NYC and the Long-Awaited Celebrity Encounter

Well, it finally happened. I ran into an actual celebrity. Some of you may recall me mentioning that whenever I’m visiting NY, I’m on constant celebrity lookout. I mean, I know they’re there. People are always snapping pictures of them out and about (I swear half the People magazine Star Tracks are taken in NYC), and I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be one of the people who runs into them.

Maybe the problem is that I typically hone in on the well-dressed, glamorous-looking, large sunglasses-wearing people amidst the thick crowds of New Yorkers in the streets. Which could be why it took me several minutes to even notice that the girl perusing the same display table as me in the shoe department at Lord and Taylor on Friday afternoon was Alexis Bledel. Because she looked like anybody else would look. Black leggings, a sweatshirt, tennis shoes, hair in a ponytail. Once I looked up and saw that it was her, I simply could not look away. Alexis Bledel looking at the same shoes as me! OK, so she’s not exactly an A-lister, and I’m not crazy about her films, but like so many other girls out there, I still adore the occasional Gilmore Girls re-run. But that’s not really the point. The point is, I ran into someone famous. And not at a concert or show where they were scheduled to be there. But a random run-in. Needless to say, I hung around and tried on shoes about a half hour longer than I had intended to, but I just couldn’t leave. This may or may not have made my whole trip.

The reason for the trip was another jewelry class, this one about pearls, and I stayed a few extra days to make a little vacation out of it. NYC continues to not let me down. Honestly, I can’t say enough about how much I love going. I love the lights, the energy, the hustle and bustle, the walking, and the infinite number of cool things to do and see. This time I did a couple of things I hadn’t done before, most notably taking a walking tour of both Soho and Central Village, both areas I hadn’t spent any time in before. I was so impressed, dare I say enchanted with the myriad of specialty shops and eateries. Such culture there, such history, and the tour allowed me to get a lot of wonderful information about places I would have otherwise just walked right by.

My partner in crime this trip was my aunt J who met up with me for the weekend portion of the trip, and in addition to the walking tour, we did lots of shopping on 5th Ave, toured the NBC studios, took in a couple of Broadway shows, and had a wonderful dinner in little Italy where “Ciao bella” was showered on us repeatedly. The weather was beautiful, and one thing I loved doing this time was sitting in Central Park for a few hours just reading a book. The only time I’d ever spent any time in the park was when I was in the city 8 years ago, but it had been the thick of winter, so I hadn’t exactly been inspired to linger amongst the snow-covered benches. But sitting there in the sunshine watching people and families and even the punk kids on their skateboards had me hooked. I could have sat there for a week.

I met up with a former business school classmate of mine while I was there, and over dinner at the rather entertaining Stardust Diner, I asked him and his wife what they think about living in New York. Because every time I go, I get more and more attached, and this “I should live in New York” idea plants itself in the back of my mind. But I’d surely tire of it, right? The traffic, the noise, the filth, the smokers, the lack of open spaces. When I asked my friend and his wife over dinner, I’d sort of hoped he would give me a reason to put the idea out of my head. Instead he said with a smile, “There’s nothing we don’t like about it.” So much for un-planting the idea.












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