Obama’s guide to Chicago
Where in the Windy City are the ex-President’s favourite haunts and hangouts?
He may have made his name in Washington DC, but Barack Obama’s first taste of politics came in Chicago. After graduating Columbia Law School, he moved to the Windy City to become a civil right attorney, and taught at the University of Chicago Law School.
Obama represented the 13th District of Chicago in the Illinois Senate for seven years, before being elected to the US Senate and, well, you know the rest. But where in the grand Second City did Obama enjoy hanging out, and how can you follow in the 44th President’s footsteps?
In his 2006 memoir, The Audacity of Hope, Obama described MacArthurs as “one of [his] favourite restaurants in Chicago”. A regular haunt of many politicians – whose black-and-white photographs hang in frame looking down on the tables – the ex-President’s favourite meal is ‘Turkey Legs and Dressing’, according to the restaurant manager.
To burn off those turkey legs, Obama and his brother-in-law Craig Robinson often took to these outdoor basketball courts to sink some hoops. Robinson, the former coach of both Oregon State and Brown University, told press in 2008 that Michelle Obama had instructed him to frequently take the President-to-be to the courts to test his tenacity.
Obama may not have studied here, but he taught at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 to 2003 – and helped shape many attorneys and politicians to come. If you really want to follow in his footsteps, it is said that the ex-President’s favourite classroom was Room V – also known as the Harry A. Bigelow Lecture Hall.
It may seem like a strange spot along a Presidential trail, but during his early years as an attorney in Chicago, Obama would hold or attend meetings with other lawyers and activists at this fast-food outlet. No word, however, on what he used to order.
The skyscraper where Obama met Michelle Robinson in the summer of 1989, Chase Tower once held the offices of Sidley and Austin – one of the oldest and largest law firms in the world and the company with which Obama interned. After she rebuffed his initial attempts to land a date, they later had their first kiss at a local Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop – at 1400 E. 53rd St.
The Obamas had their wedding reception at the South Shore Country Club, when they married in October of 1992. Designed by architects in a Mediterranean Revival style, the building was finished in 1905 – and the Cultural Centre held the Obama’s reception almost an entire century later.
An upscale restaurant, located at the head of the Magnificent Mile, Spiaggia was the eatery chosen by the Obamas the night after Barack won his bid to become the 44th President of the United States. Head over and dine in the footsteps of political royalty, enjoying the modern takes on Italian classic dishes.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
