“How Can This Possibly Be My Life?”
This occurred several years ago.
We were entering Central Park at 81st Street. Couple walking towards us. Man pushing double stroller. Boy and Girl. Boy older. Boy bashing sister repeatedly with balloon animal. Sister cries. Mom says, “Couldn’t we just try to forget about who hit who first and just all get along.” Boy pauses, then with gleeful smile, bashes sister again. Screaming from all quarters. Father is looking up to the heavens like, “How can this be my life? How can this possibly be my life? Please Lord help me.”
Father is Jerry Seinfeld.
— Stuart Rakley
“There are so many actors in this town.”
In the fall of 1988 I was a young dance student on a scholarship at Steps on Broadway and 74th Street. A casting director spotted me in a ballet class and after auditioning I booked my first commercial as scissors that snipped prices. Dance had been my sole focus and I could have cared less about anything or anyone unless they could do a pas de bourré. I also had grown up in a pacifist household where watching violent movies was taboo. So the next day I found myself in a dirty old hallway at a midtown sound stage dressed as scissors, between takes doing splits. A middle-aged nondescript man with a little mole on his cheek approached me and asked what I was doing. I proudly shared I was dancing my first gig. He introduced himself as an actor. I told him: “Oh there are so many actors in this town.” Robert DeNiro told me he was shooting a movie called “We’re No Angels.” He seemed amused I hadn’t heard of him and we chatted for quite some time.
— Marianne Hettinger
“Not wanting to be impolite…”
Last weekend I was in my local CVS buying milk as I am wont to do, since they keep a cold refrigerator and the brand of milk they stock, Hood, is the one I grew up with and it gives me a little shot of nostalgia every time I buy it. With milk in hand, I ambled up to a checkout station adjacent to one that was occupied by a woman who, from the corner of my eye anyway, looked familiar. Not wanting to be impolite, but nevertheless curious, I nonchalantly snuck a glance in her direction. With just a touch of embarrassment at my desire for celebrity spotting, I realized she was someone I didn’t recognize from anywhere. Just a fellow human, out shopping at CVS, same as me.
—Chris Everett
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My guess is that Seinfeld was thinking “Serenity Now!”
That must have been a while ago as I know he has at least one kid in college now.
Love the innocence of this young dancer where nothing else but dance mattered to her. Great story.
Jerry Seinfeld’s oldest kid is his daughter (who just started college). The two boys are younger, so either the boy just looked older, or her was with a friend or relative.
A Viking can never have too many cups.
I saw Seinfeld once biking by the natural history museum and actually teared up a little. Thank god he didn’t see me I would’ve been mortified lol
around 1990 I was walking on columbus and 74th and spotted a familiar face checking out the supermarket stalls in the outside market., once I got closer it really did appear to be ray davies, the kinks frontman and chief songwriter, great guy. no attitude, he had a place on cpw for years and after that I used to see him with his then girffriend strolling around the neighborhood. I still have his autograph somewhere
I have a question I have not been able to get an answer to. And these comments spurred me on to ask a somewhat unrelated question.Do anyone know where the old Cafe Central was located at? My wife would tell me about it with fond remembrances of stars she would see sitting outside at 3am. Sadly she passed away.I live between Broadway and WEA on 75th Street.I think it was on the corner of 75/ Amsterdam but may have been on the corner of 76/ Amsterdam. Does anyone know exactly where it was? What is there now? Much thanks!
I think it was in the middle of the block on Broadway between 75th & 76th. You had to go down a flight of stairs to get to it. There was an Italian restaurant on the block named Ernie’s; also a tiny great pizza place, Little Napoli. It was the mid ’80s before the neighborhood was overtaken.
I was once kidnaped by Jerry Orbach, back when he was running guns for the Yakuza. It’s not really much of a story.
hi Cliff
No it was not there.
Definitely on Amsterdam
You may be thinking of China Club that was in the basement of the Beacon Hotel.
This place was either 74,75 or 76 and Amsterdam.
Wish I could find out.
And what is there now.
David