Michelle Obama's gift to lure G-20 spouses to Pittsburgh

What if you gave a party in Pittsburgh, and no one came? (Because, well, it's Pittsburgh.)

That wouldn't look good for President Barack Obama, hosting a major foreign summit, the G-20, there this week.

So how about an enticement, like a free gift? It works on late-night TV. And that's traditional anyway for the host/hostess of these gatherings of elite sophisticated international folks, with all their secure vehicles idling outside while the big shots go indoors away from the tear gas to discuss once again improving the environment. Also our finances.

As comedian Jimmy Fallon will say in his late-night monologue tonight, the main topic of discussion among the foreign leaders is, Why Pittsburgh?

The Obama administration learned a lesson earlier this year during Giftgate, when it presented British Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a toy helicopter and a set of classic American movie DVDs in a format that won't work in Britain. Thanks for stopping by.

Handing out Pittsburgh Terrible Towels would require knowledge of American sports or, worse, Pittsburgh teams, and that would be, well, terrible.

So First Lady Michelle Obama settled on giving some china to the spouses. Here's how the White House describes the china:

A one-of-a-kind porcelain tea set, White House honey and a honey vase designed exclusively for the occasion of the Pittsburgh Summit 2009. The platinum and purple porcelain design of the teacups is classic and contemporary, and inspired by the gold and purple White House china that President and Mrs. Lincoln used in 1861.

The use of platinum on the saucer symbolizes Pittsburgh’s steel industry roots; the use of purple is the color of the state flower of Illinois, the purple violet, home states of both Presidents Lincoln and Obama. The porcelain is one of a kind and made by a century-old family business in Illinois.

A rose in the bottom of the teacup represents both the official flower of the United States and the American beauty rose, the official flower of Washington. There is a delicate three-flower bouquet that sits in the well of the saucer. It consists of the purple violet, the state flower of Illinois; the mountain laurel, the state flower of Pennsylvania; and a rose, the national flower.

The White House honey produced for this occasion came from the First Beehive, located on White House property near the First Lady’s White House Kitchen Garden.

Also, there's a dinner at John Kerry's wife's farm, with all the Heinz ketchup you can eat.

So would that be sufficient to get you to Pittsburgh?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: White House

Comments

[Lisa Marie Cirincione]

Pittsburgh is a great city, and Michelle Obama is very lucky to be hosting the world here... and they are getting Terrible Towels too... very lucky dignataries.

[Mike D.]

The First Family is a CLASS ACT! Michelle is a warm and thoughtful First Lady and just as charming as her husband.
I voted for Obama and will stick by him throughout his hopefully 8 years in The White House.
I hope they use Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton as a secret weapon to get this Health Care Bill passed. The Republicans are to stuck on themselves and money. Time for change and "YES WE CAN."

Mike

[phoebe]

Wow. What an incredibly snotty piece by some sad person who's probably never been to Pittsburgh.

[pittsburgh]

You've clearly never been to Pittsburgh, which is a beautiful town. LA is black whole of narcissism. You should wake up to the rest of the world.

[Piggy Palace News]

Well, at least that's better than a boxed dvd set of the Terminator like they probably would have got in LA. lol...

[pghforever]

Has the writer of this post ever been to Pittsburgh? It's a fantastic city; the people there are honest, hardworking, and open, and the architecture is stunning. There is a reason why President Obama chose Pittsburgh. It is the quintessential American city, the realization of an American renaissance. I've lived, studied, and worked all over the world, but Pittsburgh will always have a special place in my heart. It's a city with soul and depth, history and sense of place. In other words, it is the anti-Los Angeles.

[Jenn Wertz]

Please...Update yourself!! Clearly you have not been to Pittsburgh in the last 15 years. And if so, have had terrible hosts.

Slamming Pittsburgh is so 1985

[Stephanie]

I would just like to point out that your comment, "Because, well, it's Pittsburgh" is rude and uncalled for. Sorry, LA, we aren't in a recession up to our plastic body parts like you are. Sorry we have a championship football and hockey team, amazing shopping, a new casino, three rivers, some really great colleges and museams. Why would anyone want to come to Pittsburgh? Well, LA, you can have your G20 Summit, because Pittsburgh isn't a violent town like you, we aren't fans of riots and protesting. We take care of our city. Maybe you should do the same.

[Paul]

Bahhh, HUMBUG!

[Lucy Abrams]

'Tis a shame there's no Dr. Jack from Tennesee to warm that teacup!

[maria fuentes]

cheap and NO CLASS as usual

[Elga]

Lisa is right; Pittsburgh is a beautiful city, with numerous museums, theaters, diverse and historic neighborhoods, world class universities and friendly residents. (There is a reason it was voted the most livable city in the country on numerous occasions!). Why don't you focus on the newsworthy events taking place in the city now, instead of trying to get cheap laughs based on out-dated notions of a city that has pulled itself up out of economic hardships (with no bailouts, I might add) to become a leader in industry, technology and education today.

[Dan Mann]

Thank goodness I bailed out of LA after reading these comments. Thank goodness all those Pittsburgh folk have internet because they are they only ones reading your writings.
Pittsburgh is a nice little city. I spent a week there during the NFL kick-off and I was amazed. The people are as friendly as you will ever come across in a downtown setting and the city itself is, well, beautiful.

[gobnait]

Oh, NOW the White house gets it right with the gift? After several painful gaffes selecting appropriate tokens for HEADS OF STATE, they finally are able to come up with something suitable for...THE WIVES OF HEADS OF STATE?! Genius.

[smartie]

Please. Dissing Pittsburgh is so tired and, dare I say, gauche. It's a wonderful city. It's affordable, CLEAN, and packed full of great things to do, cultural and otherwise. From the Pittsburgh Opera to the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society to the Carnegie museums and libraries to the Mattress Factory, this city has more to offer you than your short-sighted snobbery could ever let you enjoy.

The downtown area is admittedly suffering in spots because the business district is still struggling to find its identity. The city hasn't had very effective leadership, unfortunately, but the surrounding areas and neighborhoods are like treasure troves. There are race problems that break my heart because of Pittsburgh's vibrant African American history (see the Hill District, see The Charles "Teenie" Harris archive owned by the Carnegie Museum of Art), but I see that changing too and there is a lot of effort being put into preserving and recapturing that history.

There's a vibrant art community that's thriving because housing is affordable, the city's full of artists, writers, intellectuals, etc., many of whom are natives. So it's really outdated to denigrate Pittsburghers in general too. There's a lot of wisdom in the city, but if you come in and treat people like a**holes, you'll be treated like one. Period.

The universities, hospitals, and even high schools there energetically support foreign exchange programs, so I highly doubt that the foreign dignitaries are asking "why Pittsburgh?"

It's a town that's undergoing a massive, albeit slow, transformation. Look up the Cork Factory Lofts - I'm a native and these are recently opened loft apartments in a gorgeous old building that I watched fall apart for years. Look up the Otto Milk Condos. I know people in there 80s who used to work there when it was still a business. Historical Pittsburgh is elbow to elbow with modern development. My point is that developers recognize the potential in city and are putting their money there, constructing living spaces that rival anything I've seen in New York or LA. What's more, they're ridiculously affordable comparably speaking. And Pittsburgh is devoted to finding ways to repurpose its great old buildings in general.

People say "yeah, but where are the jobs?" I've moved around quite a bit and people with little ingenuity could say that about any city. I even have friends in their 20s and 30s opening businesses and galleries there because they can, living in the city is so affordable.

If you don't like rain and you can't drive in the snow, however, living in Pittsburgh could be problematic for you. Other than that, you really are denying yourself a genuine pleasure by not at least updating what seems to be your preconceived idea of what it's like and checking it out. I'm glad the Obamas recognize how wonderful it is.

[Best2U]

Pittsburgh! Pittsburgh? Who in there right mind would go to Pittsburgh? Why would any President of any country invite his guest to Pittsburgh?
Obama must owe something to the powers to me in Pittsburgh.
Someone should investigate this one. It has to be a pay back or something.

[Keith Sparbanie]

Guess what, Mr. Malcolm? Your snide remarks are simply not clever nor funny.

I just spent last weekend in Los Angeles and was not impressed. I was disgusted by the litter, the graffiti, the razor wire on buildings and road signs, the traffic, the smog (California is only "the Golden State" because of the toxic air filling your canyons), the amount of homeless people pushing shopping carts, the freaks wandering around Hollywood, the narcissists primping in Beverly Hills and at L.A. Live, the need for metal detectors at the entrance of a nightclub, and of course the grossly overpriced real estate.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and there are reasons why it is consistently named "America's Most Livable City." It has a skyline that puts yours to shame, three rivers that actually have water, rolling hills, beautiful parks and recreation facilities, numerous museums, world class symphony and opera, 87 distinct neighborhoods, incredible architecture including gorgeous Victorian homes, some of the best medical institutions and universities in the world, a reasonable cost of living, NICE PEOPLE, and yes... the World Champion Steelers and Penguins sports franchises. I'll take my Terrible Towel and walk rather than pay an L.A. hotel $30 for valet parking and $10 for internet access, any day.

By the way, I currently reside in the Valley of the Sun (that's in Arizona for you geographically challenged "journalists" in Los Angeles) and was delighted to return from California noticing how much cleaner Phoenix appears in comparison.

Many of my friends here in Chandler choose to visit San Diego rather than Los Angeles when traveling to southern California. I'll keep that in mind for my next adventure to the Left Coast.

[h.p.]

I think the flowers in the picture are so sad (go with dull colored fake ones for a photo op?). Couldn't some live ones be found instead?

[JT Kola]

Another LA columnist with his nose up in the air. Stay classy, Andrew Malcolm.

[kasp]

You must be one of those elitist west-coast snobs that think anything outside of Cali is beneath you.

[Jamie Dougherty]

Some one needs to move past the 70’s. Pittsburgh is no longer the smoky steel town that the older generation remembers. Pittsburgh is how ever on the leading front of advanced medicine and information technology. Pittsburgh is a leading city in fine arts, theater, the Warhol and Heinz centers. Pittsburgh is the home of the nations Aviary, Buhl science center and Carnegie library. The list continues. As far as the terrible towel, it was invented by Myron Cope. Mr. Cope has never taken a dime from the sale of this symbol of Pittsburgh pride but has donated millions to a local charity. The terrible towel is not only a symbol of the Pittsburgh Steelers but a since of pride from all who live in the area. The Terrible towel has been pictured all over the world, from London, Paris to the Great Wall of China. The terrible towel follows all branches of the U.S. military in to battle from the sands of Iraq, Afghanistan or any where else our brave patriots put their lives on the line. The real question here should be what has Andrew Malcolm done? Why not Pittsburgh? I challenge you to come to Pittsburgh and see for your self.

[DJ]

Pickard china is not cheap, especially the custom pieces. Though Mike's posting has indicated that he would not like me, I do have to agree that this gift is classy, tasteful and sophisticated. Finally, a gift befitting the calibre of ladies receiving it.
Pickard is the standard china used in the White House for over 100 years. Looks like the Obama protocol staff finally got the message about gift giving. Maybe that is a sign of progress.

[Paul K]

Would any U.S. president pick L.A. for a gathering of foreign dignitaries? Please. Pittsburgh was fairly insulated from the economic turmoil of the past year...unlike, oh, I don't know...L.A.? California? For under $500K (even lower in some neighborhoods) you can get a MANSION in Pittsburgh. What would that get you in L.A.? A parking space?

Pittsburghers don't brag about the city, as a rule. Unless you insult us. Grow up, dude. And get out of the smog once in a while...it's disrupting your neurons.

[deroy]

Michelle has permamnent baby sitters and it's time for her to get a job.
how about renewing her law license and she can be a JAG officer in Afghanistan? just like hillary claimed (LIED) she wanted to be.

[NinaK]

Wow, what a wonderful and classy gift. I collect cups and saucers and these would be a wonderful addition to my curio cabinet!! However, I don't expect to get one. :)
Congratulations to Michelle for her wonderfully good taste!

Guess noone wanted to claim this article at the LA Times, I don't see an author's name. I am wondering why the article is so disdainful of Pittsburgh (actually the author)? Let's not put down our cities/towns, each and everyone of them has something to offer our country and a certain beauty of its own.