I’m not a celebrity hack. If I see them in the streets of New York City, I usually go about my business as they do theirs. I have seen quite a few over the years and I tend to get in “New Yorker” mode, which is to say, I pretend like I don’t know who they are, I smile, they smile and we all move on. And I’ve seen some biggies: Harrison Ford on 5th avenue (he’s an exception because he spoke to me and said: “Nice scarf.”); Julia Roberts & Keifer Sutherland smooching near Central Park; Talisa Soto & Benjamin Bratt (in front of my building!!); Soon Yi and Woody Allen at ABC Carpet; Dianne Wiest at the Guggenheim; Sean Connery on Park Avenue; Paul McCartney and Heather Mills at the Farmer’s Market in Amagansett; Darryl Hannah at the Farmer’s Market; Al Pacino at a Korean Deli on Park Avenue South; Liev Schreiber on 23rd street; Famke Janssen in front of the Apple Store; Matthew Broderick, pre Ferris Bueller and post The Producers; Rob Morrow of Northern Exposure fame.
But there is one celebrity with whom I seem to have accidental encounters more often than others. It is none other than former president, William Jefferson Clinton. Before I get into the details, let me underscore that these are chance encounters and, no, I’m not stalking him. I saw him drive by on Bluff Road (campaigning for Gore in the Hamptons), he waved; saw him get out of a motorcade as I was in a cab on West 72nd street (he was going to a fundraiser for Hillary); walking out of a school on fifth avenue, he waved but this time I was less than three feet away. The most recent was on the 24th in a lobby of a building…I cannot disclose more details about the location, but given the close proximity and the occasion, he said “Hi.” I of course smiled, but I was so shocked at seeing him that nothing came out of my mouth; and kicked myself for not having wished him a Merry Christmas.