Welcome to the Neighborhood, Mr. Mayor

| 17 Feb 2015 | 01:10

    Our Town's welcome gift as de Blasio and family prepare to move to the East Side After months of delay, the de Blasio family is finally packing up for a move to the Upper East Side. To mark the occasion, Our Town put together a gift basket to welcome them and dropped it off at City Hall this week -- a basket that includes movie tickets for Dante, tips on the closest dry cleaner and barber, and a bottle of champagne for the mayor and the First Lady to toast their first night in their much swankier new home. While moving apartments is a headache for any New Yorker, the de Blasios may be in for a particularly rough transition. According to [an analysis of de Blasio's official schedule], the mayor spent less than 24 hours on the Upper East Side in his first three months in office, holding fewer meetings there than in Brooklyn or Queens. And when he was in the neighborhood, he tended to stick close to Gracie Mansion. So think of this as an opportunity to explore a new part of the city, Mr. Mayor. And welcome to our neighborhood. (http://nypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Welcome-Basket.jpg) What's in the basket? Counter-clockwise, from top left: Report on the waste transfer station The Mayor is going to be hearing a lot about this project from his neighbors -- who overwhelmingly oppose it. Here's a good summary of the reasons why, from the group [Pledge 2 Protect](http://pledge2protectnyc.org/). Half-bottle of champagne The Mayor and First Lady have plenty to celebrate So, for their first night in their swanky new home, we've provided a half-bottle of bubbly, picked up at the [East End Wine Exchange](http://www.eastendwineandliquor.com/), 68 East End Ave. The closest bodega An important late-night tip: the closest deli is the[ Yorkk Deli ](https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yorkk-DELI/181245382000463)(note the creative spelling), at York Ave. and 88th Street. We bought this cookie there. Delivery is free with a $10 minimum. Where to get a haircut [Unique Cut](https://plus.google.com/114507492324345240285/about?gl=us&hl=en) at First Avenue and 85 St., is close and no appointment is needed. "Get a good haircut and feel great today!" Unique promises -- though not on Saturday, when, the owner advises, the place is closed for the Sabbath. Movie passes for Dante Sure, Gracie Mansion is nice, but every teenager needs a break from his parents. We've kicked in $20 for a movie at [City Cinemas](http://www.fandango.com/citycinemas12263_aaecb/theaterpage), 86th St. and Third Ave. -- plus a bag of overpriced Skittles. Bagel from Bagel Bob's A couple of blocks from the mansion, at York Avenue and 86th Street, the de Blasio's have a one-two punch of dining options: [Bagel Bob's](http://www.yelp.com/biz/bagel-bobs-on-york-new-york) ("Made the Old-Fashioned Way") or The Mansion diner. Insider's New York guidebook We stopped in at the independent [Logos bookstore](http://www.logosbookstorenyc.com/), at York Ave. and 84th Street, and bought the mayor a copy of "I Never Knew That About New York." Check out the Gracie Mansion entry, in the Upper East Side section, which begins, "It feels like the end of the world here." Closest dry cleaner We haven't personally tried [Gracie Mansion Cleaners](http://www.yelp.com/biz/gracie-mansion-cleaners-manhattan), at York Ave. and 88th Street, but the name seemed right. Takeout from East End Kitchen The apricot and black fig salad sounds vaguely Park Slope-y, which we thought might help ease the transition to the new neighborhood. [East End Kitchen](http://eastendkitchennyc.com/) is at 81st Street off of East End Avenue. [Our Town's Summer Guide](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-2014/) and Useful Contacts page Both of them indispensable. We went to the trouble of having the Useful Contacts page laminated, in case the Mayor needs to quickly find the number for the nearest library or post office. [2014 Summer Guide](http://nypress.com/summer-guide-2014/) ------ Read our story [Where in the World is Mayor de Blasio?]