We all know of the pub crawl...and the Santa pub crawl...but this last week, I experienced the talk show crawl and it was f-u-n!! It was also an extended SBC...even more fun!
Winnie & I both had tickets to various shows last week and we were able to attend without doubling up! Goes to show how many shows tape in good old NYC.
Wednesday was my tickets to the hard to get Rachael Ray show. Because of the holiday season and a more heavily packed audience, we decided to show up 2 hours earlier than check in! Which is really crazy but we are some crazy ladies! It was rainy and cold! But we were part of the first 10 in line. After numbing fingers and toes and my hair plastered to my head, we were allowed indoors. At least, we were able to sit and use the restrooms. And we munched on muffins and bottled water.
Since the show is pre-taped-one never knows beforehand when the airing will be. We were sdvised our taping would air 2 days later - on Friday. It was a holiday show and the set was beautifully decorated with Xmas trees and wreaths. We had a terrific show. First guest was Carrie Underwood and she gave us her CD. Next guest was the marvelous Andy Cohen...so down to earth and witty. Last was Christopher Kimball from America's Test Kitchen. All very entertaining but admittedly slightly disappointing since we didn't get anything besides the CD. I think if we weren't teased throughout the show by possible giveaways: Andy's book...kitchen gadgets and even a Home Depot acknowledgement at the end of the show plus all the glittering and sparkling decor dazzling our eyes and minds...well...it led to a bit of a let down. No matter...we shook it off.
SBC was celebrating Kathy's day and she had opted for Vietnamese. With my trusty weekly metro card, I was able to happily travel anywhere all over the city. Kathy & I also got in a visit with our mom. We got a lot done in one day! And there were two more days to go!
Thursday we all met up bright and early for The Chew by Lincoln Center. 7am. Very different in terms of how they handled us...I arrived first and was about the 5th person in line. I was there 2 seconds when security came and said we could wait inside so as not to be out in the cold! How considerate - it was very much appreciated.
We had another good show. Camila Alves (Matthew McConaughey's wife) was on and we were given a $200 Target gift card. RC Smith is the warm-up guy and one of the better ones. Carla Hall is warm, personable and she always comes into the audience to dance between segments. I love going to this show because we get done by 10:30 and we have the rest of the day free.
Friday - another day, another dollar...yeah...it's like having a job. But a rather interesting one. You sit and get entertained...what's not to like? This time we met at Rockefeller Center for The Meredith Vieira Show. Their check-in is very unique. Everyone waits outside the NBC Experience store that opens at 8am...(so we were there by 7am). When the store opened, we headed upstairs to the 2nd Fl where we got checked-in, received a wristband bracelet and a lanyard that has a map and the time when you should return to go into the studio. It's an hour later so we took that time to go get coffee and a doughnut and make a restroom stop.
Our lanyards said to return at 9:10 which we did. I really like this procedure. The downside? It's a long day of taping. We didn't get out until 12:30pm. The warm up person works hard - there's a lot of down time between segments. On this day, we received bluetooth speakers.
Connie went home to beat the Friday traffic back to Jersey. Winnie, Kathy & I took the train back to my neighborhood and feasted at our favorite sushi place...Tony joined us!
This is not something I would want to do every week but once or twice a year...love it! I was particularly excited about the SBC being at Rockefeller Center so we could get a shot of us in front of the iconic tree. It's all about that holiday spirit! :)
