Obamas making the District home

Perhaps it’s their interaction with local schoolchildren - or their family outings to popular restaurants.

Maybe it’s his support for D.C. congressional voting rights, or his casual games of hoops at a city recreation center.

The reasons vary, depending on who is doing the surmising, but one thing is clear: The District has embraced the Obamas, in part because the Obamas have embraced the District.

“They are supporting our city, and our city is supporting them. It is fantastic for Washington,” says Todd Gray, executive chef and co-owner of the upscale Northwest restaurant Equinox, where the first family celebrated first lady Michelle Obama’s 45th birthday in January.

“I think ‘inspiration’ is a key word for the Obamas because they are inspiring so many people - inspiring confidence. Everyone is excited about what they are doing for the city,” Mr. Gray says. “People are excited about the energy they’ve brought here.”

Equinox isn’t the only place about town where the Obamas have been seen.

Declaring his family “neighborhood people” at January’s first-ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, President Obama indicated his plans to integrate himself and his family into the D.C. community.

As president-elect, Mr. Obama played basketball with D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty at an indoor basketball court at Marie Reed Community Learning Center on Champlain Street in Northwest. Mr. Obama’s local credibility soared after his high-profile visit to Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, where he ordered the popular half-smoke.

In February, the president watched the Washington Wizards from courtside seats at the Verizon Center. He cheered for his hometown Chicago Bulls, but D.C. fans apparently forgave him. After all, the Wizards won - 133 to 90.

City residents also looked the other way in January, when Mr. Obama blithely suggested that the District was filled with winter wimps for closing schools after a storm dumped snow and ice on streets and sidewalks.

“We’re going to have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this town,” Mr. Obama said. But outrage over the faux pas disappeared faster than the snow itself.

The administration also has reached out to the city’s social scene, inviting top editors of three of Washington’s local luxury-lifestyle magazines - Capitol File, DC magazine and Washington Life - to a meeting to discuss how they could engage the community and build grass-roots support for some of Mr. Obama’s programs.

Mr. Obama made a special effort to reach out to D.C. public school students in late March, when he created an internship opportunity - the D.C. Scholars Program - for high schoolers to learn about public service while working in White House offices for the summer.

On the policy side, the president has expressed support for the D.C. Voting Rights Act, which the Senate passed in February. He had co-sponsored a similar measure in 2007 when he was still an Illinois senator.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Mr. Obama described himself as a “strong proponent” of the District receiving a representative vote in Congress.

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