Brush with Washington Famous, Part 5

Since this installement of the hugely popular and successful Brush with Washington Famous took place shortly before I moved from Washington, DC, this is indeed the final Brush with Washington Famous episode. Yes, I know. All good things must come to an end.

So who did I encounter this time? Which famous Washington personality did I bump into on the street corner or in the grocery store line?

Like the encounter I had with ex-Alberta premier Ralph Klein, this personality was not Washingtonian per se, but he happened to be passing through the neighborhood, to say the least.

I saw His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI inside his white Popemobile ride down Pennsylvania Avenue amidst a crowd of the cheering faithful and curious onlookers surrounded by a motorcade of security trucks and police cruisers and motocycles.




It was an intense and unique moment seeing the Shepherd of a billion Catholics wave to the crowd from his customized, bullet-proof windowed Mercedes Benz.

Well, what a way to end this entire series. The Pope, no less!

Until next time!

Brush with Washington Famous, Part 4

For this installment of Brush with Washington Famous, I had a brush with a famous Canadian living in visiting Washington, DC.

This past Saturday evening, I went shopping at Trader Joe's, a grocery store where lots of students and local residents buy their groceries because of selection and good prices, when I saw none other than former Alberta premier Ralph Klein perusing the ailses. Dressed casually, he strolled around, hands in the pockets of his blue jeans.

I was standing in line when I saw him and the first thought that came to mind was, "What the heck is he doing here??"

This time folks, without an entourage, motorcade, security, or, say, a "I ♥ Alberta Beef" sticker on his lapel, I cannot say with certainly if this was in fact Ralph Klein. But this person sure looked like him.

And....you know, I think it was him, especially after reading this item from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

According to the Center's website, "Mr. Klein will be at the Institute from October 2007 - December 2007..." The Institute is located in Washington, DC on Pennsylvania Avenue.

It looks like I had yet another encounter with Washington Famous (or folks from Canada who want to be famous in Washington).

Brush with Washington Famous, Parts 2 and 3

A few weeks ago, I walked past the former Director of Central Intelligence and former head of the Central Intelligence Agency F. James Woolsey. I chronicled this event in a recent blog post.

Yesterday, Saturday, I had two--yes, count 'em, two--encounters with the Washington Famous. I was doing my usual Saturday grocery shopping when I bumped into Ben Stein's shopping cart (or, to be more accurate, his cart almost bumped into me - but he quickly apologized).

Ben Stein is an economist, writer, comedian, TV personality, game show host, reality show host, and on and on the list goes.

Bumping into him near the cold cuts and cheese section was a surprise and then seeing him line up in the express check out lane was equally surprising. I guess these Washington elites and Hollywood types are not all that different from us (aside from a few million dollars in their bank accounts).

My second encounter with the Washington Famous occurred later on in the evening when I was leaving the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts building following its daily free show program.

I was crossing the street from the Kennedy Center to the Watergate complex when I saw a sleek black Cadillac slowly pull to the curb, followed by two large, black SUVs. The slow, deliberate movement of the three vehicles alerted me that this was a coordinated motorcade.

Two secret service agents jumped out from the SUVs (looking suspiciously like Agent Smith from Matrix fame), and I continued crossing the street, actually walking between the two now parked SUVs. The driver of one SUV looked at me with piercing eyes; I could see his communication ear piece and its coiled wire running down into his shirt collar. Another agent with bulging eyes saw me coming and probably sized me and concluded I was no threat.

In an almost surreal moment, I looked to my left and saw another agent open the door to the first SUV and out stepped US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, her long black legs reaching toward the sidewalk. She walked toward the Watergate with purpose even when someone from a local cafe shouted, "Hi Condi!"

While I have serious mixed feelings about living and working in this city, these encounters with the Washington Famous add some needed distraction to the daily routine.

The big question is: Who will I bump into next. Stay tuned!

My Brush with the Washington Famous

I was taking a leisurely stroll past the George Washington University last week, walking by the the main student gathering area and classrooms, when walking toward me was the former Director of Central Intelligence and head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) R. James Woolsey.

I recognized the former top spy and it would seem as though he knew that I recognized him, for he seemed to pause as he saw me looking at him. Well, there was no discrete exchange of information or clandestine activity. Mr. Woolsey had probably given a lecture at the university and thought I was a student.

One of the perks of living and working in Washington, DC.