Yesterday was a fun day! Set out to meet up with a friend who lives in New York. Had just seen him three weeks earlier in Atlantic City, but weren’t about to pass up the opportunity to meet again.
Such fun!
My husband and I met up with him at a great wood-fire pizza place within walking distance to our hotel. Great pizza, awesome starter salads, but better yet was being able to share valuable time with a cherished friend!
When we got up to leave, we walked past a great wall fountain set back from the sidewalk. Our friend paused, stunned, and said, “Oh, my God! There it is!”
We looked from the fountain to him for enlightenment. He shared that when he moved to the city fifteen years ago, he’d stumbled across the fountain and had never been able to locate it again. The smile on his face was priceless, and we were glad to share the reunion experience with him.
After lunch, we got to spend several hours with our friend—the only thing better than breaking bread with him. It was fun to reconnect and learn a bit more about the Big Apple. Added, was having the opportunity to see Manhattan through the eyes of a local as we ambled along the streets, soaking up local flavor.
Our friend and we parted ways late afternoon so he wouldn’t be late for a date, and so we could prepare for dinner and then to attend an event we had flown here for—the filming of the season finale of Saturday Night Live.
What a hoot!
So much better to see the show in person. Got to see everything that happened, not just what was on camera. And by watching the off-camera activity, we got a better feel for the chemistry between those participating in creating the episode.
There was joking amongst the celebrities, and I enjoyed seeing how the “stars” interacted with the behind-the-scenes cast responsible for pulling the show together. Lots of hustling and running by the celebrities to get from one set to another, undergoing quick changes in the process, before their next scene came up.
Alec Baldwin was the host. By watching him, it was apparent what an easy-going individual he is. Friendly with all, laughing, and full of genuine smiles, he made all feel comfortable in his presence.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was the lead band. Although I like the group, I was disappointed to see Tom’s lack of enthusiasm while performing. At one point, I wondered if he was stoned, but then realized he was just “going through the motions” of performing his two songs. Not caring to add an air of energy to performing, he looked like an anesthetized Matrix individual. Not fun to watch. And the two songs he chose to perform—not amongst his best.
Too bad!
After the show, we attended a private gala at Rockefeller Center (where the annual giant Christmas tree overshadows the ice-skating rink). There we met up with a bunch of our friends, executives at Saturday Night Live, to catch up and converse about the season’s ender. We each agreed that although the show was good, it wasn’t great. We attributed that to it immediately following the episode hosted by Betty White.
Hard act to follow.
The party, which began at 1:00 AM was a season wrap and attended by easily 350-400 people! Amongst the attendees were current cast members as well as famous ones from seasons past. It was fun to interact with them and see how everyone got along. I like that, when people adopt the mentality that everyone’s equal. That no one is less than them. That each person involved plays an integral part in pulling off the production.
That’s a class act!
We laughed, talked and danced away the wee hours of the night. Around 4:00 AM, my husband and I looked at our watches. It was then we made a difficult decision. Having only had nine hours of sleep in the past two days and needing to be ready to head to the airport several hours later, we realized we should probably head back to our hotel to pack, etc. Our friends were sad to see us go, yet took solace, knowing that we’d return to New York. As we watched staff members clear the food from the buffet tables in preparation for the party to end, my husband and I headed back to our hotel.
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