On a recent walk with Min Jin Lee, she told what I like to call an “Only in New York” story—about selling a photography book to Tina Turner when she worked at The Met. I love “Only in New York” stories, but have lived enough places to know that every city, town, neighborhood, and suburb has its own versions of an “Only in _______” story. The type of story that could only happen there. My life is filled with “Only in San Francisco” stories and “Only in Philly” stories, so I want to hear yours. No matter where you live (or have lived), tell me your “Only in ________” story… yes, even if that “_______” is New York City.
Dec 17, 2021·edited Dec 18, 2021Liked by Isaac Fitzgerald
I have an L.A. "only in" story. I was 21 or 22, and used to play tennis at Poinsettia Park. A lot of celebrities hung out there; I went for the competition -- there were a lot of good players who ended up there. I had written a 50 or so page novella that I thought should be a screenplay. Truth be told, I was intimidated by the material and avoiding the commitment to start the screenplay. I went there a few days in a row until Sidney Poitier showed up. I ran over, manuscript in hand, and asked him to read it. He sort of knew me from the park, and in a generous act that would shortly change my life, he agreed to read it. I was too young to know how unusual this was. I was just excited, and gave him my phone number. He called a few days later, "This work is very good," he told me, "And I'm not going to buy it." "Why?" I asked. "Because if I buy it, you're out. I'll hire a professional screenwriter and you will have nothing further to do with the project. If you write the screenplay, you will have a career." I was disappointed, and it took me a few months, but I finally got my guts together and wrote the screenplay. It took me 9 months to write. I was desperate to make it perfect and could only see what was wrong. I got over it, finished it, and sold it a few weeks after I finished it to 20th Century Fox. It was the piece that launched my career. I owe Mr. Poitier a big thanks!
A few friends and I went for a girls' weekend in Atlantic City a little bit after we graduated from college. We got all dressed up and hit the casino floor. I have a pretty strict rule for myself that I will start with $20 and whenever that runs out or I've made $40, I'm done gambling. I was done pretty fast. My friends were still playing. I was sitting next next to one of them at the slot machines and there was a man sitting on the other side of me. He tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I could watch his machine for him because he needed to use the bathroom. I said sure and took his spot. He came back not 90 seconds later and tipped me $20??? I just looked at him and then at the $20, said thank you, and used the $20 to buy all of us a single Bud Light to share at the club later that night. I guess "Only in Atlantic City"...will someone tip you $20 to watch their slot machine for less than 2 minutes and that $20 will buy you a single Bud Light to share at the club.
I was doing some final Christmas shopping a couple of years ago at Flying Tiger (RIP) near Flatiron, and I saw a man wearing a luxurious coat. I remember it being white faux fur? Real fur? I went up to compliment him on it and it was Tan France from Queer Eye! I whispered "I like your show," he smiled, got in a cab, and we were both on our respective ways. Could've happened elsewhere, I reckon, but the chill in the air and the Christmas window dressing nearby felt distinctly New York <3
One Saturday morning I was working as a waiter at a slightly pretentious café in Tel-Aviv, when I noticed, as I was sweeping up outside for the opening, a huge (some 2ft. tall) papa Smurf doll, sitting alone on a bench nearby.
So obviously, I did what any reasonable person would do and called the police.
Half an hour later and the café is still closed, while the SWAT team is performing controlled detonation of the sad doll, a testiment, most likely to a date gone wrong. Or gone well, perhaps. Senior citizens are at the doors clamoring for service, when the boom marks a return to whatever counts as normal in this city today,
This past week I decided to lean into my inner cheeseball and attend a taping of American Idol. Everyone in the audience had their phones placed in one of those Yonder bags so we couldn't take any pictures. Everyone except the celebrity judges that is. We happened to be seated right behind Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryan for the first half of the taping. At one point, while the crew was busy adjusting the stage, Katy pulled out her phone and Facetimed Orlando Bloom and her baby. Which made ME appear in the background of her phone call. Talk about a Kevin Bacon moment. Only one seat between me and Katy. Only one degree of separation between me and Katy's living room! Only in LA.......
Isaac, love WIO, love your book reviews, love your unabashed love for Brooklyn and all things NYC. Taking a walk with you to talk about my new book (on walking across Spain!) is on my 2022 bucket list. Crossing my fingers you're up for it!
I went to see West Side Story...on a random Monday night in Brooklyn. Two of the actors from the movie were in the theater-- Rachel Zegler, who plays Maria, and Josh Andres Rivera, who plays Chino. No one bothered them or asked for an autograph, though we were a bit in awe of the coincidence that we'd just watched them on the big screen. Maybe this is an "only in Brooklyn" story. :)
My little brother lives in NY and works at a bar called Industry. I LOVE visiting and going to shows there. Most of his friends are in nightlife and Broadway so when we go see a show we sometimes get to visit his friends backstage. Super fun! My favorite was after The Color Purple (absolutely incredible cast). We went backstage and I was fangirling (very quietly and on the inside) over the cast while the cast was fangirling over a special visitor. That visitor was Austin Pendleton.
The other only in NYC story….after running the NYC half my brother and I went to lunch at the Empire Diner. As we were coming in, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day was coming out.
Tom Skerritt is a Seattleite, and he's one of the famous people here who really just doesn't mind going out into the world and doing totally normal things, so you run into him EVERYWHERE. He's at the local Italian restaurant. He's at your coffee shop. My story is from when I was a young teenager. My friends and I were trying to go see Bram Stoker's Dracula in the theater, but the cashier wouldn't sell us tickets, because we were all under 17. SO. Tom Skerritt popped up out of seemingly nowhere, and bought all of our tickets for us. I think his teenaged daughter was also trying to do the same thing? He then proceeded to leave us to watch the movie on our own, did not stay for Dracula. So, yes, Viper bought my underage self tickets to a vampire movie. That's just a thing that happens if you live in Seattle.
My best friend, originally from Skokie, IL., and I were at a club in Las Vegas on The Strip (where we both lived at the time). She was married; I was single. Two guys at the club where talking to us and they said they were from Chicago. My friend said, "I'm from Chicago!" And they talked about local places. They asked her her last name and she gave them her Italian maiden name, probably because that's what it was in Chicago. They got really excited and said, "You're a (REDACTED)! Do you (First name) (redacted last name)?" She said, "Yes, he's my uncle!" Then they laughed and talked about how they knew him (professionally). Then my friend suddenly grabbed my arm and said she had to go to the restroom. As we walked away, she whispered in my ear, "My uncle is a bad man, a very bad man. I don't like that they know him." And that is how, in Las Vegas, I found out my friend may be related to someone in organized crime.Or maybe not. I don't ask questions.
I've got two stories for you. Only in HCMC do streetside restos make you sit on the teeniest tiniest stools that you're afraid won't hold your weight. And only in Bangkok does the pavement shoot dirty water jets at you if you step on the wrong tile after it's been raining!
I was heading out of DC for a work conference a few years ago and was in the TSA pre-check line behind a guy who had a lot of "if found, return to nearest US embassy" tags on his luggage. I didn't recognize him (lots of old white political guys in DC). He got pulled aside for extra security. Turns out it was Bob Corker, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2015 to 2019.
One of my neighbors has a very sweet beagle and we occasionally go on walks together. At some point she (neighbor, not dog) mentioned having to get to work to file a story about the previous POTUS violating the emoluments clause. After a few questions, she humbly admitted to being Jackie Northam, veteran NPR news journalist. I prefer having her as a neighbor to the NYT's David Brooks, who also lives nearby.
One of my upstairs neighbors runs the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and is pals with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
One of my friends was driving in Georgetown and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a jaywalking pedestrian. The pedestrian stopped and glared fiercely at him. The pedestrian was Madeleine Albright.
My previous therapist's office was in the same building as The Embassy of the Republic of Burundi and near visa processing offices for China and Iran.
I live a mile from the vice president's residence and occasionally there are lots of dudes in suits and earpieces in the grocery store aisles. When Joe Biden was VP, Jill and I shopped at the same Whole Foods.
I used to work at GW University and was frequently late to meetings at the school of public health due to Obama's motorcade going down the streets.
I have an L.A. "only in" story. I was 21 or 22, and used to play tennis at Poinsettia Park. A lot of celebrities hung out there; I went for the competition -- there were a lot of good players who ended up there. I had written a 50 or so page novella that I thought should be a screenplay. Truth be told, I was intimidated by the material and avoiding the commitment to start the screenplay. I went there a few days in a row until Sidney Poitier showed up. I ran over, manuscript in hand, and asked him to read it. He sort of knew me from the park, and in a generous act that would shortly change my life, he agreed to read it. I was too young to know how unusual this was. I was just excited, and gave him my phone number. He called a few days later, "This work is very good," he told me, "And I'm not going to buy it." "Why?" I asked. "Because if I buy it, you're out. I'll hire a professional screenwriter and you will have nothing further to do with the project. If you write the screenplay, you will have a career." I was disappointed, and it took me a few months, but I finally got my guts together and wrote the screenplay. It took me 9 months to write. I was desperate to make it perfect and could only see what was wrong. I got over it, finished it, and sold it a few weeks after I finished it to 20th Century Fox. It was the piece that launched my career. I owe Mr. Poitier a big thanks!
Adam! What an INCREDIBLE story. Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️
A few friends and I went for a girls' weekend in Atlantic City a little bit after we graduated from college. We got all dressed up and hit the casino floor. I have a pretty strict rule for myself that I will start with $20 and whenever that runs out or I've made $40, I'm done gambling. I was done pretty fast. My friends were still playing. I was sitting next next to one of them at the slot machines and there was a man sitting on the other side of me. He tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I could watch his machine for him because he needed to use the bathroom. I said sure and took his spot. He came back not 90 seconds later and tipped me $20??? I just looked at him and then at the $20, said thank you, and used the $20 to buy all of us a single Bud Light to share at the club later that night. I guess "Only in Atlantic City"...will someone tip you $20 to watch their slot machine for less than 2 minutes and that $20 will buy you a single Bud Light to share at the club.
Hahahahahaha! A spot-on Atlantic City story. 🎯
I was doing some final Christmas shopping a couple of years ago at Flying Tiger (RIP) near Flatiron, and I saw a man wearing a luxurious coat. I remember it being white faux fur? Real fur? I went up to compliment him on it and it was Tan France from Queer Eye! I whispered "I like your show," he smiled, got in a cab, and we were both on our respective ways. Could've happened elsewhere, I reckon, but the chill in the air and the Christmas window dressing nearby felt distinctly New York <3
Moments like this are always more magical when it's the holiday season in New York City. 🎄
One Saturday morning I was working as a waiter at a slightly pretentious café in Tel-Aviv, when I noticed, as I was sweeping up outside for the opening, a huge (some 2ft. tall) papa Smurf doll, sitting alone on a bench nearby.
So obviously, I did what any reasonable person would do and called the police.
Half an hour later and the café is still closed, while the SWAT team is performing controlled detonation of the sad doll, a testiment, most likely to a date gone wrong. Or gone well, perhaps. Senior citizens are at the doors clamoring for service, when the boom marks a return to whatever counts as normal in this city today,
Only in Tel-Aviv.
💙 💙 💙
This past week I decided to lean into my inner cheeseball and attend a taping of American Idol. Everyone in the audience had their phones placed in one of those Yonder bags so we couldn't take any pictures. Everyone except the celebrity judges that is. We happened to be seated right behind Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryan for the first half of the taping. At one point, while the crew was busy adjusting the stage, Katy pulled out her phone and Facetimed Orlando Bloom and her baby. Which made ME appear in the background of her phone call. Talk about a Kevin Bacon moment. Only one seat between me and Katy. Only one degree of separation between me and Katy's living room! Only in LA.......
Hahahahaha! This is perfect. 💖
Isaac, love WIO, love your book reviews, love your unabashed love for Brooklyn and all things NYC. Taking a walk with you to talk about my new book (on walking across Spain!) is on my 2022 bucket list. Crossing my fingers you're up for it!
I went to see West Side Story...on a random Monday night in Brooklyn. Two of the actors from the movie were in the theater-- Rachel Zegler, who plays Maria, and Josh Andres Rivera, who plays Chino. No one bothered them or asked for an autograph, though we were a bit in awe of the coincidence that we'd just watched them on the big screen. Maybe this is an "only in Brooklyn" story. :)
Oh wow! That's incredible! 💎 ✨
My little brother lives in NY and works at a bar called Industry. I LOVE visiting and going to shows there. Most of his friends are in nightlife and Broadway so when we go see a show we sometimes get to visit his friends backstage. Super fun! My favorite was after The Color Purple (absolutely incredible cast). We went backstage and I was fangirling (very quietly and on the inside) over the cast while the cast was fangirling over a special visitor. That visitor was Austin Pendleton.
The other only in NYC story….after running the NYC half my brother and I went to lunch at the Empire Diner. As we were coming in, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day was coming out.
Amy, I love both of these stories! Thanks for sharing. 🍓
Tom Skerritt is a Seattleite, and he's one of the famous people here who really just doesn't mind going out into the world and doing totally normal things, so you run into him EVERYWHERE. He's at the local Italian restaurant. He's at your coffee shop. My story is from when I was a young teenager. My friends and I were trying to go see Bram Stoker's Dracula in the theater, but the cashier wouldn't sell us tickets, because we were all under 17. SO. Tom Skerritt popped up out of seemingly nowhere, and bought all of our tickets for us. I think his teenaged daughter was also trying to do the same thing? He then proceeded to leave us to watch the movie on our own, did not stay for Dracula. So, yes, Viper bought my underage self tickets to a vampire movie. That's just a thing that happens if you live in Seattle.
My best friend, originally from Skokie, IL., and I were at a club in Las Vegas on The Strip (where we both lived at the time). She was married; I was single. Two guys at the club where talking to us and they said they were from Chicago. My friend said, "I'm from Chicago!" And they talked about local places. They asked her her last name and she gave them her Italian maiden name, probably because that's what it was in Chicago. They got really excited and said, "You're a (REDACTED)! Do you (First name) (redacted last name)?" She said, "Yes, he's my uncle!" Then they laughed and talked about how they knew him (professionally). Then my friend suddenly grabbed my arm and said she had to go to the restroom. As we walked away, she whispered in my ear, "My uncle is a bad man, a very bad man. I don't like that they know him." And that is how, in Las Vegas, I found out my friend may be related to someone in organized crime.Or maybe not. I don't ask questions.
I've got two stories for you. Only in HCMC do streetside restos make you sit on the teeniest tiniest stools that you're afraid won't hold your weight. And only in Bangkok does the pavement shoot dirty water jets at you if you step on the wrong tile after it's been raining!
A couple of "only in DC" stories:
I was heading out of DC for a work conference a few years ago and was in the TSA pre-check line behind a guy who had a lot of "if found, return to nearest US embassy" tags on his luggage. I didn't recognize him (lots of old white political guys in DC). He got pulled aside for extra security. Turns out it was Bob Corker, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2015 to 2019.
One of my neighbors has a very sweet beagle and we occasionally go on walks together. At some point she (neighbor, not dog) mentioned having to get to work to file a story about the previous POTUS violating the emoluments clause. After a few questions, she humbly admitted to being Jackie Northam, veteran NPR news journalist. I prefer having her as a neighbor to the NYT's David Brooks, who also lives nearby.
One of my upstairs neighbors runs the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and is pals with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
One of my friends was driving in Georgetown and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a jaywalking pedestrian. The pedestrian stopped and glared fiercely at him. The pedestrian was Madeleine Albright.
My previous therapist's office was in the same building as The Embassy of the Republic of Burundi and near visa processing offices for China and Iran.
I live a mile from the vice president's residence and occasionally there are lots of dudes in suits and earpieces in the grocery store aisles. When Joe Biden was VP, Jill and I shopped at the same Whole Foods.
I used to work at GW University and was frequently late to meetings at the school of public health due to Obama's motorcade going down the streets.
Linda! That's incredible that you have TWO Prince stories. 💜
Only in L.A. ... Or in this case, Georgia. I once cost Prince a car. https://medium.com/@arsimoun/the-prince-i-knew-833fb9ff917b
Perfection. 💎 ✨