Bill de Blasio strolls past Empire State Building wearing a ‘Brooklyn’ top, shorts and sunglasses

Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio was seen walking around the streets of Manhattan today, unfazed and unrecognized by the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple around him.

De Blasio, 61, sported a pair of blue athletic shorts which fell above the knee, white socks reaching just past his ankles, New Balance sneakers, and blue t-shirt reading ‘Brooklyn’ across the chest. 

He also appeared to be wearing a pair of transition eye glasses.

The former mayor was seen strolling around town with a frown on his face, right across from the Empire State Building on Fifth Avenue in Midtown.

Though he was mingled amongst many New Yorkers, not a soul seemed to notice the ex-mayor in their presence. 

Bill wore his grey hair in his signature combed-to-the-right style, and could be seen crossing a sidewalk.

The sighting comes just as De Blasio is set to begin a teaching fellowship Harvard University’s schools of government and public health.

De Blasio announced the position with Harvard last month, and tweeting that he was delighted to be teaching at the venerable institution.

‘I am VERY optimistic about the generation of leaders and activists coming up,’ he said. ‘It will be a privilege to offer lessons I’ve learned through decades of public service. 

‘My key message to them: we CAN make bold progressive change. I know because I’ve lived it.’

De Blasio, who served as mayor from from 2014 to 2021, will take part in ‘a variety of discussions, events, and programming’ at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.

He will also teach classes on leadership and public service at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

De Blasio and his family will remain in his adopted home town of Brooklyn, According to The New York Times, but it is unclear if he will relocate part-time to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the duration of his tenure at Harvard.

De Blasio was born in New York City, but he was raised mostly in Cambridge. 

Speaking to The Times last week, he said it would ‘be sweet to spend a little time in the town I grew up in.’

The deeply unpopular Democrat took the gig with Harvard after announcing he was running for congress in May, but then dropping out in July when it became clear he stood no chance of victory. 

 After De Blasio announced the fellowship last month, Tucker Carlson laughed at the appointment and said it was ‘to pay for his weed habit.’

 ‘He tried to be a congressional candidate, but no one wanted to vote for him,’ Carlson said, ‘So what do you do if you are Bill de Blasio?

‘You’ve got to pay for your weed habit. Where do you go? Well, there’s one place in America that would hire Bill de Blasio. Harvard University.’

The progressive politician has long been dogged by online rumors of regular marijuana use, without any evidence. He said he tried it as a teenager, but has not smoked since college. He did, however, commend the 2021 legalization of marijuana in New York, having initially been against it.

His wife, Chirlane McCray, has been open about seeking therapy to try and stop smoking marijuana, and his daughter Chiara said she abused alcohol and marijuana when she became depressed.

Carlson ridiculed Harvard for hiring de Blasio – who he said ‘oversaw the resurgence of the bubonic plague in New York.’

Carlson declared: ‘You can’t say Bill de Blasio doesn’t get stuff done. It only took him only eight years and he basically destroyed the country’s biggest city.’

He added: ‘It’s measurable. De Blasio saw a 65 percent jump in homelessness. People living on the street, addicted to drugs. During the pandemic he set government bureaucrats on small business owners.’

‘He forced employees of private businesses to take the COVID vaccine, and ruined the lives of anyone who resisted. So naturally you would think Bill de Blasio would have a shining career as a homeless person himself after his time in office.’