D.C.’s Obama Souvenir Trail: Good, Bad and Ugly
Travel Blog • Julia Ross • 12.22.08 | 1:35 PM ET
There’s nothing like a presidential inauguration to stoke Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit. With the big event less than a month away, Obama souvenirs are multiplying like “real Americans” at a Sarah Palin rally. I’m keeping an eye out for particularly egregious examples, but here’s a snapshot of what I’ve seen around town thus far:
- I (Heart) Barack Obama infant onesies and “Obama” rhinestone pins (kiosks, Union Station)
- Obama family paper doll set (Making History, Union Station)
- “Hot 4 Barack” hot sauce (Mayflower Hotel )
- Chocolate-covered sunflower seeds sold under the label “Seeds for Change” (Marriott Wardman Park Hotel)
- Michelle and Barack Obama light switch plates (Eastern Market)
- Barack Obama action figures (“an action figure we can believe in”) (Washington Welcome Center)
- Sepia-toned Obama tote bags (the most tasteful item yet) (Axis Salon)
On a bipartisan note: Wistful Republicans can check out the remaining John McCain T-shirts and bobblehead dolls in the back corner of the Washington Welcome Center (10th and E Streets, NW), stacked under a crumpled sign that notes, “All McCain merchandise on sale.” It’s tough to lose in this town.