Where the presidential candidates go to unwind
— -- From Key West to Kennebunkport, the places presidents go to recharge often experience a boost in their own polls. And as candidates Barack Obama and John McCain head into the election homestretch, two of their preferred escapes, Hawaii's Oahu and Arizona's Verde Valley, are getting extra scrutiny. USA TODAY spotlights the candidates' favorite getaways — one famous, one unfamiliar even to many Arizonans.
Obama's Oahu
Political commentator Cokie Roberts may have chided Honolulu-born Obama this month for spending his week-long vacation in "some sort of foreign, exotic place."
But resulting media coverage of the presumptive Democratic nominee slurping shave ice and flashing the shaka (Hawaii's pinky-and-thumb salute) was a windfall to a state whose top industry has been hammered by airline cutbacks and a slumping economy.
Although he didn't spend the night — the Obamas rented a house on Kailua Beach, about 30 minutes from Waikiki on the windward, or eastern, side of Oahu — his choice of The Kahala Hotel & Resort for a fundraiser prompted a press release noting that every U.S. president since Lyndon Johnson has stayed at the Honolulu hideout. (Note to Obama and McCain: Kahala's refurbished presidential suite makes its debut in December for $8,888 a night.)
"There's really no way we could have scripted it better: golf, bodysurfing, a picnic at Ala Moana Beach with family and friends. It was absolutely perfect for us," Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau president John Monahan told the Honolulu Advertiser.
"Local boy" Obama, who went to boarding school near the mouth of Oahu's scenic Manoa Valley and whose grandmother still lives in Honolulu, typically spends Christmas on the island. And many of the places that logged Obama sightings on his most recent visit are frequented by both visitors and kamaaina (longtime residents), notes Alex Salkever, publisher of the blog Hawaiirama.com.
"Alan Wong's (where the Obamas ate dinner ) is one of the best restaurants in town," Salkever says, "and a lot of local families' relatives are buried at Punchbowl" National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The volcanic crater overlooks Waikiki and serves as a final resting place for more than 35,000 veterans, including Obama's maternal grandfather.
The calm, aquarium-like waters of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, where Obama's daughters went snorkeling, attract busloads of tourists who wouldn't know a wahine from a wipeout. But one of Obama's favorite bodysurfing spots as a youth, Sandy Beach on the southeast tip of Oahu, is famous for its adrenaline-boosting shore breaks.
Obama caught five waves in 30 minutes at Sandy's, with a Honolulu lifeguard observing that Obama "obviously knew what he was doing," the Advertiser reported.
At a welcome rally, Obama mentioned that a plate lunch (meat accompanied by scoops of white rice and macaroni salad) was on his to-do list, with potential stops at the Rainbow Drive-In or Zippy's. He didn't make it to either spot, but ordered another island favorite at Island Snow Hawaii.
Alas, Obama got an early taste of what may lie ahead if his next visit is via Air Force One. As word of his excursion spread, a crowd gathered to snap pictures as he left with his guava orange, Lanikai lime and choo-choo cherry cone.
"Let's let the kids try to enjoy the shave ice," Obama pleaded.
Information:visit-oahu.com or 877-525-6248
McCain's Verde Valley
"Where the hell is Cornville Arizona?" reads a popular bumper sticker in this unincorporated Verde Valley agricultural and retirement community of 3,500.
The answer: About two hours north of Phoenix, a half-hour south of crystals-and-auras-laden Sedona, and 10 minutes from blink-and-you'll-miss-it Page Springs — which, like Cornville, will get a much higher profile if part-time resident McCain makes it to the White House.
Shaded by sycamore and cottonwood trees and perched above several large aquifers that pump out hundreds of natural springs, the Verde Valley was named by Spanish explorers for its comparatively lush contrast to the surrounding high desert landscape. And for more than two decades, it's been a weekend refuge for the Arizona senator, whose family's aptly named Hidden Valley property is tucked along Oak Creek off Page Springs Road.
Most stories that mention McCain's spread include a Sedona dateline, and McCain announced he was dropping out of the 2000 presidential race from Sedona's Airport Mesa, home to the area's best sunset views and an "energy vortex" that draws throngs of New Agers.
But that popular outpost of chakra cleansers, flying saucer fans and spectacular red rocks is to Page Springs as the Taj Mahal is to the Mojave Desert, claims local blogger Marv Lincoln.
Indeed, McCain's Verde Valley is "very much off the beaten track," says Jennifer Wesselhoff of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce.
The valley's newest attractions are a growing gaggle of small wineries with names like Javelina Leap and Echo Canyon, whose Syrahs and Cabernets are winning raves and gracing the wine lists of nearby restaurants. Among them: McCain favorite Asylum, located in a hospital-turned-hotel in the picturesque, 19th-century copper-mining town of Jerome (once known as the "wickedest in the West").
Some visitors head for Montezuma Castle National Monument, a 12th-century Sinagua cliff dwelling that's considered one of the country's best preserved, or the Out of Africa Wildlife Park, where the three-times-a-week feedings of lions, tigers and other predators are popular draws.
But many, like McCain, spend their time hiking (temperatures here are about 10 degrees cooler than in Phoenix)and soaking up the scenery.
Whether those quiet hikes will be marred by security and news helicopters come November remains to be seen: "If and when he's elected, we know things are going to change and we'll be bombarded," says Debbie Wilden of the chamber of commerce in nearby Cottonwood, where McCain is a regular at the local Starbucks.
Until then, she says, "little bitty" Page Springs and the rest of the Verde Valley will remain a place where "you just carry your lawn chair around in your car, because there's always a free concert or farmers' market to go to. We may be caught off guard, but for now we just go right about our business."
Information:sedona-verdevalley.com or 480-362-0653