Why did I move to NYC????? I was in my 20's free, acting for a living (which is rare) in the Backstage Kenley Players in Dayton Ohio. I was having the time of my life. My roommate wanted to move to NYC to pursue her dream and I said "What the heck! I'll go." And we sold our cars and extra baggage, went up for a brief visit to find an apartment which we did on 72nd and Central Park West -- a great neighborhood by the way. Across the street from the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono -- and we moved. Lock stock and barrel, to the greatest city in the world, without a doubt. Below our little one bedroom which had southern exposure -- a big thing in NYC -- was a Szechuan restaurant that we frequented.
NYC seems big, but actually it is a lot of little neighborhoods. The guys on my block who watched the stores and shops all knew me and waved everytime I walked by. It was a good place to live.
I was a talk lanky blonde and my roommate was a medium tall gorgeous Italian named Tari. She was my best friend, my confidant and my partner in crime. We were great together.
I had only been there for two weeks when I got my first soap opera audition, and got down to the line on a part right away. Then they decided not to write in the part that season and I didn't get "the call." I went instead to AFTRA the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and paid my obedient $300 to join and joined. You have to be AFTRA to work in TV or Radio. SAG is for film. Equity is for theatre. It took a year and working on a soap, but I did get my Equity card and was going for my SAG. Only, SAG was $500 to join -- not to mention that you had to have worked in AFTRA. Confusing????? When you're a professional actor, you learn quickly.
Every week, I checked the "trade papers" for jobs and auditiona. I worked as a freelance copy editor and proofer. Thank heavens for my English degree and I chased the dream.
There's much more to this story, but I want to tell you about the first few weeks in NYC. I had just moved there with Tari. We were walking up Columbus, which was close to our apartment. Like I said, I was a tall lanky blonde in a city that is not exactly teeming with blondes, believe it or not, especially the cornfed kind -- which I was. I'm walking with Tari, and I'm checking out this guy in this sidewalk cafe. He, equally, is checking me out. I thought, "Wow, he's cute!" Not recognizing him. We walked by when the electric shock hit me! It was Al Pacino, fresh from The Godfather. I gulped and almost screamed (I was still starstruck in those early days) and turned around to see him come out of the restaurant with his girlfriend then, Marte Keller. All I could think was "Wow, he's really short!" He was 5'5" at most and Marte was my height at least. That was my first run in with a celeb. There were a lot more after that, but living in the City, you get more and more jaded about "who" you see. You're always seeing famous people and you learn to leave them alone.
Bill Murray was one of our regular sitings. He'd stride by us when we stopped for coffee or a glass of wine at our favorite haunt in the neighborhood and always yell out "Hi ladies" to Tari and I. We'd yell "Hi Bill." And he'd stride on his way to work at NBc on the early years of Saturday Night -- you know when it was great!
New York Stories will cont. but right now, it's almost sundown and shabbat. Later.
posted on May 9, 2008 3:19 PM ()
Radically different!
Loved this post!! I really like the city, almost any city. Great post!
Thirty-fourth and 8th Avenue is quite another neighborhood!
You should talk about it
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I think you did things well in your life!