When Was The Last Time You Saw The Mayor Riding In A Golf Cart Down Your Street?

Do you think it’s possible that the mayor is in Bermuda more frequently than, say, Staten Island or the Bronx? Consider:

At Greg’s Steakhouse, the power lunch spot on this sun-soaked island, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is such a regular that he has his own booth, with a view of the Parliament building. The waiters have memorized his order: coffee-rubbed New York strip steak.

The cabdrivers in Bermuda know Mr. Bloomberg by sight and jockey for a chance to drive him around town. (The billionaire mayor, they say, tips well.)

. . .

Mr. Bloomberg, who owns a waterfront estate here, has walled off his life in Bermuda from voters in New York, arguing it is none of their business. He steadfastly refuses to say when he is on the island, and to blindfold prying eyes, he has blocked aviation Web sites from making public the movements of his private planes.

Yet residents here view him as one of their own — as much a Bermudan as a New Yorker. They follow his battles against term limits and New York City crime, and argue that their island plays a key role in restoring his energy and helping him succeed in office.

“We provide him with a place to unwind for a day or two, and then go back to a very important job, not just to New York, but to the world,” said John Swan, Bermuda’s former premier and a frequent Bloomberg lunch guest.

In dozens of interviews, residents described Mr. Bloomberg, 68, as a fixture on the island, dining out with lawmakers, cruising its streets in his golf cart and hosting small parties at his house.

It is difficult to say exactly how often he stays on the island; neighbors and friends say he is here about twice a month, depending on the weather in Bermuda (no sun, no Bloomberg) and the political climate in New York.

. . .

The Bermudan jaunts do pose political risks. New York City mayors have historically prided themselves on working seven days a week and racing to the scene of an emergency even on the weekends.

Mr. Bloomberg does not. His aides know better than to schedule public events after Friday mornings, allowing the mayor to make his getaways to Bermuda on Friday afternoon and be back in New York by Sunday evening. (Of the 17 Fridays since Dec. 31, the mayor had no public events scheduled after 10 a.m. on 13 of them.)

And even if he makes it out to somwhere in the Bronx or Staten Island more frequently, there are islands closer to home he probably doesn’t get to as much — City Island, Broad Channel. Even Governor’s Island (assuming it has enough drinking water). And Bill Thompson missed an opening — what if he had gone to, say, Flatbush and quipped that Bloomberg goes to the Caribbean more often than he visits with actual Caribbean constituents? But that was then . . .

Leading Economic Indicators: Wal-Mart, Again

I’m forgetting what Wal–Mart interest in New York City means anymore economy-wise, but it’s back again:

The retail giant is scoping out the Gateway II shopping center near Jamaica Bay. Even though the proposal isn’t official yet, community groups already are planning protests.

Genius Branding

The Beckhams have their own fragrances, now the South Bronx will have one as well:

The smells of one South Bronx building are about to get a lot better, thanks to green guru Majora Carter.

The MacArthur “genius” Award winner is planning to pump a “bright, grassy” new perfume into a Hunts Point apartment building to replace the usual sewage plant and truck exhaust odors.

Carter hopes her new fragrance — called L’Eau Verte du Bronx du Sud, or “Green Water of the South Bronx” — will perk up tenants and brighten their day.

. . .

Building manager Sal Gigante said tenants will definitely prefer L’Eau Verte du Bronx du Sud to a more traditional borough bouquet — “decaying rat carcass.”

Queens Crush!

Where Staten Island has moved too slowly, Queens picks up the slack:

The Queens County Farm Museum in Floral Park is poised to uncork the inaugural bottles of its own wine, believed to be the first to feature city-grown grapes, next month.

Farm Museum Director of Operations Gary Mitchell and staff have been growing Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes since 2004 on a tiny, 1-1/2-acre plot on their Floral Park property.

. . .

Now New Yorkers can finally get a sip. The Farm Museum will debut the first of the 900 cases it has yielded so far at a wine auction inside their barn on May 18. They’ll unveil their 2006 Adriance Blend, a mix of Cabernet Franc and other grapes, as well as a 2006 Merlot and a 2007 Chardonnay.

“What we do really well is Merlot,” boasted Mitchell, 49.

. . .

“It’s not Chateau de Fil, but it’s not swill, either,” said Amy Fischetti-Boncardo, director of the farm.

Location Scout: Queens County Farm Museum.

As The MTA Keeps Raising Fares . . .

. . . the Daily News suggests that you consider buying yourself a key:

The key unlocks swing gates next to every subway turnstile, granting easy — and free — access to all platforms and trains.

And while these universal keys should only be in the hands of authorized transit workers or police and fire officials, copies have fallen into the hands of some regular New Yorkers — and they are taking the MTA for a ride.

“I’ve been saving a lot of money. There are 468 stations in the city and you can use it at any one of them,” said a Brooklyn man who says he obtained a key from a transit worker for $27, the same price as a one-week unlimited MetroCard.