Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Show & Tell: My Best Day in NYC

Good Afternoon Humble Readers! I hope you are all well.

I spent a ton of time trying to figure out where to start telling the story of our time in NYC, and ultimately it came down to beginning with the day that stands out the most in my memory.


Yes Humble Readers, that's right... I met Mario Batali!

I wish I could say that I was cool about it and was able to chat with him, but no... your friendly neighbourhood hobbit was star struck! Let me tell you the story...

It was Friday, the day we had decided was going to be my Beloved's very merry Un-Birthday, seeing as we had missed celebrating his actual birthday (it was right in the middle of his dad passing away and the memorial and all). On the itinerary for the day was an "On Location" New York TV & Movie tour and the Yankees game in the evening. We got on the bus right by the Ed Sullivan Theater (where we had seen the David Letterman show a few days earlier), and were treated to a ton of information about the area around Times Square and movies that had been filmed there. We slowly made our way south, heading toward Washington Square Park to check out some "When Harry Met Sally" and "I Am Legend" sites.

When the bus stopped and we all got off, we discovered that we were right outside Otto, where my Beloved and I had eaten lunch a few days before. (The food was fabulous... but I'm planning an NYC food post for later in the week... stay tuned!) We walked around the corner and spent a few minutes taking pics of the Washington Arch where Sally dropped off Harry, and the doorway that Will Smith came and went out of over and over.

At that point our guide mentioned that she had noticed that Mario had been sitting at the bar in his restaurant and if any of us wanted to meet him, he is usually very open to meeting fans. My Beloved and I, together with one other lady from the tour practically ran back to Otto.

We walked in, and at first I couldn't see him because he was sitting at the far end of the bar near the door to the kitchen. Immediately my shy-ness took over and I very hesitantly led the way (btw, when was I voted fearless leader?) over to him.

I didn't want to interrupt the conversation he was having with the man next to him so I waited a moment before speaking (read: was too star-struck to open my mouth). He looked over at me and smiled and said, "Well, you can't just stand there and not say hello." I must have stammered something intelligible about taking a picture with him. He graciously let my Beloved capture the shot above, and allowed me to take a picture for the other lady who had come with us.

At some point I managed to regain my powers of speech, and mentioned that we had just eaten there the other day and that the food was amazing. Especially the olive oil gelato (OMG!!!! All other ice cream will pale in comparison for the rest of my life). He laughed and mentioned that the secret is the salt sprinkled on top.

We thanked him profusely for his time, and then dashed back out to the bus. I couldn't stop grinning! I felt like a complete goober, but it was great!

The day continued with the rest of the tour, a wander down 5th Avenue (and some time spent in FAO Schwartz), and ultimately the Yankees game in the evening.


The game was great! Our seats were waaaaaaaaaaay up in the nosebleed section (fourth deck up, right on the first base line), and the breeze was so cold we ended up spending a small fortune on Yankees sweatshirts. We also spent a ridiculous amount of money on food (but man those sausages and fries tasted sooo good!). The Yankees won, and my Beloved thoroughly enjoyed himself (which was the point of going to the game)! It was a long subway ride back to the hotel, but it was a fabulous day!

Now don't forget to head over to Mel's place and check out what the rest of the class is showing.

22 comments :

  1. I love Otto!! I have been there a few times, it is always good. Sounds like an awesome full day! :)

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  2. Wow! Looks like a great trip!! Can't wait to hear more. Also can't wait till I can go there someday. :)

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  3. Sounds like so much fun! I've never been face to face with a celeb before (especially one I'm a fan of), so I have no idea what I'd do. Sounds like you did great. :)

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  4. Sounds like the perfect un-birthday, though I'm afraid I'd never heard of Mario Batali before.

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  5. AAAAAH! You know I love Mario Batali stories. Yours is fantastic.

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  6. Wonderful! I think a celebrity encounter should be part of any trip to NYC...

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  7. It's so cool to know that he's as nice in person as he seems to be on TV!

    Olive oil ice cream? With salt? I never would have even thought that such a creation existed!

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  8. I just love that picture of you and Mario... your smile is just so genuine! I'm glad you had an awesome time.

    I am thinking of flying to New York to try that ice cream.

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  9. My husband would be soooo jealous.

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  10. Olive oil ice cream?? I guess that's New York for you...! Glad you had such a good time -- sounds like a fun trip!

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  11. Sounds like an incredible trip. Lucky you getting to meet Mario Batali. The olive oil ice cream sounds intriguing.

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  12. Sounds like a great trip! I can sense the very enthusiasm in your words, that really says a lot :)

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  13. YOU MET MARIO BATALI!!!!!????!!!!????!!!! I'm so jealous! Uber, super, duper jealous. :) I'm a huge FOOD Network fan and I love me some Italian cooking. Wow. And, the fact that you have a picture with him is even more awesome. :) :) :)

    BTW, it's not weird that you're freaked out by hairless cats. Most people think they're a little weird. But really, they're quite loveable, warm, doughy balls of love. :)

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  14. An amazing day. Wow! so much good stuff!

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  15. That is so cool that you met him. Was he wearing his orange clogs? I look forward to your food post :D

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  16. Sounds like a great time! Makes me want to go to NYC again!

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  17. Wow, what an awesome story! Nice to know that Mario Batali is such an a nice guy, too! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Aw, what a great day! Sounds like you had a wonderful time! And I can't believe you got to meet Otto!!!! I'm so jealous ;D

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  19. hmmmm... trying to picture you speachless... LOL! Glad you had a good time!
    And don't be scared about the fried pickle... you soo gotta have one! Yum!

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  20. That is AWESOME! I would've been completely starstruck, myself and just stared!

    Looks like you had an amazing time. :)

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  21. Super cool! Glad you were able to meet someone who made you starstruck. The pic is great!

    And like other commenters, I am intrigued by the Olive Oil icecream. Sounds interesting and yum!

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  22. So cool! Your photos in your next post are amazing! They made me hungry and want to go back to NYC! I'm not sure about the OO ice cream though...

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Hobbits are social creatures, and love hearing from friends old and new. Pull up a comfy chair and let's get to know one another.