Thousands sign up for de Blasio's Gracie Mansion tour in first day
New Yorkers really want to meet and greet the next mayor in his own home.
Bill de Blasio's office said that 7,000 people applied for the Jan. 5 tour of Gracie Mansion in the first three hours that it offered registration on its website Wednesday.
The free event includes a room-by-room walk-through of the first floor of the mansion, where the first family will reside. The tour ends with a chance to meet the mayor elect and get a photo with him.
Registration, which is available at transition2013.com/gracie, will continue until Jan. 3.
De Blasio and his family announced they will move from Park Slope to the Yorkville location. Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent millions during its 12 years of vacancy renovating the mansion and held several events there.
The tour is one of several celebratory events in the works for de Blasio's inauguration week that will be open to the public.
He will reserve some of the 5,000 seats for his swearing in ceremony at City Hall Park for applicants who request tickets.
'Democrats say this is a misuse of taxpayer funds' Nassau Republicans awarded over $1 million in taxpayer-funded legal contracts to the one-man law firm of Sheharyar Ali, a longtime GOP ally. Ali's father is an adviser to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa and Newsday Nassau County politics reporter Bahar Ostadan have the story.
'Democrats say this is a misuse of taxpayer funds' Nassau Republicans awarded over $1 million in taxpayer-funded legal contracts to the one-man law firm of Sheharyar Ali, a longtime GOP ally. Ali's father is an adviser to Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa and Newsday Nassau County politics reporter Bahar Ostadan have the story.
