're a volunteer it's easy to get invites to the giant election night parties where everyone watches on huge jumbotrons and ether gets wasted because they won or gets wasted because they lost.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:01 AM on September 13, 2008

I live in Austin. While it's a fun little city with a lot of bars and music at night, if your interest is to see what the Presidential Election is like, you could do better. I echo otherworldlyglow's suggestion about going to a swing state where the battle will be fierce. Texas will be voting for McCain (even tho Austin will be voting for Obama), so the campaigns aren't spending any time here. Miami is a great suggestion, since Florida again will be a toss-up and everyone will be campaigning full tilt on November 4th. And come the 5th you can relax on the beach.

Another possibility is Las Vegas since Nevada is a battleground this year. However, I bet the strip is pretty immune to any politics and November 4th won't be that different than any other day.

You could maybe go to Denver (Colorado will be close), and go skiing afterwards, tho that probably isn't too appealing if you're looking for some sun.
posted by kongg at 8:16 AM on September 13, 2008

The candidates usually go to their home states to vote and wait for the results on election day, not hold huge rallies or campaign. If you want to see action you would be better off coming before the election.
posted by Bunglegirl at 8:28 AM on September 13, 2008

Chicago?

Illinois is definitely going for Obama, and if he wins, I imagine that the entire city will be hopping. Plus, Chicago has some amazing sights, and being Scandinavians, the winter weather shouldn't scare you off too much.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:55 AM on September 13, 2008

And nvm - I missed the 'sun' bit.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:56 AM on September 13, 2008

If you want to help out, go to a swing state for a couple of days before the election and volunteer with the campaign. Florida would probably be ideal if you're looking for nice weather at the same time. But the three days or so before the election, plus the actual day of, there'll be a tremendous amount of work going on, knocking on doors, making phone calls, and reminding people to get out and vote. It's fun and exciting and a real whirlwind, and any campaign office would love to have a couple of people who don't have jobs or other responsibilities for those few days.
posted by EarBucket at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2008

Thank you very much everyone. Great answers, as expected. We'll have to make a final decision, but I'm leaning heavily towards Miami (which was my initial preference). We'll be spending about two weeks in the U.S. with 10 days before the election. That should give us time to help out.
posted by bering at 9:16 AM on September 13, 2008

Average temperature in Washington DC in October is 69 F, or about 20 -21 C; average temperature in November is 58 F, or about 14 - 15 C, so you will not freeze if you decide to go there in early November.

That said, I would vote for Miami or Chicago, which is a great city to visit, despite the cold. Also, if you have never been there, New York City is an amazing place to visit any time. The average temperatures there would be about 2 to 4 degrees cooler than the DC ones I listed.
posted by gudrun at 9:24 AM on September 13, 2008

Los Angeles will be a good city to be in. For one thing, we're on the West Coast so election returns will start coming in three hours earlier in the day than they will in Miami. The weather will be nice, there's a lot of enthusiasm and plenty of bars and clubs. There's also a lot of different cultures here to soak in, and plenty of cheap and wonderful food from around the world.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:27 AM on September 13, 2008

This was sort of asked previously, though I can't remember the link. Chicago was the consensus answer, not least because it's the Rodney Dangerfield of large American cities. The heart of DC will most likely be quiet, with Congress closed down, and staffers reallocated. The DC-based wonks will still be around, but that's not exactly party central.

You might try volunteering for a campaign.

You might want to be really careful with that. Around election time, there's going to be a lot of people with hair-trigger reactions to any perceived shenanigans, and you don't want to get a campaign in trouble for what might be perceived as an in-kind contribution from foreign tourists.
posted by holgate at 11:28 AM on September 13, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

You might want to be really careful with that. Around election time, there's going to be a lot of people with hair-trigger reactions to any perceived shenanigans, and you don't want to get a campaign in trouble for what might be perceived as an in-kind contribution from foreign tourists.

It's perfectly legal for you to help non-financially. You can't donate money or goods, but you can certainly give your time. And if the local office is worried about using someone with a foreign accent (they almost certainly won't be; one of the paid organizers at our office has an accent that I promise you is thicker than yours) there's lots of stuff you can do that doesn't involve talking to potentially sensitive swing voters.
posted by EarBucket at 11:38 AM on September 13, 2008

Or, heck, call the Obama Miami office now and find out what kind of help you can offer in the days before the election: 305.541.2588
posted by EarBucket at 11:44 AM on September 13, 2008

that will make it worth freezing our behinds off for?

Been in DK in November and I live in DC. It is much colder in Denmark, trust me.

Come here and hang out.
posted by Ironmouth at 1:53 PM on September 13, 2008

I don't know about election related ideas, but I lived in Austin for two years, and it is the single most fun city I've ever visited (I like visitig there more than living there. personally).
posted by apetpsychic at 1:54 PM on September 13, 2008

Austin will be a blast and have tons of great liberal political places to drink watch the election returns and be merry... hopefully.

If you're looking for a campaign volunteer related experience, I'd go to one of the following states listing in decreasing degrees or warmth. No matter how conservative, if you're volunteering for the campaign, you'll have liberals to celebrate with:

Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia. Those are all battleground states with moderate to warm climates.

Your volunteer labor is NOT considered an in-kind contribution. However, I wouldn't recommend that you do any face to face retail politicking in any of those states, especially NC & VA. Just the honest truth. It's just poor form to tell citizens of another country what's best for them, especially if you have a noticeable accent in the south.

However, you should still go and volunteer. There are plenty of non-communicative ways to help out the campaign and they (we) would be thrilled to have you. If you want to come to NC, let me know and I'll get you plugged in to the campaign down here. MetaFilter mail me if you have any questions.
posted by willie11 at 4:22 PM on September 13, 2008

Odd. Except for the weather issue, I would have said Boston, Philly or Chicago for election night. Having said that, if what you want is a vacation with election on top, it is harder to find a better, warm weather, urban vacation spot than Miami Beach, so I think that's a brilliant choice.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:11 PM on September 13, 2008

Yeah, I spoke to my local organizer in Raleigh, North Carolina and he'd be completely cool with having you come if you decide Florida's not for you. He said we had a German organizer who worked in half a dozen states during the primaries, so being from out of the country's not a problem at all.
posted by EarBucket at 8:30 PM on September 13, 2008

Oh, and willie11--where are you working in Raleigh? I'm a canvass captain up north, around Six Forks/Falls of Neuse/Strickland.
posted by EarBucket at 8:31 PM on September 13, 2008

Thanks again for all the brilliant feedback. I'll show this to my undecided traveling companions to help them make up their minds.

As for the "poor form" of "telling citizens of another country what's best for them" I agree. I was imagining hauling boxes of stickers or something, not going door to door. It would be more about experiencing a non-touristy side of the election and we're not picky about assignments.

@EarBucket: thanks for the offer, we'll take it into consideration.
posted by bering at 1:29 AM on September 14, 2008