I love New York City. There’s something so magical and so completely different about it. I’ve also been to New York City enough times to know that nothing is quite as easy as you might imagine (or hope) it would be.
Take, for instance, the Disney/Dreamworks journey to the red carpet premiere of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse on Sunday night. The theater that was showing War Horse was only a few blocks away, but since we were all dressed in our glamorous dresses and heels, we opted to take the vans.
Our van set off in the opposite direction of the premiere and tried to turn around (at least that’s what we think he was trying to do). The traffic was horrific, even for New York City. With every passing minute, we got further and further away from our destination, and with each block the women in the van got more and more antsy. We had a date to walk the red carpet and we were stuck in traffic unable to turn around.
With approximately 25 minutes to show time, we finally decided to ditch the van and take the journey on foot. We just weren’t willing to risk missing the movie because of traffic. Luckily, I had brought a pair of slippers in my bag (I had bought them earlier that day because my blisters were so bad). I switched into my slippers and we all began to run through the streets of New York.
I’m sure we were quite a sight. Though the entire group-on-foot separated into smaller groups pretty quickly, we still caused quite a scene. A dozen women dressed in their finest – running, laughing, shouting directions, and checking the map apps on our cell phones constantly. We ran and ran, taking only a few short breaks to rest or slow down to catch our breath.
Lori (A Day in Motherhood) and I kept pace together. I don’t understand how Lori ran as fast as me in heels. My ankles were on fire.
Amazingly, with just a few minutes left to spare before the show was scheduled to start, we all arrived at the red carpet. I could hardly bend down to put my heels on (but was determined to wear them at the movie and after party).
Apparently, Marshall, our fearless leader who had come in a separate van that took a shorter route, was waiting at the entrance of will call when we started to arrive. Our little group of bloggers from the van had separated on the way and three groups came running towards him from three different directions at once.
Marshall said it was too reminiscent of the Amazing Race. We were just glad that we made it.
We picked up our badges and tickets, walked down the red carpet, and found our seats. The show was amazing (but more will be coming on that later…).
Two days later, my feet and legs are not letting me forget our run. But the memories I made that night are etched even deeper than the blisters and aching muscles. What an experience!
PS – Our van made it to the theater about 20 minutes after we did…
Photos in this post were taken by the amazing Louise from Mom Start. She wrote about our night, too. See Lori’s post about Running in Heels. Disney/Dreamworks sent me to NYC to represent 5 Minutes for Mom. The trip, hotel and shows were free, but the exciting memories are mine to keep. Opinions are my own.
© 2011, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
20 minutes later but sweat-free! I’d have gotten lost and ended up in Jersey ;-)
I was so excited for you when I heard that you were going to the premiere! What an amazing experience! I’m curious though…how in the world did you guys run all that way and manage to look flawless? Please share… lol
Ouch!!! I would have died! LOL
But sounds like a fabulous night none the less! :)
What a great story though! It sounds like a terrific event. Glad you had fun!
What fun!It looks like it was quite a trip!
Thank you! I felt good, even after that run. Thank goodness it wasn’t raining or hot. We would have all melted. :)
Me too! We were so worried that the red carpet would be all rolled up and put away by the time we made it there. :)
Of course, as a group of bloggers we were all talking about what a great story it would be to write…while we were running, of course! lol
It was a fantastic group. I am so thrilled that I got to tag along. :)
I can’t wait to share more. Seriously, what an incredible night!
That is hilarious – especially with the pics! What a great story. So glad you guys made it! You all looked fabulous! :)
I loved reading this! What a fun experienced to run in New York with your best clothes on. You look great. Such a cute story.
glad you all made it!!!
Looks like a whirlwind of fun! Great to see all those fabulous ladies in attendance.
You look fabulous despite the blisters and your ankles being on fire! I can’t wait to hear more about the movie and see more photos!