First Family Takes Manhattan For Chelsea’s Birthday Bash

When Chelsea Clinton turned 14, it was a White House slumber party with girlfriends. On Saturday, the sleepover was moved to the Waldorf Astoria as the first daughter celebrated her 17th birthday in high style on Broadway.

President Clinton, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and a team of Secret Service agents chaperoned Chelsea and three school friends on their Big Apple adventure.

The entire party - with more than a dozen press types in tow - took in a matinee of the sold-out Broadway show “Rent,” a wildly popular and provocative musical about AIDS, drug use, homelessness and bisexuality.

At intermission, the president smiled, waved to fellow theatergoers and was heard saying, “It’s great, isn’t it.”

Later, the youngsters split off for “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk” while mom and dad took in the evening performance of “Chicago.”

The Shubert Theater audience for “Chicago” broke into giggles, many of them craning to see the president, when the scantily clad chorus girls broke into “We Want Billy,” a song and dance number in the hit musical.

The adults and teens were to link back up for a late dinner before heading to the Waldorf for overnighting.

Looking New York chic in black slacks and a pale gray turtleneck, the guest of honor’s spirits appeared undampened by a cold afternoon rain as she strode across the LaGuardia Airport tarmac without an umbrella.

It took two helicopters, two Air Force planes and a motorcade of some two dozen vehicles to pull off the birthday jaunt. New York traffic was snarled as the presidential motorcade closed the freeway from LaGuardia to Manhattan and shut off several midtown streets and Lexington Avenue outside the Waldorf.

Taxpayers picked up the tab for Saturday’s massive security arrangements and military planes. “Unfortunately, the president can’t say, ‘I don’t want to take my Secret Service.’ They don’t like that,” explained Neel Lattimore, Hillary Clinton’s spokesman.

The Clintons paid for their hotel rooms and show tickets.