During my recent quick run through Chicago to visit clients, I couldn?t resist the temptation to stop by President Obama?s house and see how close I could get.
Nestled on Greenwood Avenue and 50th street in up and coming Hyde Park, I was thwarted by two concrete crash barriers, 16 cop cars, and army of elderly Chicago police happily pulling overtime. Shifty looking characters wearing long overcoats and sprouting wires out of their ears were everywhere. Needless to say, I did not get invited in for tea and cookies.
Every neighborhood bird nest, flagpole, and chimney sported video cameras, and Google Earth has wiped the block off the map. Not wanting to risk my valued Secret Service clearance, I scuttled out of there before anyone started asking questions.
The nice thing for Barack and Michele is that the house has probably doubled in value since he came into office four years ago. And who knows how much of a premium they will be able to command when it is designated a National Historic Site?
Instead, I settled for a visit to the delicious Valois Cafeteria around the corner, the president?s favorite diner, and his preferred bookstore at 57th Street Books. They carried all of his publications. Amazing!
I managed to run into someone, who knew someone, who once babysat Obama?s kids. Need, a presidential pardon, a cushy ambassadorial appointment, a new alternative energy program, or a juicy government contract? I?m now your ?go to? guy! Just make a discreet donation to my favorite 501 (3) (c) and it?s a deal.
When I lived on New York?s Sutton place overlooking the East River, my next-door neighbor was UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar. The Secret Service maintained a permanent box in front, and as a result, we had the only crime free block in the city. This was at a time during the early 1980?s when crime was raging in the Big Apple.
I bet Obama?s Chicago?s neighbors are now getting the same great deal.
Checking Out the Neighborhood
