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On August 17, Steve Atkiss, a Command Consulting Group principal, was featured in the New York Times where he shared his experience as a former member of the White House staff:

Because it was so remote, with few hotels nearby, the White House leased 11 acres outside the gates from a neighbor of Mr. Bush, and put in five trailers, said Steve Atkiss, a former special assistant to the president for operations, who helped set up the outpost.... “They were pretty run-of-the-mill double-wide trailers,” said Mr. Atkiss, who now works for Command Consulting Group, a security and intelligence consultancy. “They were functional spaces without being in the least bit luxurious. It was not Martha’s Vineyard.”

He also offered an insider's view of presidential vacations:

As with Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush’s sojourns were not vacations in the normal sense of the word. He played host to world leaders at the ranch, and held national security meetings. Mr. Atkiss argued that presidents can actually get more done on vacation, since they are not interrupted by White House ceremonial duties.

To view the full article, please go to For President at Play, Family Outings, Golf and Lots of Advisers in the New York Times.