PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Michael Nutter may wake up with a sore hand after shaking hands Tuesday with thousands of people who lined up at city hall to meet Philadelphia's new mayor.

Nutter held the open house on his first full day in office, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The cross-section of Philadelphians who waited in line as long as two hours wanted to congratulate the mayor and shake his hand, not to complain or to ask favors.

"I definitely believe it's a new day, and I think he is definitely about change -- positive change," said Brenda Clark, a retired federal employee. "You can't see how long the line is."

Clark DeLeon, a former columnist for the Inquirer and longtime observer of city politics, was one of those who waited.

"I've never seen anything like this in Philadelphia," he told WCAU-TV.

The line at times curled most of the way around city hall, where William Penn sits atop the building. The entertainment included a drum line and Mummers, the marchers in the city's New Year's parade.