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Chicago HopeThe Windy City gave us Obama. What can it expect in return?

By Christopher BeamPosted Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, at 7:52 PM ET

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Less measurable than federal funds, but no less important, is access. At the very least, Chicago politicians will have the ear of the administration. Between Jarrett, Axelrod, Emanuel, Daley, and Obama himself, there will be no shortage of ears attuned to Chicago. It's not as if Chicago's national political profile was low—George W. Bush celebrated his 60^th birthday there, and Daley's father famously went to great lengths for JFK—but it never hurts to have your mayor and your president on a first-name basis.

Yet the high profile cuts both ways. Expect more scrutiny of Chicago's famously corrupt political machine. So far, Obama has managed to convince people he's from Chicago but not of it—a phenomenon one Chicago columnist dubbed "hopium." But just as the national media are now obsessed with Alaskan drilling, they're also likely to scrutinize city politics and speculate about potential ties to Obama. There may be only one Tony Rezko, but the media can be counted on to try to find others like him.

How else will Chicago change because of Obama? Well, people will go there—at least that's the hope. The state tourism board plans to promote a three-day vacation package featuring sites related to Barack Obama. The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau has already set up a "Presidential Chicago" page dedicated to the Obama family's favorite shops ("The soon-to-be First Lady is frequently seen wearing designs by Chicago's Maria Pinto") and eateries ("Obama pegs MacArthur's—which serves fine soul food in a family atmosphere—as one of his top Chicago picks"). A Chicago restaurant even made T-shirts that read, "Obama Eats Here." No plans yet to sell jars of air exhaled by Barack Obama, but just wait.

Spurring tourism will be the inevitable Chicago makeover. Right now, Chicago may be known best for the Cubs and Al Capone. (And, to those of a certain age, for Biker Mice From Mars.) But if all goes well, images of futility and crime will be replaced by pictures of the motorcade cruising down the Kennedy Expressway, barbershops on the South Side, and the rustic brick of the University of Chicago. Goodbye, America's grundle. Hello, "capital of the new decade."

Chances are the city will get safer, too. Hyde Park-Kenwood has just become "the safest urban neighborhood in America." When Obama was in town for his acceptance speech, police blocked off all roads within a quarter-mile of his house. When he's not in town, the Secret Service still keeps an eye on his house. We've already seen what happens when you try to mess with the motorcade.

Some expectations will no doubt be dashed. Federal agencies will not brim with Chicagoans. Obama will not move the capital to the Windy City, as he did his campaign. The Cubs will not win the World Series. But at the very least, Chicago will force the world to acknowledge that America is more than the sum of its coasts.