Forget the breathless speculation over which city will host Barack Obama's much-coveted presidential library and museum. The bigger mystery: Will the president and first lady choose Chicago as their permanent post-White House residence?
Alas, all signs point to "no."
Native South Sider Michelle Obama loves California and is interested in getting a place in Palm Springs when the family leaves DC, reports the Sun-Times' Michael Sneed.
Meanwhile, echoing the most popular prediction, a veteran Obama campaign operative tells Ward Room that the Obamas will likely establish a home base in New York City rather than the Windy City, where the president first made his name. The political power couple, who own a home in Chicago, are "not coming back," said our source.
Last month, Politico reported that the president was telling friends he'd like to live in the Big Apple. At a 2012 fundraiser in Manhattan, he reportedly said: "I just desperately want to take a walk through Central Park again, and just remember what that feels like."
Michelle Obama returns to Chicago next week for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Waldorf-Astoria. She has said first daughter Sasha, 13, will have a big say in deciding where they move after her husband closes out his second term in 2017. Both Sasha and older sister, Malia, 16, attend Sidwell Friends School in Washington.