Highlights from NYC

Submitted by Lisa Steadman on June 4, 2007 - 7:06 pm

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So much has happened in the last couple weeks and I want to be sure and celebrate some of the highlights.  So without further ado, in no particular order, here they are…

Reconnecting with old friends

One of my favorite things about going on a book tour is the opportunity to catch up with old friends.  In Philly, I got wined and dined by my good friend from my Mattel days Jack and his partner.  In New York, I got to catch up with my fabulous cousin Amy and her new husband Eric.  One of my best friends Lani Voivod joined Mr. XY and I for a few days in the city.  And what would be a visit from Lani without karaoke at a Drag Queen club in Soho? We of course sang Breaking up Is Hard to Do.  So much fun!  Love Lucky Cheng’s!  Another highlight was having drinks with my fab friend Caroline Levchuck. I met Ms. C once about 10 years ago when she was in LA recruiting freelance writers for a project she was working on.  She gave me my first writing job and has been so instrumental to my success over the years.  My book would not have happened without her so it was a pleasure to see her again, share a drink or two, and catch up.

Filming my Today Show segments

When I found out we were moving my Today Show shoot from Los Angeles to New York (a city I hadn’t been in in over 10 years) I got kind of nervous.  How in the heck was I going to pull this together in a week?  Luckily, I reached out to my amazing network of women in the segments came together flawlessly.  Even the producer was pleased with the amount of footage and the quality of content we captured.  I can’t wait to see the finished segments and be on the show live!

A picnic in Central Park
After two fun but exhausting days of filming my Today Show segments, I definitely needed a day off.  Little did I know that while I was busy shooting, Mr. XY was busy putting together a surprise picnic for me in Central Park.  When I woke up Wednesday morning, his only instructions were “I need you to be ready to go by 11. Wear something comfortable and come with me.”  An hour later, we were seated on a bench in Central Park overlooking a duck pond, drinking wine and eating delicious sandwiches.  Truth be told, I got kind of buzzed which reminded me of the last time I was in Central Park.  On a day trip into the city from my New Jersey boarding school, my 16 year old girlfriends and I got drunk on wine coolers in Central Park.  What is it about me, the park, and booze?

Food, food, and more food!
And speaking of food, Mr. XY and I enjoyed several amazing eateries while in the city.  First, a trip to the ultra swank Aquavit blew both of our taste buds away.  Now, I’m not a foodie. To be perfectly honest, I would be perfectly content eating Vons rotisserie chicken every day.  But Mr. XY has gourmet tastes, and I went along for the ride.  Let me tell you — I now understand good eating!  At Aquavit, we enjoyed the tasting menu with wine pairings.  Absolutely brilliant!  This is definitely something everyone should experience at least once in their life.

Thanks to my good friend Caroline, Mr. XY, Lani, our friend Annette and I enjoy it’s an incredible meal at L’ecole, the French Culinary Institute’s impressive restaurant.  The fabulous Chef Janet was on duty that night (she was also the chef for my Movin’ On party segment), so we got the VIP treatment.  Amazing!

Book Expo

On Saturday I attended Book Expo, the publishing world’s annual event promoting upcoming titles.  At the last minute, my publisher had asked me to do a signing and I happily accepted.  What an amazing experience!  Back in my Mattel days, I attended an annual Barbie convention which was so much fun.  To me, Book Expo was the literary equivalent.  It felt like such an honor to be invited, let alone do a signing and have my book prominently displayed at my publisher’s booth.  It was then that it hit me — this has been a dream of mine since I was in high school.  I have wanted to have a published book for that long.  What a thrill!

While I book Expo, I got to finally meet face to face with Danielle Chiotti, the woman who helped me develop my book. I also got to see my fab editor Jennifer once again, as well as finally meet Colleen Cunningham, the amazing designer who designed the inside my book, which I love so very much!

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