Obama Girls Take Inaugural Ride on New Cable Car

Sasha and Malia among No. 15's first passengers

While their mom was busy helping volunteers build a school playground, first daughters Malia and Sasha Obama were taking in a typical San Francisco treat with their maternal grandmother yesterday.

The school-age daughters of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were among the first passengers to ride a new cable car making its maiden runs.

The car is simply known as Number 15. It's the fifteenth car hand built by Muni workmen since the 1960s. Number 15 is painted a bright yellow. "Sponge Bob Yellow" one painter answered when asked if the paint had a name, referring to the popular yellow cartoon character.

Metropolitan Transportation Agency chief Nathaniel Ford escorted the girls and Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, as they rode from the cable car station on Nob Hill to Lombard Street, billed as the "Crookedest Street in the World."

Michelle Obama was in San Francisco to promote the president's national volunteering initiative. While talking about the importance of exercise to children's health, she mentioned that the White House has a no-TV-and computers policy until after dinner.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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