Thumbing through USAToday’s travel section, I bumped into two interesting articles. The first was a journey back in time, tracing Obama’s family history and his roots in Kenya and Indonesia and Kansas, Hawaii and Chicago and all the places he’s stayed at, and still does.

But to see all the places connected to Obama’s life story, you’d have to visit three countries, six time zones and six states. Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, has roots in Kansas and Kenya, and went to school in Los Angeles, New York and Boston. He and his wife have raised their girls in Chicago, where tourists are already seeking out Obama haunts.

I’ve already written here about all the attractions in Honolulu and the rest of the Hawaii Islands that Obama enjoys, including his favorite restaurants and the ‘Plate Lunch’ meal that he enjoys. Unlike our outgoing fitness freak lame-duck Prez, the incoming President-elect doesn’t seem to be all that fond of bicycling. During the campaign, there was a big flap over  photos and a video of Obama looking all geeky riding a bicycle along the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Speaking of bicycles, there’s one more article in USAToday, about how some hotels in Lexington MA, New York, Chicago and Miami are offering free use of hot bicycles to guests. Says that Starwood’s Element brand hotel in Lexington MA stocks Trek hybrid mountain/city bikes and offers priority bike parking near the entrance.

The Gansevoort South in Miami Beach offers glow-in-the-dark Puma bikes. The Bowery Hotel in Manhattan lets guests saddle up on red Jamis “Earth Cruisers.” The James Chicago lends hip Paul Frank cruisers.

Barack Obama Punahou School Photo by bobster1985 via flickr (creative commons). Glow in the Dark Puma Urban Mobility bicycle photo by richardmasoner via flickr (creative commons).

Posted on November 14th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Hawaii, Hotels, News