The Obamas escaped Washington on Saturday in search of a quintessential New York evening  dinner and a Broadway show.

They found it at Blue Hill, a low-key Greenwich Village restaurant, and at the Belasco Theater near Times Square for a performance of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the Tony-nominated August Wilson play.

It was the Obamas’ first joint visit to the city as the first couple. And even cooler-than-thou New York allowed itself a bit of excitement over their arrival.

“I thought I was dreaming,” said Kecia McCowen, a 45-year-old utility worker and student from Brooklyn; she bought tickets for the show three days ago, but found out that the Obamas would be there only after she arrived. “I was like, stop playing!”