NYC celebrity sighting: The Obamas at Blue Hill!
One of the things about living in New York City is that you run into celebrities all the time and pay no attention. As it happens, my partner and I were meeting Sidney Mintz and his wife tonight at my neighborhood restaurant, Blue Hill. We wondered why the street was blocked off, a huge crowd gathered at one end, and secret servicemen all over the place.
The Obamas! At the next table! Six feet away! I can’t tell you what they ate because Dan Barber cooked for them. But I saw the President pay the bill.
Turns out this was their promised night out, and the Republicans are already complaining that it cost the taxpayers too much. From the applause in the restaurant when they were leaving, the picture-taking mob in front of the restaurant, and the crowds lining 6th Avenue, this is one expense nobody minds. They looked they were having fun. We did too.
And here they are dressed for Blue Hill and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
June 1 update: Obama Foodorama has some more details, as does the New York Times. And then there’s Frank Bruni’s complaint about the choice of restaurant. Well, you had to be there.
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Cornell Institute of Public Affairs, colloquium series, 4:30 p.m. 233 Plant Sciences on “The food revolution: implications for public policy.” Free and open to the public.
Comments
That is a story to tell your grandchildren. The President & Mrs.? Six feet away at your neighborhood restaurant? Very, very cool.
Of course the president paid the bill he has after all a salary and he isn’t allowed to accept gifts…………all gifts are logged and then become the property of the country…..maybe go to the presidential library at some point.
Hopefully, the men in this country have been put on notice! It doesn’t have to be New York or Blue Hill, but it must be a “date”, and someplace with tablecloths and fresh food.
Congrats for being in “the right place at the right time”! And thanks for sharing.
Aww, they DO deserve a night out. What a treat to have been there!
What a fantastic restaurant to bring nationwide attention to. I applaud the Obamas
Nifty! Of course, they were being oh-so cool PRETENDING not to recognize YOU!
It is delightful to see a president and first lady obviously enjoy each other’s company, and to see they observe an occasional “date” together in spite of a terribly busy and demanding professional life. I suspect much of the grumbling comes from people who have less joy in their own lives.
“tonight at my neighborhood restaurant, Blue Hill.”
I hope to someday be so rich that an expensive restaurant like Blue Hill can be my neighborhood restaurant, but for now i’ll stick with Applebees or maybe Outback Steakhouse if i’m really living it up.
Marion, you always crack me up when you show how out of touch with reality you really are. Keep up the good work!
Michelle @ Find Your Balance says…”Aww, they DO deserve a night out. What a treat to have been there!”
I’ve heard it costs about $100,000 for the president to leave the driveway of the White House. How much did a “date” to NYC cost the US Tax Payers?
Talk about being out of touch with reality…and arrogance.