Hold onto your hats and your vintage 2008 campaign buttons, because Chicago’s South Side just became the official center of the universe—or at least the center of very long lines and high-profile selfies. The Obama Presidential Center has finally been dedicated, and let’s just say the turnout was slightly larger than your average neighborhood bake sale. Thousands of people swarmed the area, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who made “Yes We Can” the most famous motivational slogan since “Just Do It.”
The guest list was basically a high-stakes game of "Spot the Millionaire." From Hollywood A-listers trying to look casual in the Chicago humidity to political heavyweights making sure their ties were perfectly straight, it was a star-studded affair. Rumor has it that the crowd was so dense that even the local pigeons had to file a flight plan just to get across the street. If you weren’t there in person, you were likely stuck in the traffic caused by someone who was, which is basically the next best thing to an invitation.
As for the man of the hour, Barack himself showed up looking as cool as the underside of a pillow. He was there to bless the massive new structure, which will serve as a museum, a library, and a very shiny reminder that some people achieve a lot more in their four years than most of us do during a particularly productive afternoon at Target. The Center is huge, modern, and ready to host millions of visitors who will undoubtedly spend twenty minutes looking at historical artifacts and three hours trying to find the perfect lighting for their Instagram stories in the lobby.
It’s a big day for the Windy City. Whether you’re there for the civic pride, the celebrity sightings, or just to see if the building has a secret basketball court hidden in the basement, the dedication proved one thing: when the Obamas throw a housewarming party, you’re going to need a much bigger snack bowl and a lot more security.
