/ / / / / /

President Obama's NYC Helicopter Cavalcade Hovers Over the Harbor

April 7, 2011 at 10:49 AM | by | Comments (0)


Two Chinooks leave the heliport, with the Staten Island Ferry in background

One of the main roadways has been closed off by a police barricade during evening rush hour, emergency vehicle lights are flashing all over the crowded downtown business district and the river nearby is teeming with police boats, their blue lights echoing the red ones on land. What the heck is going on?! In New York City, there are a few quick assumptions you can make, surely one of which is that President Obama is in town, and with that you'd be correct.

This is what went down yesterday evening, as we took advantage of a gloomy, cold day to be the only ones strolling through the newish Brooklyn Bridge Park, directly across the East River from Wall Street and the Wall Street Heliport. It's a cute little heliport right on the water, one which we've flown from before, but a few years back when $99 8-minute chopper flights to JFK operated several times a day.


Obama's chopper heads out over NY Harbor

Yesterday, the heliport was crowded with two Presidential helicopters, two Boeing Chinooks (the bulbous green helis with double rotors) and a motorcade of official vehicles, all for a few-hour visit President Obama made to NYC to speak at Al Sharpton's conference.

It only took a moment to remember that last Tuesday we highlighted Obama's helicopter landing on Randall's Island for a different quickie visit to NYC, and then this thought came: the President is one serious jet-setter. Wake up at the White House, breakfast, helicopter to catch Air Force One, land at JFK, helicopter to the Wall Street heliport, motorcade up the FDR (the east side's highway), speech and some smiles, motorcade back to the heliport, heli back to JFK, Air Force One home...and that's all before dinner.

If someone ever does the work to add up a president's frequent flyer miles during a single term in office, we're sure he'd fly circles around Ryan Bingham, George Clooney's character from the movie "Up In the Air." That said, we're still totally jealous. When we grow up, we want to President of the United States (but only for the non-stop traveling)!

[Photos: Cynthia Drescher for Jaunted]

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

Return to » President Obama's NYC Helicopter Cavalcade Hovers Over the Harbor

Join the conversation!

Not a member? .
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices