President Barack Obama returns to New York City tonight, packing in a series of appearances as part of his campaign fund-raising.
Obama heads first to a private $35,800-a-head fundraiser at a Fifth Avenue home, then makes his way to a "campaign inaugural gala dinner" at the Waldorf-Astoria's Starlight Roof, and ends with an appearance at a fund-raising concert by The Roots at Town Hall.
The Fifth Avenue fundraiser is being hosted by public relations mogul Michael Kempner and financier Orin Kramer in the home of former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, according to Politico.
The gala at the Waldorf-Astoria, described as "relatively small" in an email to supporters from Democratic fundraiser Sally Minard, has tickets ranging from $2,500 to $25,000.
Obama rounds out his visit to New York City with an appearance at a campaign kick-off reception featuring a performance by The Roots at Town Hall Theater in Midtown later in the evening. Tickets ranged from $44 to $1,000.
The visit is Obama's third to New York City within a month. He dined at the Red Rooster in Harlem in March, and attended Rev. Al Sharpton's annual National Action Network's Keepers of the Dream Awards Gala in early April.
Traffic alerts were issued as follows by Gridlock Sam:
Local
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fifth Avenue between 86th and 58th streets, closed. Central Park transverse roads, along with all avenues from York to Fifth, expected to be frozen.
7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Park and Lexington Avenues, and 49th to 50th Streets, will be frozen.
10 p.m. Obama will motorcade over to Town Hall on West 43rd Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway for Town Hall reception from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
11 p.m. Obama will head back to the FDR and the Wall St. Heliport. All avenues east of Broadway will be frozen, and the FDR will again be off-limits.
The all-clear will come just before midnight.
Potentially complicating traffic is a 7 p.m. Yankees game. Mass transit is encouraged to avoid traffic delays.
