Bernie Sanders Channels His Inner New Yorker With a Stroll Through Manhattan
In true New York fashion, some people stayed glued to their phones.
— -- Not to be outdone by Hillary Clinton, who rode the New York City subway Thursday morning, Bernie Sanders later in the day walked among the locals in Midtown Manhattan.
Accompanied by a dozen Secret Service agents and a handful of staff, Sanders surprised -- and delighted -- New Yorkers as he pounded the pavement.
On his way to tape an interview, the Brooklyn-born Vermont senator visited the Brooklyn Diner on West 57th Street, where he ordered a bowl of chicken soup and an English muffin, while sitting in a booth with his wife Jane.
After finishing his meal, that's when Sanders announced to his staff and Secret Service detail that he wanted to go for a walk. He grabbed his jacket from his motorcade, and began his journey down West 57th Street.
Along the way, passers-by asked Sanders to pose for selfies, while some shouted they were "feeling the Bern" and in disbelief it was actually him. At one point, a man shouted, “Bernie, you’re doing a hell of a job!”
Sanders waved and said “thank you” to fans who honked from their cars and shouted from across the street. Jane Sanders walked alongside her husband and introduced herself to fellow pedestrians, as well. The crowds of passers-by swelled to a mob at times, but Secret Service agents and anxious staff kept the entourage moving.
Sanders walked several blocks -- from 57th Street and Seventh Avenue to 54th Street and Fifth Ave -- before returning to his motorcade. Sanders often takes such impromptu strolls in the cities he visits.
New York's primary is April 19.