For Many, a Day to Celebrate, at Home or in Washington.

MALL, The (Washington, D.C.); WASHINGTON (D.C.)

SOME Long Islanders are taking the plunge, heading to the National Mall in Washington to see Barack Obama's inauguration in person with a couple million of their fellow citizens. Others are just celebrating with loved ones in front of the TV on Tuesday. But even some of the stay-at-homes are breaking out black tie and evening gowns for their living-room parties, intending to match the grandeur of the moment with formal wear and Champagne. In dozens of interviews, people across the Island said they were planning to celebrate the inauguration in the biggest way possible, given the realities of hard economic times and the expected crush at the capital. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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