What makes Hawaii home for Obama? Seven ways he's enjoying vacation.

The first family is wiling away the holiday season in President Obama's native Hawaii. On the vacation docket: golf, snorkeling, and a 'quiet timeout.'

|
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
First lady Michelle Obama hugs Admiral Samuel Locklear III, commander of US Pacific Command, with daughters Sasha (l.) and Malia (far r.) and President Obama as the first family arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to begin their family vacation Friday.

Some presidents like variety in their vacations, and some, like President Obama, are creatures of habit: summers on Martha’s Vineyard and Christmas and New Year's in his home state of Hawaii.

This year, the president is spending his sixth holiday season in as many years in office on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, accompanied by his wife Michelle, daughters Malia and Sasha, and their two Portuguese water dogs, Bo and Sunny.

Before he left on his vacation, Mr. Obama said he was looking forward to a “quiet timeout.” Some years he delayed and even returned from vacation to deal with national crises. So far this year, he's been able to deal with issues from Hawaii, for instance, on Tuesday welcoming Sony's release of the movie "The Interview." 

Sen. Brian Schatz (D) of Hawaii once said that returning to the president's birthplace and scene of his growing up years gives Obama “a sense of normalcy, even within his security bubble.”

A big part of ease and normalcy is returning to the things you love. Here are seven favorites of the vacationing president:

Beachside home. The Obamas have become attached to a beachside vacation rental in Kailua, the upscale neighborhood on Oahu’s east shore. The home, which rents for $3,500 a day, opens up to a private white-sand beach and turquoise water.

Golf.  On Day 1, Obama was out on the links. He’s an avid golfer and a favorite place to golf with friends is Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It offers views of both the mountains and the ocean, is close to first family’s vacation rental home, and you can’t beat the privacy. Last year, he played golf nine out of 15 days.

Gym. Like his wife, the president likes his workout. He starts the mornings early at the gym – again, at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. But he doesn’t get there every day. Last year, he made it to the gym about half the time.

Beach. The Obamas have already had an outing with friends to the beach, enjoying the seclusion of the white sands at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo. The gentle waves are good for boogie boarding, and swimming at a military base keeps the first family far from the prying eyes of photojournalists – and it means the Secret Service doesn’t disrupt public life.

Eats. The president is likely to stop off at Island Snow, a “shave ice” and surf shop in Kailua. Shave ice is the island version of a snow cone, and Obama – and his daughters – love the flaky ice shavings and syrupy flavors, many of which are locally made. The president’s cone of choice – a combo of lemon-lime, cherry, and passion-guava – is dubbed the “Snowbama.” The first family also dines at their favorite restaurants, including Alan Wong's, Morimoto Waikiki and Nobu Waikiki.

Family. Vacations are an opportunity for quality time with family, or “ohana” in Hawaiian. The president and his family have enjoyed hiking, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay’s living coral reef, and the Honolulu Zoo. Ohana also means regular dinners with the president’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives in Hawaii, and visits to the Punchbowl Cemetery, where Obama’s maternal grandfather, World War II veteran Stanley Dunham, is buried.

Service members. For Obama, it wouldn’t be Christmas without visiting with troops to thank them for their service and wish them ''Mele Kalikimaka,'' Hawaiian for Merry Christmas.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to What makes Hawaii home for Obama? Seven ways he's enjoying vacation.
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Decoder/2014/1223/What-makes-Hawaii-home-for-Obama-Seven-ways-he-s-enjoying-vacation
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe