Officially Old

The more I mention my stance on the 24-hour party, the more I realize I am generally alone on this one.

It's not that I don't love a good celebration, and it's not like I want DC under lock and key for inauguration.

But if you've ever seen Adams Morgan on a Saturday night at 1am, you'll understand why I think keeping those people drunk until 5am is a lousy idea.

A crime beat reporter in Miami once told me, "Nothing good happens between 12am and 5am." If I remember correctly, we were talking about her daughter and curfews at the time, but the saying's always stuck with me as being mostly true. Manhattan nightlife's the exception because nothing good gets going there until 12am, but in pretty much any other city - especially a city not used to the 5am cutoff - 2am should give everyone plenty of time to get sufficiently sloshed and stumble home.

I recognize this view probably makes me an old fart in the eyes of my friends in their 20's, but I've also come to a place where I'm totally ok with that.