First Movers - How exactly will Obama get all his stuff into the White House?

[babylonsister]

http://www.slate.com/id/2208317/

First Movers
How exactly will Obama get all his stuff into the White House?
By Christopher Beam
Posted Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, at 5:36 PM ET


Moving. Click image to expand.A moving van is parked outside the White HouseAfter Barack Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20, he and his family will move into the White House. But how exactly will the president-elect get all his belongings into his new home? Will he hire movers?

Yes. The president-elect is responsible for arranging transportation for his furniture, clothes, and personal effects from Chicago to a White House storage facility in Maryland (where they also keep antiques, Easter decorations, paintings, etc.). The Secret Service oversees the whole process, which usually happens the week before the inauguration. It provides an escort for the moving vehicles and screens all items—books, desks, chairs—before they enter the facility. But Obama has to cover the transportation costs, either with personal funds or money raised for his campaign or transition.

Once the incoming president's stuff is on White House grounds, the residence staff takes custody of his possessions. The chief usher, who coordinates move-in day, provides the staff with White House floor plans and photos that indicate where each item goes.* (The first time Obama visited the White House post-election, he and the chief usher discussed furniture arrangements, food preferences, and other logistical issues.)

The Inauguration Day move-in takes about six hours. It starts at 10:30 a.m., when the sitting president and the first lady have a traditional tea with the president-elect before heading over to Capitol Hill for the swearing-in. Once they leave, the 93-person staff shifts into high gear. (They don't hire outside help for security reasons as well as privacy.) The operations personnel does the heavy lifting while a housekeeping detail helps prepare the bedrooms, curators make sure the furnishings and décor are just so, florists worry about bouquet arrangements, and the chefs prepare the post-inauguration dinner. At the same time, the staff moves the ex-president out. Items get loaded into boxes, which get loaded into vans and then military cargo planes that carry everything to the former president's new residence. With only two elevators, it's organized chaos.

[rosesaylavee]

1. Wow.

As a veteran as many house moves, that 6 hours sounds amazing. The staff must work like crazy to get that to happen.

[babylonsister]

3. I was thinking how delightful it must be to have it all done

and ready for you when you enter your 'new home'. Not many of us could even envision that.
And, while they're moving the other family out. :crazy:

[rosesaylavee]

5. Delightful yes.

Moving in/out, two families worth of stuff, all Obama furniture, bedding, clothing, personal articles unpacked and set in place in 6 hours start to finish.

And bouquets on the appropriate tables of course when all is said and done.

And a nice dinner to cap the day with a wonderful dessert following.

Reminds me of my last house move ... NOT. :)

[riderinthestorm]

8. Oh. My. Gawd. I can so totally relate. I moved in July after 25 years in the same house

What a fucking disaster. Ended in tears on the actual moving day as I'm guessing is pretty typical. I've heard that it's wise to move every 10 years so you're forced to go through the accumulated "stuff" so it's not such an ordeal to sort through and move that shit when the messy build-up gets too extreme.

Next time I'm not moving anything except for pictures and a few personal items. Everything else gets sold, burned or tossed. I'm never going through that train wreck again.

[pinto]

2. Love this picture -

[wyldwolf]

4. like any American would

[Clio the Leo]

6. And yes, they even replace the food.

If the Bush's leave a box of Sweet and Low in the residence kitchen, even THAT is replaced with a new one (or Splenda if the Obama's prefer.)

Amazing.

[jaxx]

7. That was interesting, I always wondered.

I watched some of the c-span programs on the WH, and in one Laura Bush said that the furniture they used upstairs was mostly WH owned things. Recovered, revamped. I wonder if the Obama's will do the same as they have just their one house to go to?