President-elect Barack Obama arrived Sunday evening in the Washington area, 16 days before being sworn into office, reported the Washington Post after leaving his home town of Chicago.

I choked up a little bit leaving the house today. What happened was Malia's friend had dropped off an album of the two of them together. They've been friends since preschool and I just looked through the pages and the house was empty. It was a little tough. It got me, Obama said to reporters on the plan that he got emotional as he left his Chicago home this afternoon.

The new First Family will be staying at the Hay-Adams Hotel across from the White House until January 15 when the White House's guest quarters at Blair House are available.