Queens resident moves to Upper East Side

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji moved into Grace Mansion on Monday. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By Ryan Schwach

Mayor Zohran Mamdani officially moved from his Astoria apartment into Gracie Mansion on Monday.

Mamdani, who was elected mayor in November and is in his second week on the job, officially moved with his wife, Rama Duwaji, into “The People’s House” this week after committing to leaving Queens for the mayor’s residence shortly after being elected.

“Rama and I feel lucky to participate in a ritual that so many New Yorkers have experienced at various meaningful moments in their lives, beginning a new chapter by moving to a different part of the city that we call home,” he said, speaking to reporters outside the historic mayor’s residence.

“We are humbled to be the latest tenants of the people's house, Gracie Mansion,” he added. “This is a remarkable home with a remarkable history of belonging to the people of this incredible city.”

Mamdani said his move to the 227-year-old home will not change how he moves about the city that elected him mayor last year.

“While I may be changing where I rest my head at the end of every evening, I will not be changing anything about how I interact with the incredible New Yorkers who call this city home,” he said.

He said he doesn’t have any solid ideas about how he may leave his mark on the building, other than an “aspirational hope” to install bidets.

Mamdani and his wife lived in Queens for the last several years while he served as Astoria’s assemblymember. The duo lived in a one-bedroom, rent-stabilized apartment in the heart of the Western Queens community.

When announcing the move in December, Mamdani said he’d miss his life in Queens.

“We will miss it all — the endless Adeni chai, the spirited conversations in Spanish, Arabic and every language in between, the aromas of seafood and shawarma drifting down the block,” he said. “While I may no longer live in Astoria, Astoria will always live inside me and the work I do.”