First day in life of US president-elect

Barack Obama began his first full day as president-elect with the simple pleasure of having breakfast with his daughters, the type of everyday family activity he often had to sacrifice during the long campaign.

Afterward, Obama left the house alone, clad in workout clothes, a ball cap and sunglasses, and spent an hour at a friend's apartment building, where he uses the gym. Then it was back home to clean up before heading to the office - a downtown office building where he was holding a conference call to thank campaign staff around the country. The president-elect wore a suit but no tie, and carried a black satchel.

Asked how much sleep he'd gotten on the night of his historic victory, Obama told reporters: "Not as much as I'd like."