For Obamas, it's time for a move and a new school routine

WASHINGTON -- When the Obamas check in to the historic Hay-Adams hotel in Washington, their home through Jan. 15, they'll have a posh and well-secured suite, White House views, 24-hour room service and probably not much free time to enjoy it.

For daughters Malia and Sasha, this week marks the start of classes at what for them will be a new school in a new city.

President-elect Barack Obama's schedule is filling up as well.

He's to meet Monday on Capitol Hill with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the Republican leaders of both chambers before the 111th Congress convenes.

On Wednesday, Obama is invited to the White House for lunch with President George W. Bush and the living former presidents -- Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter -- in the president's private dining room off the Oval Office.

Aides say Obama also is working on an economic recovery plan and preparing for his Jan. 20 inauguration.

School and inaugural preparations will consume Michelle Obama's schedule as well, and the family still has one more temporary move -- to Blair House, the official guest residence -- before taking up residence in the White House.

Michelle Obama and the girls arrived in Washington from Chicago on Saturday and checked into the Hay-Adams. The president-elect is due at Andrews Air Force Base tonight.

A school of equals

Classes at Sidwell Friends, a private Quaker school previously attended by Chelsea Clinton and the children of other former presidents, begin Monday.

Sidwell's middle- and upper-school students study on its main campus in Northwest Washington, but grades pre-K through 4 are taught at a separate campus in Bethesda, Md. That means Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, a fifth-grader, likely will study on separate campuses.

Ellis Turner, associate head of school at Sidwell Friends, said that neither students and parents nor teachers and staff had been given guidance on interacting with the first family.

"We don't feel the need to offer advice to our teachers or parents in that regard," he said. "I think the community is dedicated to treating every student in the school in the same manner, and I think it comes naturally to our community."

James Zug, whose book "The Long Conversation" about Sidwell's history was published last year, said part of the Quaker philosophy at the school's roots is to see each child as equal.

Since Sidwell''s founding in 1883, Zug said, several children or relatives of presidents and high-profile politicians have attended the school. They include a son of Teddy Roosevelt; Lincoln's great-grandson and last surviving descendant; Herbert Hoover's sons; and Richard Nixon's daughters. Bobby Kennedy sent two sons. Nancy Reagan also attended Sidwell.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden has grandchildren at the school.

Privacy at Hay-Adams

Obama transition officials, reached Friday, declined to answer most questions about the move: Will Obama advisers also be staying at the Hay-Adams? Will transition meetings be held there? What do the accommodations cost, and who's paying?

The Hay-Adams sits just across Lafayette Square from the White House. The hotel's two best suites, the Federal and the Presidential, boast panoramic views of the park, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and St. John's Episcopal Church.

Both suites are one-bedroom, but they can be expanded to include adjoining rooms. The hotel has declined to answer questions about the Obamas' stay or even publicly acknowledge that they will be staying there.

The hotel's Web site says the Presidential suite is a penthouse suite with a gas-lit corner fireplace, while the Federal suite has a meeting area and a balcony overlooking the White House. The most expensive suite listed on its Web site's reservations page goes for a daily rate of $3,200 this time of year, but it is not identified.

Rob Volmer, whose public relations firm represents the hotel, said it is hotel policy to maintain guests' privacy. "Everyone gets special handling," he added, especially from hotel staff "knowing what their likes and dislikes are" in food and other services.

" 'Nothing is overlooked but the White House,' that's their claim," Volmer said. "It's very meticulous service."

Obama apparently will have to go out for his daily workouts, though. Volmer said the hotel does not have a gym but has agreements with off-site gyms.