My Family Invited by NYC Mayor Bloomberg

A month ago, NYC Mayor's Public Relation Office on behalf of Mayor Bloomberg called me, and invited my wife and me to attend Mayor's Asian Heritage Celebration Party at 5:30 pm on May 8, 2006 at his residence, Gracie Mansion. I requested my daughter to go with us. The lady said that she was not sure if we could bring our child there but promised me to call me back. 15 minutes later, she confirmed that we could bring our child to the party. My wife and my daughter were more excited about Mayor's invitation than I was. They were talking about what they would ware that day and what food would be served there.

On May 8, I got home earlier from work. We decided to take subway instead of driving there. We arrived at Gracie Mansion, the Mayor's residence, at 5:25 pm. Good timing!

There were about 500 guests plus a big catering crew there. We enjoyed all the performances by a Filipino band, a Chinese opera company, and a Korean Tai Kwan Do team. Mayor Bloomberg made a speech to praise Asian America’s great contribution to the New York City, and hosted a quiz game to entertain his guests. He took pictures with each of his guests, and promised us that we would get the picture by mail soon.

NBC anchor Ann Curry made a short speech about her experience as an Asian American. Tons of foods and drinks were served: Chinese food, Japanese food, Korean food, Hawaiian food and Filipino food; Soft drinks, wines and cocktails. I tried to find some educators or my friends who I knew. Unfortunately, I found none. Three of us walked around house and visited his backyard. Here were the photos we took.

Gracie Mansion was built in 1799 by Archibald Gracie. It has served as the New York City mayoral residence since 1942. From my point of view, It is not luxurious but it is simple, functional, and beautiful.