In between raising big bucks for Democrats in 2016, President Obama enjoyed the life of a well-guarded tourist in New York City Saturday, taking his daughters for a walk in Central Park and later to a Broadway musical.
The president and daughters Malia and Sasha took a late-morning stroll in the park, accompanied by Mr. Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng and her husband, Konrad. The entourage attracted cheering onlookers just south of Sheep Meadow, where Mr. Obama waved and shook hands with a food vendor.
Later Saturday, the president and his daughters ate lunch at Upland, a Stephen Starr restaurant in Gramercy Park, before attending a matinee performance of the hip-hop musical Hamilton at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theater.
First lady Michelle Obama did not accompany them on the trip.
On Friday night, Mr. Obama raised nearly $1 million for Democrats’ 2016 campaign — including Hillary Rodham Clinton — at the Manhattan home of British shipping magnate George Logothetis and his wife, Nitzia. About 30 donors each paid $33,400 to attend the fundraiser at the couple’s brownstone on the upper East Side.
Mr. Logothetis is on the board of the nonprofit My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative begun by Mr. Obama to help create more educational and career opportunities for young black men and other minorities.
Also on Friday night, the Obamas dined with friends at Carbone restaurant, a high-end Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village.
They stayed overnight at Millennium’s ONE UN hotel near the United Nations headquarters, instead of enjoying a traditional presidential respite at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. There are concerns about surveillance since Chinese investors purchased the Waldorf last year.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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