Celebrity run-ins and -overs
picture: from the local farmer’s market yesterday, portrait mode is good for things that aren’t people 🙂
I nearly plowed over Al Sharpton on the sidewalk today, I came close enough that one of his bodyguards stuck his arm out to intercept me. When I’m walking on the sidewalk, I tend to go pretty fast – and Al should have looked both ways before he tried to cross a busy sidewalk 🏃!
Made me think of other celebrity run-ins I’ve had on the city streets – one of the nice things about NYC is that people tend to not treat celebrities like celebrities when they see them in the wild, so you don’t get a lot of people crowding around most times.
I passed Anthony Bourdain once, he was leaning against a building on a corner of 7th Avenue, by himself and watching the crowd. He’s one of the few celebrities I would have stopped and said something to – but he looked slightly annoyed (which was probably a normal look for him) – so I walked on by and almost immediately wished I hadn’t. Now of course, I really wish I had said hello.
The best “celebrity in the street” story by far, though, is the time Mario Batali tried to kill me.
I was minding my own business, crossing 7th Avenue (7th again? weird.) – there was absolutely no traffic around, so I was crossing in the middle of the block (don’t judge me – when there’s no traffic for two blocks at least, I do not bother walking to the crosswalk). The blocks are pretty long, and I checked carefully before stepping off the curb, and saw no vehicles anywhere on the block. The street is five land wide there, plenty of room – but as I am approaching the very center of the avenue, I hear a motor gunning off to my right, just out of peripheral vision. Gunning loud enough that I can tell it is coming on very fast.
So fast, in fact, that I don’t even get a chance to turn fully to look at it, before a tire screeches up and stops inches from my right foot. It’s a silver Vespa. The first part of the driver I see is a pair of orange Crocs, I look up – and it’s Mario Batali. Who could have picked any of four other empty lanes and simply puttered around me on his scooter, but instead chose to make some kind of a statement by squealing to a stop next to me.
Whatever lesson he was trying to teach me, it didn’t take – I still cross in the middle of the block when I think there’s no traffic around.
I often cross the street in the middle of the road, but I always look to make sure the cars are at a full stop and see me crossing. I also say thank-you to them as I am crossing to the other side. I think it’s more of laziness we all cross in the middle then for saftey.
@jaythesmartone that is true 🙂
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Nice!
When I was 18 I worked at the grocery store in Wilmington, NC. I would often ring up the cast of Dawson’s Creek.
I had the pleasure of speaking to:
Katie Holms
James Van Der Beek
Joshua Jackson
Have to say ringing up Holms and Beek was always a pleasure.
Joshua Jackson was always an ass. He just came across as he was better then everyone and was self entitled.
This was all before they moved onto greater things and their careers took off.
@hrhkingofice James Van Der Beek has done some very funny self-referential work lately 🙂
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Justin Beiber and his fiance along with the Baldwins are in my neck of the woods this week.
@buttonishlady I’m not sure that’s a good thing 😂
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I live on a busy street. Not New York busy, but busy enough. I will run across when there’s no traffic. Today I crossed on a crosswalk, and nearly got run over by somebody running a red light. So crosswalks don’t guarantee anything. We don’t have celebrities running around in the wild here, so the stories aren’t nearly as interesting.
@startingover_1 crosswalks unfortunately are no guarantee of safety, you’re right!
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nice
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I have had a few encounters of the celebrity kind. The best of the best was maybe 10 years ago I was volunteering at a celebrity golf tournament in Austin. The day before the golf began, all the volunteers and celebrities were treated to a big Texas BBQ. I sat at a table with Mick Fleetwood. A truly nice guy. Enjoyed talking to him immensely. Another time I sat next to Walter Cronkite on an airplane from Dallas to Austin. He didn’t talk any…and that’s the way it was…I sat on a jury trial that lasted 6 weeks where the plaintiff was Sandra Bullock. What a NOT NICE person when she is suing someone…It was over a home that she contracted to build in Austin for $10 million that she didn’t like. I should write a book about that experience. The worst 6 weeks of my life.
@altair Well I live in fly-over country. We never see celebrities here. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a celebrity in my entire life unless I paid to go to a concert or something like that.
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Over the past several years, Atlanta has become a celebrity haven. It’s still new enough that people stop and point or crowd around. My daughter’s ex-boyfriend works on the set of Walking Dead. He’s been seen so much around the city with the actors that now people are stopping him. He has a fantastic sense of humor and it’s amusing to be in a fast food place with him when someone “spots” him. So far though, none of the celebrities have tried to kill me.
@emiliasdance that’s so funny!
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I would probably not recognize a celebrity if I saw one in person. Even if it was someone I was familiar with, people look different in person and I struggle with facial recognition.
My husband has met a few, but he is much better at that stuff than I am.
Oh! I wrote a citation for a girl who was on Teen Mom last year. I didn’t know who she was until afterwards (someone told me). Does that count?
@alika that totally counts 🙂
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gorgeous photo! I j-walk if I am not in the downtown area… down town you will get a ticket for not crossing at crosswalks
@kaliko thanks!
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I didn’t realize you lived in NY. How awesome. And your celebrity encounters sound exciting, particularly the Mario Batali incident. Lol
@cherrywine_1 it was exciting!
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I think this should be a theme of the week…..”what celebrity encounters have you had?” You seem to lead a very interesting life.
Oh yeah….and I love that beautiful picture up there! Very nice!
@ladyhawk_1 thanks!
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I literally ran into Keifer Sutherland when I was 15. The town I grew up in had a population at the time of 300. You can imagine my surprise, I’m sure.
@rella I can imagine!
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A certain cast member of “The Love Boat” offered me weed once…
@drama that must be a fun story 🙂
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i’m not finding myself to be on od regular yet, but i hope to catch more of the nyc life from you. i miss that place!
@pearlysweetcake thanks, I hope you do find yourself here regularly in the future!
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