So you may or may not remember that while I was in Chicago for Blogher, Barack Obama was also there.

(I, Of course, assumed that he would be speaking on a panel at BlogHer, but he was oddly missing. I think he might have had hurt feelings by the discriminatory presence of “Her” in the title of our conference, and so backed out at the last minute.)

THEN today, after I arrived at La Guardia, I got in the shuttle van along with ELEVEN other people crammed against me, all of whom happened to be over 70 years old and having very enlightening conversations reminiscing about a comedy routine that they thought Clark Gable did, or was it Billie Holiday? No, no, Ethel, it was definitely Clark Gable!

(Don’t believe me? I was shoved in the very back corner with THREE others on my row, trying to keep my coffee from spilling all over me and them as our driver fulfilled every stereotype of a NYC cab driver that I’ve ever heard):

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My van mates were super fun AND nice. Much nicer than the driver, who apparently hated me. Anyway, a couple of my new friends needed to be dropped off at a hotel near the U.N. And, guess who was there today?

That’s right, Barack Obama.

Either he’s stalking me, or he’s really trying to break into the Mommy Blogging world.

Poor guy. If he’d only chosen “Mommy Blogger” on career day instead of “President”. . .

Thanks to his presence, millions of roads were closed, just like Chicago, and billions of Secret Service and Police cars lined the roads that weren’t closed:

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And my poor elderly friends? Had to be let out NINE blocks early, luggage and all, to fight their own way through the barricades and security.

(Hopefully they didn’t get arrested for pipe bombs made out of denture cream.)

And then, poor Mister President, he left his dome light on in his limo, and had to wait for his driver to flag someone down to jump them off:

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See, if he had only been a Mommy Blogger, he could have been on SuperShuttle with me, flinching at my driver’s determination to run over bicyclists, instead of waiting for a new limo battery.

In other adventures, I walked to Times Square (a few blocks down from my hotel), and it looks JUST like TV – crowded, crazy lights, crazy people…IMG_3541

Even the Times Square Police Department couldn’t resist the temptation to be all lit up!IMG_3554

Not that there were any police there, seeing as how they were all clogging up traffic near the U.N….

I also felt horribly guilty as I got to see the Times Square Toys R US and Ali wasn’t there to appreciate the magnificence of it with me, including an INDOOR ferris wheel:

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Oh how she would have loved to ride in the Mister Potato Head Car…

But I satiated my guilt by buying her overpriced M&M souvenirs and VERY overpriced all-Pink M&Ms at this three story behemoth of a store:IMG_3534
Oh – and finally, I think that New Yorkers LIKE to be crowded all up in each other’s business. I took this picture from the airplane:

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Hundreds of sailboats in that little harbor staring at each other, and only one sailboat brave enough to venture out into the Hudson…

Then again, maybe that was the only sailboat that didn’t know that PLANES sometimes land in the Hudson.

Glad it wasn’t us.

More adventures to come tomorrow!


** If you’re feeling out of the loop and don’t know why I’m in New York, you can read about it here.

14 thoughts on “Barack Obama is a Mommy-Blogger Wannabe.

  1. What fun!!

    You are not joking about the Supershuttle drivers! They are maniacs! I really feared for my life and that of all the pedestrians.

    Have a great trip!!!

  2. I'm about to get in the loop and read why you are in NYC.

    I love that overpriced M & M store~ not the prices, just the M & M's and stuff.

    I love my New York. Glad you are getting to experience all of the craziness there. Is Times Square fabulous or what? You have to experience it at least once. I grew up across the Hudson in a small "town", more city than town, called Hoboken. That's why I get so nostalgic reading your posts about NY.

    Hope you are having a great time so far.

  3. the shuttle drivers are mad at the world. not just you. :) i loved the hershey store, just a block over from times sq. have fun!

  4. Oh, your pictures are making me itch to go back! I just love it there! I hope you have a great time. Can't wait to see more pics.

  5. So much fun! I love Times Square!!! I bet Ali would just love that Toys R Us. Glad you are having a great time! Can't wait to hear more!!

  6. Wow, that looks insanely crowded. That's so fun that you got to see all that though…I've never heard to the Toys R Us with the ferris wheel…fun!

  7. Your poor elderly friends,that's terrible that they had to walk 9 blocks with their luggage!
    We rode in one of those vans from our hotel to the airport and every time we hit a bump I think we went airborne!

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