President Obama has often told the story of how he met his wife, Michelle, in Chicago when they worked at the same law firm. Now, fans of the first couple can visit the spot where they shared their first kiss.
A historical marker was unveiled on Wednesday at the site, outside a shopping center in Chicago. The plaque features a 2007 quote from Mr. Obama from an interview with O, the Oprah Magazine.
“On our first date, I treated her to the finest ice cream Baskin-Robbins had to offer, our dinner table doubling as the curb. I kissed her, and it tasted like chocolate,†the plaque reads.
The granite marker is at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and 53rd Street outside a shopping center in the Hyde Park neighborhood, not far from the Obamas' home. The plaque also features a photo of the couple kissing.
Although the Baskin-Robbins shop has been replaced by a Subway restaurant, there is a different Baskin- Robbins nearby, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The owners of the shopping center said they had been working to create a marker for several years because of interest from the public.
“We took on the project for the community, posterity and the tourists who seem interested in including the spot in their visit to Chicago,†said Jonelle Kearney, a spokeswoman for Mid-America Real Estate.
Whether it is a savvy marketing tool or an adorable tribute, Obama's team probably welcomes attention to the couple's love story as the presidential campaign has grown increasingly negative. In an interview on “The Tonight Show†this week, Mrs. Obama spoke of another kiss, explaining that she was not rebuffing the president when the couple was caught on the “kiss cam†at a recent basketball game.
Several Twitter users, however, were not amused by all this talk of the Obamas kissing. One woman wrote of the new historical mark er: “I think I just threw up a little bit. GAG!â€
