Happy Hour: Toasting the President-Elect

OUR ORIGINAL IDEA for this piece was to find a Washingtonian haunt where you could look out from a window or rooftop and literally raise a glass in a toast to the White House as a sign of welcome to our new prez-elect, who's back in town today to meet with President Bush. But alas, the Hotel Washington and its Sky Bar Lounge are no more (the hotel will be reborn as a Hotel W in August 2009).

And while the Hay-Adams has rooftop viewing for private events, someone manning the hotel's indoor — and non-White House overlooking — Off the Record bar told us you can't just grab a scotch and wander up there. "You'll have to call the manager and then he has to call the White House to tell the Secret Service you'll be up there for five minutes." Right. Doing shots near the White House is one thing, getting shot at near it isn't quite as fun.

Instead of toasting the White House, though, here's were you can get toasted near it and subsequently stumble the few blocks to it if you're so inclined.

Slurping oysters at the Old Ebbitt Grill is a Washington tradition, but if you pop in their raw bar from 3-6 p.m. you can order up a dozen oysters on the halfshell at half price (the cost is normally $22).

Looking for something less chewy and more meaty? Bite in to half-price burgers at The Bottom Line until 8 p.m., and wash them down with a $3.50 Sunset Wheat ale, $2.50 Coors or $3 glass of house wine until close. The Exchange is serving up burgers too -- anything you want on 'em for $5 until 7 p.m. -- as well as $2 Bud Lights and rail drinks until close.

Ready to take it one step further? Well, Recessions is serving $3 "King Kong" (aka, 28 tasty ounces) of Bud Light in addition to $5 mojitos, $3 rail drinks and $2 Miller bottles. But what really blew us away is what Ceiba's mixing up. Five-dollar mojitos are one thing. The fact that the special is running from 2:30-9:30 p.m. is another. Think you can last that long? To borrow a phrase from Obama, "Yes we can!"

» Old Ebbitt Grill, 675 15th St. NW; 202-347-4800. (Metro Center)
» The Bottom Line, 1716 I St. NW; 202-298-8488. (Farragut West)
» The Exchange,1719 G St. NW; 202-393-4690 (Farragut West)
» Recessions, 1823 L St. NW; 202-296-6686. (Farragut West)
» Ceiba, 701 14th St. NW; 202-393-3983. (Metro Center)