Bill and Hillary Clinton shut down hip Brooklyn hotspot for private birthday party for major Democratic donor



There goes the neighborhood! Bushwick, Brooklyn, in New York City was once a gritty, even dangerous, area where only the hippest young New Yorkers dared to live.



Now, it's gone mainstream. So mainstream, in fact, that Bill and Hillary Clinton shut down one of Bushwick's hotspots on Friday to throw a private birthday party for a top Democratic donor.



The Clintons were photographed at Roberta's pizzeria along with a slew of VIP guests, including film director Joel Coen and activist Gloria Steinem.

VIPs: Bill and Hillary Clinton posed with singer Lia Ices (second from left) and other guests at their private birthday party in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday

Private: The birthday party for a top Democratic donor closed down Roberta's, a popular pizzeria in Bushwick

The lady of the hour was Susie Tompkins Buell, the founder of the multi-billion-dollar Esprit apparel and home furnishings company. She was celebrating her 70th birthday.

The restaurant is situated on a charmingly-grimy, graffiti-covered street -- the sort of place that attracts hip young New Yorkers in droves.



Singer Lia Ices performed for the 70-person gathering. Ices recently shot to fame when her song 'Love is Won' appeared on the hit HBO show 'Girls.'

The co-owner of Miss Ice's record label, Jagjaguwar, tweeted a photo of the singer with Bill and Hillary.



Grimy: Roberta's is in a once-gritty part of Brooklyn that now attracts hip young New Yorkers in droves

Good times: About 70 guests crowded into long tables at the pizzeria for the special dinner

Big plans: The event was a major undertaking for the restaurant, which closed shortly after lunch on Friday and didn't reopen for the public until Saturday morning

Several other photos have emerged of the high-powered couple, as well.



Brooklynite Lauren Flax tweeted a picture of the high-power couple, along with the message 'No big deal. just the clintons at roberta's.'

'I don't think I could top this one, to be honest,' said Lia Ices told the New York Daily News.

Several Bushwick residents noticed something was up when they saw the Clintons' extensive security detail. Bill, as a former president, and Hillary, as the Secretary of State and former First Lady, both enjoy Secret Service protection.

'We saw three big SUVs and military looking guys,' neighbor Sunshine Hernandez told the Daily News.



Big support: Susie Tompkins Buell (right), the guest of honor, is said to be one of Hillary Clinton's best friends. She is seen here with then-Senator Clinton in 2007

Glad-handing: Former President Clinton, known for never turning away a fan, posted for pictures with guests at the dinner

'Side note. Secret service is here in #bushwick. I tried to wait. They are better at that game. They also have mean mugging down,' Kelly Pike, a recent Brooklyn transplant from Kentucky, tweeted.



Mrs Buell, who is said to be Hillary Clinton's best friend, has long been a major Democratic donor.



However, recent news articles indicate Mrs Buell -- who has given $25million to liberal causes in the last decade, is keeping her checkbook closed for President Barack Obama.

