From the day he rode down a zip line at Jones Beach to open up the summer season, to photos captured of him driving his car this past weekend in upstate New York, to even walking his dog, Captain, near the state capitol on a Sunday morning, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been enjoying what some are calling "The Summer of Andrew."
Having recently put the Westchester home he shared with celebrity chef Sandra Lee on the market, Cuomo has retreated to the governor's mansion in Albany for a little rest and relaxation.
Last month, the governor tweeted a short video clip of him shooting hoops at the mansion with the caption "nothing like a little twilight b-ball after a long day in the office."
The governor found time to ride his motorcycle in the Catskills this summer,
go fishing with State Attorney General Letitia James in Oswego,
and hit the racetrack in Saratoga, where he won some money betting on the ponies.
It's not that Cuomo hasn't done interviews this summer; he's made several appearances on national television, mostly to discuss national issues such as gun control.
And he's called in several times to speak with WAMC public radio host Alan Chartock, who used to do a regular segment with Cuomo's father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.
Chartock: Good morning, good morning.
Cuomo: Good morning, good morning, good morning.
Chartock: Oh, you always have to have one more than the other guy.
Cuomo: That's exactly right … One-up you.
But Cuomo hasn't had to answer a lot of tough questions this summer. In between messages, like a happy birthday tweet to America on the Fourth of July, the governor hasn't done many question-and-answer sessions with reporters. In fact, his last full off-topic Q-and-A in New York City came on July 2, when he was asked about reorganizing the MTA.
"I don't care what seat you sit in on the Titanic; they have to figure out how they don't hit the iceberg and how they don't float — how they don't sink," Cuomo said.
The governor kept it going Tuesday, doing another fishing expedition on Lake Ontario, this time with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
And, in an indication that Cuomo has been a little introspective lately, Cuomo tweeted a photo of former Daily News columnist Mike McAlary this past Saturday with the simple words "I miss Mike." McAlary died in 1998.
Cuomo will make himself available Wednesday. He is expected to take the train from Albany to Syracuse to open the New York State Fair. We intend to tag along, and the governor is expected to take questions from reporters.
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Main story image of Cuomo and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont courtesy of NYGovCuomo/Twitter.