The President takes Manhattan
Jonathan Lemire, of the NY Daily News City Hall bureau, is the pool reporter for President Obama's visit to New York City today. Here are the feeds from the trip - which you can also follow on the Daily Politics blog.
The POTUS, traveling in a helicopter, landed on Randall's Island in New York City at 2:39 p.m.
Obama wore a dark suit but no overcoat despite the gusty breezes and temperatures that hovered just past 40 degrees.
Brilliant sun shone down on the baseball fields where the helicopters landed and kicked up dirt on the infield.
POTUS walked across the infield to the waiting limousine.
The baseball diamonds are adjacent to a new tennis center and the FDNY Fire Academy, where several firefighters stood on the roof to watch the President's arrival.
Several NYPD boats could be seen patrolling the waters around Randall's Island, which sits where the Long Island Sound meets the East River.
The waiting motorcade, made up of more than two dozen vehicles, then drove up onto the RFK-Triboro Bridge and into Manhattan. The POTUS's first stop was the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side where he is expected to sit for interviews with the national TV networks.
As the motorcade drove south on the FDR Drive and then west across Manhattan, hundreds of onlookers lined the streets to wave and gape at the procession of vehicles.
In its approach to the Museum of Natural History, the motorcade drove across Central Park's 79th Transverse and then turned into the museum at 3 p.m.
Dozens of onlookers waved as POTUS' vehicle drove passed.
POTUS then sat down for the network interviews, which were not witnessed by the pool.
Afterward, he dropped in on a citywide public school science fair held underneath the giant 94-foot-long model Blue Whale in the museum's Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.
Obama was accompanied by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Ms. Jeanette Kim, the director of the event, the New York City Science and Engineering Fair.
POTUS walked out to excited cheers from the crowd and jogged up to a podium to briefly address the students.
Saying he "always stops at Science Fairs," POTUS said that he has been calling for America to "win the future" at every stop he makes - particularly when he speaks to students.
"You are key to our success," Obama said.
"You're not just doing it for you," POTUS said. "But more importantly, what you're doing is important for our country."
After saying he was "very proud" of the students, POTUS joked that if he was seen nodding at the explanation of the complicated science projects "you should assume everything you're saying is going completely over my head" but that he would not let on if he did not understand.
Obama acknowledged Bloomberg at the end of his brief remarks and the two proceeded to visit with five high school students, whose projects ranged from "Expiermental Determination of Strain in a Bamboo Bicyle Frame" to "Development of an optical diode based on the Thue-Morse Sequence"
POTUS spent several minutes with each student, frequently opening with a joke before listening to an explanation of the project.
One student, Max Kiss, a senior at Bronx Science High School, told POTUS he rode his bamboo bike to school every day.
POTUS responded by citing the need to cut down on carbon emissions and applauded Kiss' work. Mayor Bloomberg then relayed a story of seeing bamboo used in scaffolding during skyscraper construction in China.
After the demonstrations, POTUS worked the rope line for a few minutes and then exited the hall at 4:20 p.m.
6:41 p.m.
The motorcade traveled north on the FDR Drive and, after a few turns, drove west on 125th St. This is POTUS' first visit to Harlem since the 2008 election. Hundreds of people, some holding signs, stood along the barricades that lines the street and cheered Obama's caravan as it went passed.
The pool is now in a hold awaiting POTUS' next event, which is a DNC fundraiser at the Red Rooster restaurant. About 50 people will attend the restaurant at the cost of $30,800 a plate. It is expected to raise $1.5 million for the DNC.
After the dinner, POTUS is expected to travel to the nearby Studio Museum of Harlem for a thank-you reception with about 250 supporters, including local politicians and community leaders.
7:40 p.m.
A few minutes before 7 p.m., DNC Chairman - and former Virginia governor - took the microphone to welcome guests to the fundraiser at Harlem's Red Rooster restaurant.
Kane praised POTUS and thanked the 50 donors for attending the dinner.
"How [Obama] has dealt with what he's been challenged has been incredible," said Kane, who called POTUS' administration a "transformative" presidency."
"By being here," Kane said, "you're helping the change that has been done continue."
He then introduced Obama, who emerged from the kitchen to a standing ovation.
"You guys are applauding the corn bread," Obama joked, comparing it "to cake."
"It's a wonderful to see all of you," said POTUS, before wondering aloud about Kane's possible political future.
"There's been some speculation about our DNC chair plunging back into hurly-burly of electoral politics," said POTUS, who said he was certain Kane would be excellent senator if the former governor chose to run. POTUS then praised Kane's work with the DNC, saying he "can't imagine" a better partner.
Obama said he was thrilled to "gather in this wonderful setting in historic Harlem" but noted that it was "a day we're thinking about our troops overseas."
After noting the tragedy caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, POTUS also made reference to the current military action in Libya.
"This is a challenging time," said POTUS, who then thanked everyone for attending.
"I could not do what I do, making the best possible decisions I can for American people, without knowing that I had so many people rooting for me," Obama said.
POTUS added that he was grateful for his supporters' "friendship," "advice," and "prayers."
Obama pledged he was confident that his administration would do "right by our children and grandchildren."
Obama only spoke for about five minutes and then pledged to spend time visiting all six tables. He joked that, if he spent too much time at one table, he may "get the hook" akin to the gongs at the talent shows at the nearby Apollo Theater.
The dinner, which is $30,800 a plate, was held in the underground level of the Red Rooster, a Lenox Ave. restaurant opened by celebrity chef - and Harlem restaurant - Marcus Samuelsson.
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-New York) sat at one table, while presidential senior advisor Valerie Jarrett sat next to attorney David Boies, who represented the federal government in United States v. Microsoft and Al Gore in Bush v. Gore in the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election.
DNC officials did not identify other attendees.
The dinner is expected to raise $1.5 million for the DNC.
The pool returned upstairs after POTUS spoke. Menu forthcoming.
POTUS is expected to next travel to a "thank-you" reception for supporters at the Studio Museum of Harlem.
8:04 p.m.
Pool remains in hold in Red Rooster. The menu for the fundraiser below has been released. The guests dined on Cornbread with honey butter; Lobster Salad with asparagus, peas and hot biscuit; Braised Short Ribs with honey-glazed chokes, spring onions, and red wine reduction; Chocolate Cake with rhubarb compote and buttermilk sherbert, and then Sweet Potato Doughnuts with cinnamon and brown sugar.
All of the courses were paired with wine from American Vineyards.
10:07 p.m.
The motorcade departed Red Rooster at 8:23 p.m. to a cheer from the crowd gathered outside.
In mere minutes the cars traveled a few short blocks and reached the Studio Museum in Harlem, the site of POTUS' final New York City event of the day.
As the cars passed, several children pressed their faces to the glass of Assana's Hair Design and Braiding on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd hoping to steal a glimpse of POTUS.
Inside the museum, about 250 people gathered into a room lined with paintings, photographs and other works of art. The DNC-sponsored event was not a fundraiser, but a "thank you" to POTUS's supporters, an official said.
DNC Chairman - and former Virginia governor - Tim Kaine briefly addressed the crowd before introducing POTUS.
"People in this room worked very hard to help this Presidency succeed," said Kaine, who touted POTUS' work in restoring the United States' reputation and appointing two women to the Supreme Court.
"We need an Obama presidency that is eight years in length," he said.
With that, Kaine brought POTUS out, and Obama hopped up to the podium to huge cheers.
"Hello everybody, hello New York, hello Harlem," said Obama.
POTUS acknowledged several officials in the room, including the local congressman, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, former New York City mayor David Dinkins, State Senator Bill Perkins and State Assemblyman Keith Wright.
Obama repeated his earlier praise of Kaine, saying he was first politician outside of Illinois to support his presidential candidacy.
"We meet here after as challenging a two years as America's gone through in our lifetimes," POTUS said.
"When we started this journey, we understood America was at a turning point," POTUS said. "We understood the wheels of history were churning and the old ways of doing business couldn't help us get to where American needed to be."
POTUS stressed that the country "had to undergo a transformation." He said that "what our campaign tried to do was resuscitate that notion that there is something that binds us together."
He pointed out the remarkable diversity of New York City and how all groups - no matter how they reached the United States - wanted to achieve the same goals.
"Whether your forebears entered at Ellis Island, or arrived in a slave ship or crossed the Rio Grande," Obama said, stressing that all of those people "believe in an America where anything was possible."
POTUS ran down a list of accomplishments during the first two years of his term, which prompted one audience member to yell "Fired Up" and another to respond "Ready to go," echoing Obama's 2008 campaign rallying cry.
Obama cited how his administration helped "pull the economy out of the ditch," eliminate Don't Ask, Don't Tell and passed health care reform, which drew loud cheers.
But POTUS stressed that there was "more to do."
"Here's the deal, people: we haven't finished our task. We've still got some work to do," he said.
"Not all of that work is done," he said, "but I'm not finished yet."
POTUS previewed his energy speech tomorrow and stressed the need for further economic reform in order to "win the future," and how that will entail sometimes telling American "things they don't want to hear."
But despite the tough times, POTUS said "The one thing that I want everybody here to understand is that I am as hopeful if not more hopeful now than when I was running."
After POTUS joked that he looked older, an audience member shouted "You look great," drawing a laugh from Obama.
Moments later, someone in the crowd to POTUS' right appeared to faint, which caused Obama to briefly stop and make certain that person was not injured. A DNC official said later the person just needed water.
"We still have a big job to do in transforming our politics," POTUS said, "What binds us together is always stronger that what drives us apart."
"Let's go to work," POTUS said in conclusion, before chanting his familiar slogan: "Yes, we can. Yes, we can."
After shaking hands with supporters, POTUS left the museum at 9:30 and the motorcade returned to where the day began, the landing zone on the baseball fields at Randall's Island.
The helicopters left for John F. Kennedy airport a short time later.
This is the final local pool report.
Photo credit:
The president greets students at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (NYDN)
