So, I live in the greater Boston area are, and last night, for Halloween, a few friends and I decided to go up to the Beacon Hill area and observe. This area, for those who don't know, is a very affluent part of town, with extremely expensive townhouses, and numerous families. So every year, the police block off two parallel streets (and the connecting street between them, forming a sort of H shape) and open the area to trick or treaters. A bunch of costumed kids and families, highly decorated homes, families passing out candy to the kids and apple cider to adult passerbys, extremely well decorated houses, it's just a generally cool evening to witness, especially on a Friday night.
So anyway, I was with a crowd of folks and we were just sort of wandering around, we went down one street, and turned left onto the side street. Of course, this being the intersection of these crowds, the area was packed with people turning off and on the street, kids getting candy, being squeezed off by cars parked on the street etc. Anyway so I was in the back of our group, dropping a quick text to my girlfriend when I looked up, and noticed I had gotten separated from the rest of my group, and the crowd had filled in between us.
So, to try and catch up, I tried to go on the sidewalk, but that being crowded too, I stepped up on the bottom step of the stoop of the house I was in front, to try and cut a few feet across that way. I didn't really see who was sitting with a bowl of candy at the top of the stoop, except to register it looked like an elderly couple. Anyway, so I step up on the stairs, and suddenly a strong breeze came up. Which caused the giant jack o lantern shaped balloon a man was holding to blow forward, and smack me right in the face.
Now, it hurt about as much as you'd imagine getting hit in the face with a balloon would. Which is to say, not at all. But between this random object smacking me right in the face, and the reverberating BOOOOOOONG it made when it hit me, I'll be honest, it scared the crap out of me.
So I stepped back, tripping on the stairs I was on, and grabbing for the railing of the stairs, to stop me from falling straight back. The man whose house it was, and whose stoop I was assaulting, who had seen it happen, speaks up with an "are you alright?". Having managed to get myself back upright I turn to tell him that yes, I'm perfectly fine.
Finding myself face to face with Massachusetts Senator, and 2004 Presidential Candidate John Kerry. Who had been sitting on his stoop of his Beacon Hill townhouse handing out candy to costumed children on halloween. And whose stoop I just tripped over.
I'd like to say he invited me in and we chatted for a while and now I've mad friends with a US senator. But I won't. We had a quick hellos, a handshake, and I was back to find my friends who, at this point, had realized I was talking to a US senator.
ANYWAY, to make this "not a blog", this leads into my actual topic. Ever meet someone famous, randomly and accidentally? On the street, or in a bar, or stumbling on to a movie set? Share.
