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New
York – as many
people know – has
some famous quotes:
"the city that never
sleeps" (Frank Sinatra
sang that); "the best
city in the world" (the
announcer Alan Kalter
delivered this line
every weeknight on Late
Show with David
Letterman on CBS), and,
of course, what New
Yorkers know: that the
city can bring our
dreams to life.
In 2010, while walking
onto 53rd Street, near
Times Square, something
blew my mind: it was
the writer Neil Simon
coming in my direction.
OMG! Neil Simon? Really?
That writer is so
meaningful to me that I
have many of his books
(plays, interviews, and
autobiographies), as
well as DVDs and
Blu-rays of his movies
What might I do now?
Without thinking of the
aftermath, like a crazy
fan, I approached him,
looked at him, and
said, "Hi. I'm
from Brazil! I love all
your work!" He
looked at me, and with
a small smile on his
face, replied,
"From Brazil?
Thank you so
much!" and we shook hands.
Soon, a group of people
who were with him
approached us. They
seemed concerned; after
all, who was that guy
talking to Neil Simon?
I swear I had a
portable Sony digital
camera in my pocket,
but the moment was so
magical that I
preferred to end our
conversation and walk
away by myself.
So, after that, I met
my wife in front of
Macy's, as we had
agreed. At that moment,
caught in a certain
state of mind, I
briefly questioned
whether I had truly met
Neil Simon. Perhaps a
photo could have proven
it, but the encounter
felt so magical that I
feared asking for a
picture might ruin
everything. Besides,
Neil Simon's
entourage was
approaching, and I
wasn't sure what might
happen next. In the
end, instead of a
click, I chose to
preserve that magic in
my mind forever.
Now, something awesome
and curious happened.
Before this meeting,
while leaving the
hotel, I took the
portable Sony from my
wife and said to her,
"I'll take it
with me; who knows, I
might see Neil Simon
walking around."
It's New York, and
like the Steve Karmen
song on Milton Glaser's
logo – and like
many others – I ♥ NY.
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