Mayor Bill de Blasio, who vowed to fight income inequality, is welcoming affluent tourists in the pages of magazine Modern Luxury’s FrontDesk New York, which describes itself as “the ultimate travel resource for those who appreciate the finest indulgences New York has to offer.”
But in an open letter to readers, the mayor tells them to ride the Q train and head to The Bronx, Bushwick or Staten Island rather than touring Upper East Side or Soho shops.
“On your way up to the New York Botanical Gardens in the North Bronx, or on the Q riding down to Coney Island in South Brooklyn, you might hear any of . . . more than 800 languages,” de Blasio writes. He also suggests food from “classic pizza on Staten Island to spicy Caribbean in Crown Heights” in the upcoming issue.
Also name-checked are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Battery Park and he suggests entertainment “from cavernous theaters on Broadway to crowded shows in Bushwick.”
The magazine has recently featured more high-end subjects like designer Kenneth Cole, travel gear from Bally and an interview with pastry chef François Payard.
We’re told Modern Luxury’s New York publisher Andrea Greeven Douzet, sister of its Editor-in-Chief Cristina Cuomo, arranged the special letter. Cristina’s also the sister-in-law of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for whom de Blasio worked in Washington.