Lawrence Akutagawa
2008-12-12 02:50:01 UTC
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hawaii/sso_detail?blogid=53&entry_id=32016
Obama's Christmas, Royal's Inaugural
Could Kailua become the next Crawford? Or Honolulu the hot-spot
alternative
to D.C.'s sold-out (and cold-out) inaugural festivities?
Oahu is abuzz with the recent news that President-elect Barack Obama
will
return to his home state for Christmas vacation, relaxing with family
and
friends in a mini-compound in Kailua and holding a private memorial
for his
late grandmother, according to several published reports. Only a few
weeks
later, the currently closed-for-renovations Royal Hawaiian will
celebrate
its reopening as a "Luxury Collection Resort" and the election of the
first
Hawaii-born president with its first-ever inaugural ball.
While the anti-Obama (mainly Mainland) camp is characterizing his trip
as
doing Christmas Like a Billionaire" (admittedly, the three private
houses
his party is said to be renting do sound pretty tony), many island
residents -- and the beleaguered visitor industry in particular -- are
thrilled that the incoming president is once again showcasing Hawaii
as his
first choice for a down-time destination. (And after all, it's not
like he
has a $3.5 million ranch in Texas at which to unwind.)
/snip - read the linked article. The comments address the Obama birth
certificate issue discussed by the article./
Obama's Christmas, Royal's Inaugural
Could Kailua become the next Crawford? Or Honolulu the hot-spot
alternative
to D.C.'s sold-out (and cold-out) inaugural festivities?
Oahu is abuzz with the recent news that President-elect Barack Obama
will
return to his home state for Christmas vacation, relaxing with family
and
friends in a mini-compound in Kailua and holding a private memorial
for his
late grandmother, according to several published reports. Only a few
weeks
later, the currently closed-for-renovations Royal Hawaiian will
celebrate
its reopening as a "Luxury Collection Resort" and the election of the
first
Hawaii-born president with its first-ever inaugural ball.
While the anti-Obama (mainly Mainland) camp is characterizing his trip
as
doing Christmas Like a Billionaire" (admittedly, the three private
houses
his party is said to be renting do sound pretty tony), many island
residents -- and the beleaguered visitor industry in particular -- are
thrilled that the incoming president is once again showcasing Hawaii
as his
first choice for a down-time destination. (And after all, it's not
like he
has a $3.5 million ranch in Texas at which to unwind.)
/snip - read the linked article. The comments address the Obama birth
certificate issue discussed by the article./