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Sep 21, 2016

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Networking Event

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It’s not everyday you get to see a presidential motorcade. I hadn’t planned to yesterday, but en route to attend a lunch with an organization I just joined, the Women’s Media Group, I stumbled upon Obama’s visit to the UN. I’d gotten off the N train at 49th and 7th and walked NW to The 21 Club only to be stopped on 6th by a phalanx of men in blue.

“I need to get across to 52nd,” I politely explained pointing diagonally towards my destination.

“The President is coming through. You have to wait until after he’s driven by.”
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I joined the hundreds of other lunchtime pedestrians being held up from their pre-arranged agendas. What made it a particularly entertaining wait was seeing my sister, Meredith Bernstein, who was on her way to the same event. “This is the best excuse I’ve ever had for being late,” I told her. “I’m sorry to miss the networking part, but this is exciting.”

At 12:55pm, after about a 25 minute delay, the most enormous motorcade I’d ever seen passed by: motorcycles, SUV’s, plus several limousines with flags waving. Behind a tinted glass window in the third or fourth limo, I spotted our President. “I see him!” I shouted.

A man standing a few feet away from me had been recording the procession on his camera. He found the frame with Obama’s recognizable silhouette waving in our direction and zoomed in until we were all satisfied that we’d seen The Man. The woman in between us took out her cell phone and photographed his camera’s viewer for the record.

Two minutes later the barricades were removed, and we made it to our destination just before the speaker was introduced.
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That gave me enough time to meet two of my seat-mates. This networking group assigns tables, presumably so you can meet different members at each function. I got very lucky and met Wendy Strothman who owns The Strothman Agency, and Terri Trespicio, branding expert, speaker and more. I’ll let you check out her site to better understand how she helps companies define themselves. She was a walking advertisement for her expertise. In addition to those services, she does standup and will be performing at Dangerfield’s on the 29th at 8pm. I’m planning to go. Join me?

The speaker at the luncheon was Elizabeth Vargas, Co-Anchor of ABC’s 20/20. We each received a copy of her newly published book, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction which I haven’t put down since opening to page 1.

I’m very excited to be a part of this illustrious group that is providing the membership and programming I’m thrilled to have found.

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