All On East 53rd Street

It's a street found in the South Side of Chicago in Hyde Park where fond memories of the current United States President Barack Obama fill the air and the minds of those who had the pleasure of knowing and frequently seeing him along this strip.

On East 53rd Street Obama's presence has been captured in the restaurants and shops where he was once a frequent customer as everyone tries to show that they have some link to this American icon.

Located at 1518 East 53rd Street is Valois Cafeteria where they have a special menu called President Obama's Favorite Foods which includes the top four

breakfasts he liked to order, and a signed picture of him is hung with pride on

the wall near the kitchen that says "To Valois, thanks for the great eats".

The Valois night manager, John Lathouris, spoke kindly of Obama and said

"We're very proud of him. He was a nice guy and a regular customer. We would

have never expected him to become the president but he made it."

Antonio, a barber at Hyde Park Hair Salon, says he always knew Obama was someone special. "Obama used to come in here every other week. If you knew him he had that personality that just demanded attention. He had a presence." Visiting this shop is like being at a museum. The chair where Obama used to sit is on display and covered in a glass casing for preservation.

Some changes have taken place on East 53rd Street since the days Obama roamed these parts. The Baskin-Robbins where Barack and his wife Michelle shared their first kiss is now a Subway restaurant and the building that housed the old barber shop is currently under construction forcing them to move down the street.

But there is one thing that remains a constant and will be hard to get rid of and that is the impact that Obama has had on the people in this neighbourhood.

"I think it's amazing that the president is someone from right here," said Robert, a sixteen year old boy who came up and tried to hit on me while I was sitting down taking notes, but I convinced him to talk to me about Obama instead. We ended up getting into a pretty deep discussion about life in general.

"Sometimes you could begin to feel like you're trapped in certain circumstances that you're in and there is not much you could do to have a better life or better yourself," said Robert, "but having an African American president gives you a

greater outlook on what is possible."