Getting tourists to walk the Obama walk

[SoCalDem]

Getting tourists to walk the Obama walk
http://www.ioltravel.co.za/article/view/4924273

Washington - Washington, which on Friday was voted the most walkable city in the United States, has come up with yet another new walking tour to attract visitors. But not just any walking tour, mind you - the US capital already has scads of those. Its newest itinerary allows visitors to follow in the footsteps of President Barack Obama and his family. People who walk the Obama walk, which is posted on the website of Destination DC, Washington's tourism office, will take in restaurants, theaters, shops and cultural and historical sites that the Obamas have either visited since they arrived in Washington in January or that are linked in some other way to the first family.

The itinerary is not exhaustive - the Obamas do get out a lot - and it's heavy with culinary establishments, including Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street, where president-elect Obama ate with Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, days ahead of his swearing-in on January 20.

For those unable or unwilling to walk the walk, Ben's has added a "Barack Obama" link to its website which opens up a video of the visit. Then there's the upscale Equinox restaurant, where Barack and Michelle Obama dined on her birthday on January 17; the Marvin Restaurant and Lounge, named for Washington native Marvin Gaye and known for the huge Obama mural on the side of the building; and Georgia Brown's, where Michelle and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, took lunch one day.

"The restaurants have told us that having the Obamas as guests has been good for business, and after putting this up on our website, we've heard from other locations in Washington who have said, 'Hey, they've been here, too. We should be added,'" said Rebecca Pawlowski, spokesperson for Destination DC.

snip

There was no similar walking tour for president George Bush, said Pawlowski. "He didn't get out a lot," she said. "It would have been very short."