She came. She saw. She…spent spent $750 to get the hell out?
Amber Lee — better known as the “Obama Girl” to the 3 million-plus people who’ve watched her YouTube video — stopped by Arianna Huffington’s Georgetown house party Monday night and was easily the biggest head turner, wowing party-goers with her looks and innocence (“She seemed really intimidated by the whole scene,” said one party-goer). But getting out of Washington proved to be rather difficult.
As the party wore on into the night, Lee’s transportation plans back to the Big Apple had to be revised and she grew agitated when it looked like she may have missed her chance to get back home, especially because she had more television interviews lined up for Tuesday morning .
“Are there really no more trains back to New York from Washington?” Lee asked at around 10 p.m. “I’m not happy about not being able to get back to New York tonight.” Ben Relles, the creator of the “Obama Girl” video, worked the cell phone as he paced in the corner, desperately trying to make something work for both of them. Party patrons chimed in with their best advice.
With all options failing them, they did what any budding Internet star would do: Blow too much money on an overpriced option. Relles and Lee shelled out $750 for a car ride back to the Big Apple.
Unfortunately, Lee didn’t get a chance to appreciate the nation’s capital. She admitted to Yeas & Nays that this was her first time in D.C. and she didn’t even get a chance to visit the monuments, although she hoped to do so on a later visit. And her busy itinerary was also unable to accommodate a swing by the office of her “crush” — Sen. Barack Obama. Lee added that it’s important for everyone to realize that the video is just a joke: She’s not telling whom she privately supports in the 2008 presidential election.
For Lee, New York really is where her heart lies. She said that she’s not a political person and is more interested in focusing on acting, fashion and modeling, at one point even modeling off to us how her nose ring corkscrews into her nose (no backing, ladies).Hot.
When asked what she ultimately wants to do with her career (you know, when, say, the modeling benefits of youth have escaped her), Lee replied, “I don’t plan on getting old and saggy.”
Updated 1:30pm
