Washington  - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama flew via Air Force One to New York Saturday evening for a "date" to take in dinner and a play.

They helicoptered from Kennedy International Airport to Lower Manhattan, continuing via presidential motorcade to the Washington Square Park neighbourhood. They dined at restaurant, Blue Hill, known for local cuisine from New York's Hudson Valley, The New York Times reported on its website.

They attended a performance of the play Joe Turner's Come and Gone at the Belasco Theatre. The first couple's three-hour visit to the Broadway area near Times Square left traffic snarled all evening due to both Secret Service precautions and crowds of curious spectators.

The Obamas' evening out followed a dinner out at a Washington restaurant a month earlier. (dpa)