Vacations Blog

The irony of this entire thing is that I could have chosen any hotel in the greater Portland area.

It was a business trip and they’d pick up the tab.

Marriott on the water? A night in one of the McMenamin’s pub-based rooms? Hilton?

I could have had any.

I decided to try for ‘cool’ and ‘funky’.

In fact, that’s what I typed into Google.

The first to pop up was the Jupiter Hotel and from the initial look of the website, it was everything I hoped to find my one night in town.

It’s a motel with a makeover. I can dig it.

I got off of the plane and into the cab.

‘800 East Burnside, please’, I said.

‘Jupiter Hotel! Nice choice, man’ he said.

‘Thanks!’ I said back, suddenly reminded of how nice everyone was in this town.

‘Have fun!’ he said as I got out of the cab, which seemed weird, but I didn’t mind as he was so kind to only charge me $4.

-

‘Hi!’ said the very nice boy behind the counter.

‘Hi!’ I said back, again reminded of how nice everyone was in this town.

‘Here’s your key!’ he said handing me a key.

‘Thanks!’ I said, taking the key.

‘No problem, sweetie!’ he said as I walked out of the office, which seemed weird, but I didn’t mind as he was so kind to ignore the fact that I was from Oklahoma…with a last name of Queen. Which usually gets me a few comments.

-

And so I walked past a lot of very nice guys with beards to my room.

‘Hi!’ a lot of them said.

‘Hi!’ I said back to a lot of them.

And then opened my door:

It was like a forest! With nice pillows and a flat-screen television and some ‘cool’ and ‘funky’ toiletry ideas for a greener world:

And so I sat and thought about how quaint and wonderful this place was and how nice everyone was in and around the area and it wasn’t until I noticed the condom on the pillow that this might be a little bit more than ‘cool’ and ‘funky’.

It could be a gathering place of boys-who-like-boys; which is fine. I’m fine with it. Even tried a little makin’-out with another boy back in the 90’s to see if I was. I was not, but have no problem with it.

But just to be sure, I went ahead and re-visited Google for some answers…

‘Jupiter Hotel’, ‘Portland’, ‘possibly gay’.

And I found out…well, everything and nothing.

Portland is a free-thinking city, that’s what makes it so wonderful. So I’m sure I could replace ‘Jupiter Hotel’ with any and get some hits.

Let’s try:

‘Hilton hotel’, ‘Portland’, ‘possibly gay’.

Oh. Okay, nothing, really.

Which means it was either, yes, a very gay hotel, or just run by a bunch of well-dressed hipsters who were nice.

I left more confused than when I came in – which, if owned by the types that I think own it, is exactly what they wanted.

We spent most of the recent Memorial Day weekend in the city of Davis, CA, attending the 23^rd Annual Davis World Cup Soccer Tournament, in which my son’s under-12 team was participating.

(davisworldcup.org)

In addition to plentiful fresh air and sunshine, it gave me the opportunity to do a little al fresco blogging, courtesy of my office laptop and a borrowed air card. Never having blogged al fresco before, I found it both invigorating and refreshing.  All I needed was a nice tall cocktail. Unfortunately there were no cocktail waitresses to be found at Sandy Motley Fields, so I had to settle for water and Diet Coke®.  Alas.

The City of Davis website describes Davis as a “university-oriented city with a progressive, vigorous community noted for its small-town style, energy conservation, environmental programs, parks, preservation of trees, red double-decker London buses, bicycles, and the quality of its educational institutions.”

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of college towns, and Davis is a good one.  Located 70-miles Northeast of San Francisco, and 11-miles West of Sacramento, Davis is home to UC Davis, one of the nation’s top universities.  

Like most college towns, Davis boasts its share of great bars and restaurants. On Sunday we lunched at The Graduate (affectionately known as “The Grad”), which is about as college town oriented as you can get. The Grad offers 55 different beers – 50 of them on tap – so you’ll be hard-pressed not to find something to quench your thirst. They also offer a Monday – Friday All-Day-Happy Hour, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM, when all beers, well drinks, ½ liter Long Islands and Smirnoff Cocktails are just $2.79. Oh, and a free Nacho Bar. SCORE!(Wikipedia)

But we were there on a Sunday, so we didn’t score any of that. I did enjoy a ¾ pound Ultimate Burger and fries. It was quite tasty but in hindsight I think my man-sized hunger would have been happier with the ½ pounder. Lisa had the BLT, which came on a Sciambra Sweet Baguette.  I think she enjoyed it. Hold on a second….yes, she did…

The boy, a hot dog freak, had the hot dog, and the girl joined me in bovine delight. Our friends, KC and Jenny went the pizza route, ordering (I think) the Chicken Club Pizza – Grilled chicken breast-bacon-tomatoes (cooked)-green onions & ranch sauce. I managed to abscond with a slice and it was delicious, a nice change from your basic pepperoni with red sauce.

(davisgrad.com)

The Grad offers dozens of TV’s for all your sporting event needs, in addition to pool tables and various video games. In other words, feel free to bring the kids; just get them out before the Spicy Salsa Tuesday.

After lunch we were back at the fields for game #4. A win would have put us into the semi-finals and required us to be back for an 8:00 AM game on Monday. As such, we came prepared for the possibility of spending the night. We didn’t win so we didn’t stay, but had we stayed Davis offers numerous accommodations from which to choose.

(Hotelscombined.com)

One such accommodation is The Aggie Inn (and I’m a sucker for any place with the word “Inn” in it). Located adjacent to the university, it offers “an elegant combination of tastefully decorated rooms and quaint, secluded two-room Cottage Suites.”

Perhaps we’ll have an opportunity to stay there during the Davis World Cup Soccer Tournament 2010. 

Aggie Inn
245 1st Street
Davis, CA 95616
Tel: 530.756.0352
Fax: 530.753.5738
Reservations: 530.756.0352
info@aggieinn.com

So in addition to last Saturday’s excursion to Rock City, we also managed to pull off a day trip on Sunday with a visit to Brannan Island State Park.

We’d had a couple of days of hot weather and the kids were pestering us to go swimming. Since we’re not even through April yet, all the public swimming pools in our area have yet to open, so we decided to make the drive out to Brannan Island to see what was what.

What was it you ask? A bit of a dump, that’s what.

Located on the Delta, just off Highway 160, northeast of Antioch, my only prior experience with this park had been as a patron of the parking lot near the boat launch. Back in the day my girlfriend (now my wife) would invite me out on her family’s boat for a day of water skiing and beaching, however the “beach” we would utilize would basically be a deserted stretch of sand somewhere out amongst the sloughs. I’d never taken advantage of Brannan Island’s public beach and swim area.

Save yourself the time and trouble because this beach has very little to offer. We ended up at what is called the Seven Mile Slough picnic area, which the State Recreation Area website describes as follows:

“Seven Mile Slough picnic area includes picnic tables, barbecues and drinking water. New restroom facilities were completed late in 1997 and include flush toilets and outdoor cold showers. Seven Mile Slough’s swim beach has lifeguards from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Ample parking is close to the beach.”

The “beach” is basically a small strip of muddy sand along the picnic area, and a little further down a trail there’s a muddy sandbar. And the water is muddy. The beach near the picnic area was pretty crowded (a side-effect of free access), so we stalked down the trail toward the mud-bar where we staked out a small  patch of sand that backed up to some vegetation and threw down our largest towel. The kids didn’t seem to mind much and figured they may as well swim since we’d come all that way. I, on the other hand, had no intention of going in the water and immediately began eating the sandwich I’d brought because I didn’t figure on staying any longer than I had to.

I tolerated it for a good 45 minutes, but when the “sagging pants” crowd and the colorful language (from elementary school age kids no less) became too much, we packed it up and got the hell out of there.  If you really want more information you can check out the website.

The trip was not a total bust, however because we drove a little further down Hwy 160 and crossed the bridge into Rio Vista in search of Sandy Beach Park.  

Sandy Beach County Park is located in the city of Rio Vista, a rather small, somewhat weather-beaten but not without its charms, Delta city, made famous back in 1985 when wayward Humpback whale, Humphrey, turned up in the local waters.

Sandy Beach offers more or less the same amenities as Brannan Island; picnic areas, camping, boating, etc, but the environment is much nicer, or at least appeared to be on that particular Sunday afternoon. A word about camping; as camping is not everybody’s “thing”,  if you find yourself in need of accommodations in the Rio Vista area, I’d recommend checking out the Ryde Hotel, located in Grand Island, a short jaunt from  Rio Vista. I’ve never stayed there, but I did attend a bachelor party there many years ago and folks tell me I had a great time.

Anyway, based on the five minutes we spent looking around Sandy Park Beach (the girl at the gate was kind enough to let us check it out sans entry fee) it looked like a nice little place, one I’d consider making the drive back to visit one day. And I’d blow right past Brannan Island on my way.

The M resort features progressive architectural style and design

In Las Vegas, resort builders are always pushing the envelope to create something new and exciting for the millions of tourists that visit the city each year. Rising from the desert floor on the far southern edge of the Valley, Las Vegas’ newest vacation destination, the M Resort, is no exception. As a matter of fact, with a view of it from my front yard, I’d call it immaculate example of cutting-edge architecture and design. It’s simply spectacular.

Scheduled to open on March 1 at Las Vegas Boulevard South at St. Rose Parkway, the 390-room M Resort is the first property travelers along I-15 from California now see. Its location also places the resort 400 feet higher than any other Las Vegas resort property, offering guests sweeping views of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip from the majority of its guest rooms and restaurants, many of which feature outdoor terraces overlooking its 100,000 square foot pool and events piazza as well as the Las Vegas Valley.

Here’s some the M Resort’s other great amenities:

• A truly one-of-a-kind design, the M Resort does not feature reflective glass like many of the areas resorts. Instead, it includes skylights on the casino floor allowing natural light in – a rare feature in the casino industry. The architecture is progressive in style, incorporating horizontal lines, natural lighting and a rich color palette of natural materials. It’s definitely not your run of the mill cheesy theme resort.
• Oversized guest rooms and suites ranging from 550 to 2,400 square feet. More than 70 percent of the rooms at the M Resort offer views of the Las Vegas Strip through floor to ceiling windows.     
  

  The M Resort features 351 guest rooms and 39 suites.

• Guest rooms equipped with high-technology amenities including Bose Wave sound system, iPod docking station and 42” HD LCD flat screen television. There’s also inlaid mirror television in the bathroom. Now that’s cool.
• Wireless internet connectivity throughout the entire resort, allowing guests to access wireless voice and data services, mobile phones, BlackBerry devices, PDAs and laptops.
• More than 92,000 square feet of gaming excitement, including 1,900 video poker and slot machines, 64 game tables, high limit area, live action poker room, race and sports book and poolside gaming.
• Nearly 30,000 square feet of kitchen and culinary work areas dedicated to the culinary arts. The resort will own and operate all of its nine restaurants and five destination bars, which feature the next-generation dining experience with unique culinary concepts and innovative social dining atmospheres.
• A buffet featuring a live action cooking studio – the first of its kind. The studio will engage diners providing them with ringside seats to cooking demonstrations and broadcasts. Perhaps it’ll feel like you’re in the Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium on Food Network.
• A 23,000 square foot, world-class spa, salon and fitness center will offer 16 treatment rooms, sauna, steam and hot tub wet areas and a state-of-the-art fitness center.     
  

  The 100,000 square foot pool overlooks the Las Vegas Valley.

• An on-site gas station and M Pharmacy provide unique amenities for locals and tourists.

So what’s nearby to enjoy during your vacation at the M Resort?

If you enjoy shopping, you can travel 30 minutes south on I-15 to the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas on the California state line in Primm or just minutes north on Las Vegas Boulevard to the Las Vegas Outlet Center.

You can also tee up for a round of golf at the nearby Rio Secco Golf Club in Seven Hills, located just a few minutes east off of St. Rose Parkway. Or you can try the Bali Hai Golf Course, located adjacent to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Take a scenic drive through the loop at Red Rock Canyon. Take I-15 north to Blue Diamond and head west. If you’re into adventure, take a hike on one of the canyon’s many trails.

Whatever you’re in the mood to do during your next Las Vegas vacation, you’re sure to find it.

The M Resort is now taking reservations, so check it out.

All photos by The M Resort.

The Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.

Looking for a certain je ne sais quoi for your next Las Vegas vacation? Luckily the era of themed resorts added a little French to the center of the Las Vegas Strip. Whether planning a risqué weekend with a partner or a rendezvous with family and friends, the centerpiece of a French inspired vacation is Paris Las Vegas. The resort, along with a variety of French restaurants and stage productions on The Strip, offer vacationers who can’t afford a trip to Paris a taste of the famed City of Light with the added excitement of Sin City, of course.

Upon arrival at the 2,915 room Paris Las Vegas Resort & Casino the essence of Paris is overwhelming apparent as the front facade of the elaborate and luxurious structure is designed to emulate elements of the Paris Opera House and the Louvre. Its architecture also incorporates many of the famous sights of Paris, including a 540-foot tall replica of the Eiffel Tower, now a signature of the LasVegas Skyline, a neon sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe and a La Fontaine des Mers. This picturesque resort is sure to make any vacationer utter “c’est magnifique!”

The Eiffel Tower
Start your vacation on a high note with a trip up the Eiffel Tower. Don’t forget your camera because the observation deck provides extraordinary views up and down the Las Vegas Strip and a 360° panorama of the entire Las Vegas Valley.

Tickets may be purchased at the Eiffel Tower Box Office located inside the casino. The cost is $10 for adults; $7 for seniors 65 and older and children 6-12; free for children younger than 5. From 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., when the Las Vegas Strip lights up, admission is $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and children. Family packages (two adults and two children) are available for $30 from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The Las Vegas Strip north from the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas

A Culinary Adventure
If you’re like me, you’re really into food. Paris Las Vegas’ restaurants turn vacationers into the bon vivant with an offering of everything from the classical French cuisine to the Pan Asian Parisian.

Popular for its al fresco dining, with an up close view of the impressive Fountains of Bellagio, Mon Ami Gabi French Bistro offers a simplistic French menu with everything from traditional Hors D’Oeuvres to Steak Frites. The restaurant’s desserts, including profiteroles and crème brûlée, are awe inspiring. A children’s menu offers a number of kid-friendly meals, including macaroni and cheese and burgers.

Reservations at Mon Ami Gabi are highly recommended for indoor seating. Unfortunately, seats on the patio are first-come, first-serve. Since they are highly sought by guests, a request may result in a long wait as guest tend to stay a while. Of course, who can blame them for enjoying a café au lait and the stunning view after their meal?

Another great restaurant with al fresco dining is Ah Sin, offering an Asian Fusion menu with a diverse collection of flavors and cooking techniques from the Pacific Rim. Reservations are recommended for both patio and indoor dining.

You’ll say “bon appetite” as you make a toast to the dazzling lights 100 feet below your table at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Located on the 11th floor of the iconic structure, the restaurant is fine dining with view. The restaurant serves the most acclaimed French cuisine available in the city, including a flawlessly seasoned lamb and foie gras that’s unrivaled. To ensure a seat with the best view, reservations are required.

It’s all about great food and ambiance at the two-story, art deco inspired Les Artistes Steakhouse. The restaurant’s à la carte menu offers a variety of specialties, including grilled rack of lamb, a 50-ounce porterhouse steak, and roasted whole Maine lobster and tasty poultry dishes. Reservations at Les Artiste Steakhouse are recommended.

In all, Paris Las Vegas offers 11 dining options, from the low-cost, no-frills to the epicurean experience. There are also a variety of French restaurants in the Las Vegas resort corridor, including Daniel Boulud Brasserie at Wynn, Alizé at the Palms, Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay, Joël Robuchon at the Mansion at MGM Grand, Le Cirque at Bellagio, and finally the famous Pamplemousse, located at 400 E. Sahara Avenue.

No matter your appetite, you’re sure to find the right French meal for the occasion.

Bring on the Night
After the sun sets behind the Spring Mountains to the west and the neon glows, Paris Las Vegas’ nighttime establishments come to life. From the ultra-chic Risqué Nightclub, to the charming Le Cabaret lounge to the lively Napoleon’s Bar, guests are sure to find the right setting for an all night vacation celebration.

Paris Las Vegas’ location at the center of the LasVegas Strip also provides for easy travel to city’s most popular nightclubs, including Pure at Caesar’s Palace, LAX at Luxor, Tao at the Venetian and Tryst at Wynn. Take a taxi, limo, the Las Vegas Monorail or a walk along the Strip to find your ultimate party spot.

And who can forget the shows of Cirque du Soleil. Okay, the shows are not a product of France, but Canada’s Quebec province, so they are still essentially French. There are now six Cirque du Soleil shows at various hotels in Las Vegas: O at Bellagio, Mystere at Treasure Island, Ka at MGM Grand, Zumanity at New York-New York, Love at the Mirage and the newest show, Criss Angel’s Believe. Tickets for these shows are expensive, but well worth the money.

From the street, the 540-foot Eiffel Tower extends into the clouds.

The Spa Treatment
After a night out, a spa treatment at Paris Las Vegas’ Spa by Mandara provides the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation. Massages and facials, as well as other beautification packages are available. For folks not willing to skip their fitness routine, the spa also features a fully equipped fitness center, personal training and steam and saunas rooms.

This is the third in a series about our president & vice presidential candidates’ hometowns.  Maybe by walking in their proverbial footsteps, you can decide who you will get your vote and have a good vacation. We, of course are completely non-partisan. The series will run each day this week. Today we are focusing on Senator Biden’s stomping grounds in Delaware, yesterday was Senator McCain’s town of Phoenix, on Tuesday we featured Senator Obama’s Chicago, tomorrow we will complete the series by showcasing Governor Palin’s home turf in lovely Wasilla.

Start with the train station. Senator Joe Biden has commuted between Washington DC and his home daily  since 1972, when he was first elected to the Senate.  This is his hometown station. Sweet little place, isn’t it?

Next, take in the entertainment, dining and tax free shopping at vibrant Wilmington Riverfront.

Grab some culture at  Nemours Mansion and Gardens.

or at the Winterthur Museum & Country Estate.

Have a little more time? Take a look at what Mr. Biden has been seeing in Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley for past 30 plus years including Hagley Museum, Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Brandywine Zoo, and the Highland Orchards Farm Market..

Wilmington is still nursing a massive European cultural hangover from a cocktail of the first Swedish settlers, their subsequent Dutch conquerors and then the Colonial British era.  Be sure to see some of it, to understand the history of this town.

There’s the Old Swedes Church, a national landmark, and the Old Town Hall and Willingtown Square with 18^th century restored houses, and the fully restored 1,190 seat Victorian Grand Opera House.

There’s also Fort Christina, which commemorates the colony of New Sweden established in 1638 when Peter Minuit’s foray into the New World in the Swedish ships Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip landed up in the Delaware Valley. Speaking of which, you might also want to take a look at the new Tall Ship of Delaware if its docked at the Port of Wilmington on the Christina River. If you’re interested in smaller boats, you can also take a river taxi ride.

As for lodging, best place to stay would be somewhere near the Riverfront. Here’s a list of recommended hotels and Inns from the Riverfront Development Corp.

Enjoy your stay and remember to vote.

This is the second in a series about vacations in our president & vice presidential candidates’ hometowns.  Maybe by walking in their proverbial footsteps, you can finally decide who you will get your vote. We, of course are completely non-partisan. The series will run each day this week. Today we are focusing on Senator McCain’s town of Phoenix, yesterday we featured Senator Obama’s Chicago, Thursday will feature Senator Biden’s stomping grounds in Delaware and we will complete the series by showcasing Governor Palin’s home turf in lovely Wasilla.

It’s a bit difficult to find a central theme to John McCain’s life, because he’s such a restless soul. Bits and pieces of his life are strewn all over the map, from Washington DC to Vietnam to Phoenix, AZ, not to mention a string of military schools and the gazillion houses he and his wife own.But I expect by the time you finish reading this, you’ll have a better idea of the kind of person John McCain was, and is today.

The McCains spend vacations and host visitors at their 15 acre Hidden Valley Ranch in Cornville AZ, about half an hour from the red rocks of Sedona.

Red rocks of Sedona

But their primary residence is a 7,000 sq ft double condo in a sleek 12 story glass building in the Camelback Corridor in downtown Phoenix, which makes the nearby Phoenix hotels seem like Salvation Army shelters by comparison. There’s a cascading waterfall in the lobby, a wet bar and a rooftop pool terrace plus a concierge service and spa.  Luxurious living, I think.

The McCain Phoenix Condo

Phoenix offers over 200 pristine golf courses, and golfing is more of a craze than a relaxing sport here. The Sonoran Desert offers over 300 days of excellent weather and an inviting landscape for hiking, biking and horseback riding. You can go hiking up the 2608 foot Piestewa Peak via the Summit trail and enjoy the magnificent view of the City from the top. But McCain can’t do any of that. He was a keen sportsman and boxer, but he can’t raise his arms above shoulder level after Vietnam, so he goes to Chase Field, which has a retractable roof and a turf field, to watch the Diamondbacks.

The Phoenix Convention Center is undergoing a $600 million expansion in the heart of Copper Square.This 90 square block forms the core of the downtown district, with enough dining, shopping, hotels and entertainment to satisfy America’s 5^th largest City, and the 13 million plus annual visitors and tourists. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the $600 million didn’t come from Washington, because McCain does not ask for Congressional pork for his home state.

Jerome, Arizona

As far as restaurants are concerned, McCain’s first choice is Tee Pee, a Tex-Mex at 4144 E Indian School Road. He often ends up there for dinner with family and friends when he’s in Phoenix. McCain also recently took some of his prospective VP candidates to a restaurant called Asylum in the ghost town of Jerome, also an artist colony and a hippie hangout.

Aunt Chilada’s homespun food

One more place he’s been seen at is Aunt Chilada’s. Also, the Pho Bang restaurant in New York City claims that it is McCain’s favorite Vietnamese restaurant, and there is one Pho Bang in Phoenix too, at 1702 W Camelback Rd. Certainly won’t be as bad as what McCain had to eat at the Hanoi Hilton.

Arizona Biltmore

If you need a place to stay, I suggest the landmark Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, where John & Cindy got married on May 17, 1980.

Other options include the Ritz-Carlton, where McCain holds his Phoenix fund-raisers, and the Courtyard Phoenix Camelback, which is pretty darn close to McCain’s condos.

And as far as his faith is concerned, McCain has been going to Dan Yeary’s North Phoenix Baptist Church on 16^th Street for 15 years, but he’s not a full member of the Church. He mostly keeps his faith to himself, and reverts back to Vietnam, where he says his faith was tested minute by minute, for 5 years.

Rawhide, Phoenix, Arizona

There are many more places to visit and things to do in Phoenix, including the Heard Museum, the Desert Botanical Garden, and the Phoenix Zoo. You can browse the art galleries and the Fashion Square in Scottsdale, or enjoy the faux wild west atmosphere and gun-toting cowboys at Rawhide. Meanwhile, John McClaine..sorry, that’s McCain – will be busy strafing Congress critters in Washington looking to sell the country to the highest bidder.

In summary, in spite of having lived in Phoenix for 27 years, McCain still remains at odds with the Valley of the Sun, and I get this feeling that he doesn’t think of himself as an Arizonian but as a citizen of planet earth. His mom, Roberta McCain, is now 96 years old, and she got her passport renewed last year to continue her road trips around the world. I think the same spirit lives inside John McCain.

Photo of McCain’s Phoenix home from 2211 Camelback site.

Sedona Red Rock by Laszlo

Arizona Biltmore pool photo courtesy of the Arizona Biltmore

Earth by woodleywonderworks

This is the first in a series on vacation’s in our president & vice presidential candidates’ hometowns.  Maybe by walking in their proverbial footsteps, you can finally decide who you will get your vote. We, of course are completely non-partisan.  The series will run each day this week.  Tomorrow will feature Senator McCain’s town of Phoenix, Thursday will feature Senator Biden’s stomping grounds in Delaware and we will complete the series by showcasing Governor Palin’s home turf in lovely Wasilla.

Yours in non-partisanship….

In spite of all the celebrity and rock star status, surprisingly few people outside Chicago know the real Barack Obama. My hope is to give you an inside look at his life in Chicago’s South Side. And of course, you can use this to plan a Obama-themed Chicago vacation.

Barack Obama’s Home

Let’s start with his house, which, because  McCain forgot how many homes he actually owned, became an issue. Obama’s house is located in the Kenwood neighborhood,  but it’s not exactly a mansion when compared to some other homes in the ‘hood. It is just big with four fireplaces. But the elitist label on Obama sticks when you consider the historic nature of the landmark district, where a lot of the houses are from the late 19^th century.  I love this neighborhood. Don’t you?  Here are some photos of his neighborhood:

Heck, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just take a CAF tour, whose meeting point used to be at the KAM Isaiah Israel synagogue near Obama’s residence. As of Sept 1, they changed the meeting point (probably security concerns), but you’ll still be able to see the house (and the synagogue – its magnificent from the inside) on the tour.

If you’re visiting his house, then you might also be interested in the Obama campaign headquarters at 233 N. Michigan Ave in the Loop. Or his former Church – the Trinity United Church of Christ.

Promontory Point, Burnham Park

Before he became Chicago’s favorite son, Obama and his family could often be found enjoying the breeze at Promontory Point in Burnham Park, referred to locally as ‘The Point’. It’s a beautiful place, good for picnics and romantic strolls and has a great view with summer fireworks and all. Also, as you can see in this video, the Obamas do enjoy a family bicycle ride along the shores of Lake Michigan.

If you’re fond of books and reading, head for 57^th Street Books in Hyde Park, where Obama used to buy his books. If you’re in need of a haircut, head straight for the Hyde Park Salon & Barber Shop at 5234 S. Blackstone Ave and ask for Zariff, who cuts Obama’s hair. For $21, in case you’re wondering… Looking for a workout? Go to the East Bank Club, which is Obama’s gym.

As for food, in his 2006 book ‘The Audacity of Hope’, Obama says one of his favorites was the turkey legs and dressing at MacArthur’s. Now it seems their favorite is the Sopa Azteca at Rick Bayless’ Mexican restaurant Topolobampo. Their other favorites (stated and/or spotted) include the Caribbean fare at Calypso Café, barbeque chicken pizza at Pizza Capri, Italian at Spiaggia, and RJ Grunts with the burgers and ribs.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama seems to have taken a liking to the cuisine at the upscale Sepia. That would probably be because her fashion designer Maria Pinto has a boutique nearby at 133 N. Jefferson St. Which would also be a good place to get an outfit which makes you look exactly like the prospective First Lady.

Design by Maria Pinto

(Personally, I don’t think this is a look for a first lady, but I sure would like to see a first lady in something other than an ugly suit, wouldn’t you?)

And if you want a special kiss at the exact same spot where Barack first kissed Michelle on their first date after an ice-cream, head for 1400 E. 53rd St., which was previously a Baskin Robbins.

And if you’re tired of politics as usual and want a change from an Obama overdose, then the main attractions on the South Shore other than the University of Chicago include the Hyde Park Art Center, Osaka Garden, golfing, beaches and other attractions at Jackson Park and South Shore Cultural Center. As far as shopping is concerned, you’re better off going down to the Magnificent Mile, since the presence of the University and the landmark district has largely prevented any commercial development.

And last, the only hotel I’d recommend for this Obamacation would be the Ramada Lake Shore where Obama first announced his entry into Chicago politics. Besides, there are no other major hotels in the vicinity. If you’re a young Obama supporter full of enthusiasm, and running on hope instead of cash, then the Hyde Park Arms (5316 S Harper Ave, Chicago, IL 60615), which is a transient hotel, might be a good choice. If you prefer Bed and Breakfasts, then the University Quarters B&B and Wooded Isle Suites are pretty well located close to the University of Chicago campus.

Bear in mind that this is not a Chicago vacation per se, but a snapshot of Obama’s world, and his life. There’s more to Chicago than just Obama, and you’ll find a pretty good list of all the things to do in Chicago here.

Barack Obama’s home courtesy of Obama Zone

Kenwood homes courtesy of  Chicago Architecture Foundation

Promontory Point photo by Kim Scarborough

Michelle Obama photo by Telegraph.Uk.co

Mario Pinto photo by Maria Pinto