What if Hyde Park hosts Midwest White House?

I've been slacking on the Sun-Times columns of both Mary Mitchell and Laura Washington for a while. The column whose title I stole for this blog post by Washington was written back on June 16th. It's something worth pondering if Obama becomes the new Commander in Chief:

What will happen to Hyde Park if a certain mansion on South Greenwood Street becomes the Midwestern White House?

If U.S. Sen. Barack Obama ascends to the presidency in November, will Chicago's very own Hyde Park vanquish the Western White House in Crawford, Texas? Will Obama purchase a Ford pickup and start clearing brush along East 53rd Street?

Will Hyde Park's desperately meager dining offerings improve? Will the neighborhood's pathetic nightlife scene pick up?

These are crucial questions confronting Hyde Parkers, the national and international press corps, and the world leaders who will be compelled to spend time in the HP.

My mother has lived in the Hyde Park/Kenwood area for 17 years. Her high-rise co-op overlooks Lake Michigan, Louis Farrakhan's mansion and Art "Oprah's Chef" Smith's sprawling culinary complex. She's looking forward to the descending hordes.

The tour of the stars' homes is coming, she hears.

"Security will probably be even better," she declared the other day. "The tourists will come and say, 'let's drive by the president's house.'"

That's good for the 'hood, Mama says. "People tend to spruce up when they know there's money involved."

Read the whole thing.

While we're on the topic of Barack Obama what about the comments made by Rev. Jesse Jackson. Average bro has the story.

I at times pondered or in fact believe that these comments might be a symptom of the generation gap. Indeed one expert said there is a gap between the younger generation looking to step up to the plate and the older generation not ready to let the younger generation move up. It might be that dynamic certainly, but I'm sure that's not the whole story.