Thursday
Jul152004
The New York Adventure
Thursday, July 15, 2004 at 07:56AM
I am in New York! Day 1 of my RTIR National Publicity Summit Adventure...I'm LOVING it! The vibe and energy here is SO different--remember, this is my FIRST TIME in New York--and I am right in the middle of Manhattan on 7th and 34th (The Southgate Tower), directly across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. The Empire State Building is about four blocks away--we can actually see the top of it out of our window (well, if you look up above the brick wall and the building next door--but it's right there!).
It is surreal just walking down the street--yesterday, Russ and I walked down to Times Square. I would not want to drive in New York--the taxi cabs seem to be on their own little mission of jihad, and they drive with one hand gesturing out the window and the other on the horn. Walking is not a lot safer--the moving mass of humanity flowing down the sidewalk is like a rushing river--you just have to jump in and go with the flow, god forbid you don't know where you're going, or actually care. We've developed rules:
1) Don't look lost--put the tourist map away and just keep going.
2) Don't look directly at anyone.
3) Don't let anybody hand you anything (aggressive advertising!).
The Taxi Ride--
Why didn't anyone WARN us about the taxicab kidnappers??? We didn't know--Russ always had a "car service" when he came to New York on business (back in the good old days) and this is my FIRST TIME! I was clueless, when we walked out of the wrong door at the airport (instead of going to the right from the baggage claim and going outside directly at the taxi stand). Russ was (already) on his cell phone, and a nice foreign man in a white shirt and black pants walked up and asked if we were looking for a taxi. My friend Nancy had told me we'd take a cab from the airport to the hotel, and that it would probably cost about $60.
Okay..."Yes, we are looking for a taxi."
"You please to come with me, this way--" I grabbed Russ and we followed nice foreign man out to the parking lot (away from the taxi stand with all those comforting, familiar yellow cabs)...
"You please to wait here--I get the car. Wait here!" (There were other people loading into nice Lincoln Town Cars and limos, so I'm thinking okay...)
Russ finally gets off the phone, and before we have a chance to think about this, the guy is screeching to a stop in front of us in a beat-up old white Lincoln Continental. I'm nervous, but Russ asks him, "How much to The Southgate Tower?"
"Oh...that be $45--let's go!" (As he's putting our luggage in the trunk.)
Russ pushes me in the backseat and jumps in (he's actually all excited about this, for some reason--to save $15?). I quickly note there is no prominently displayed taxi license or even a meter, but I also notice it's clean and there are indeed door handles on the inside of the back doors, so okay--off we go. Russ quickly pulled out his map to chart our progress from the airport--in the right direction--to the hotel. And we made it. It was okay.
My advice to newbie New York travelers: turn right from the baggage claim area and don't go outside until you get to the door that leads directly out to the taxi stand with the yellow cabs!
Lots of other adventures and all about our "fabulous" hotel room (it actually is pretty cool, just not in the shiny, opulent, generic Marriott/Hilton way--this is New York, baby!), but I've got to get to my publicity summit and meet the media! Today I'm talking to some media coaches, radio, journalists, People Magazine...and LIVE with Regis & Kelly!
It is surreal just walking down the street--yesterday, Russ and I walked down to Times Square. I would not want to drive in New York--the taxi cabs seem to be on their own little mission of jihad, and they drive with one hand gesturing out the window and the other on the horn. Walking is not a lot safer--the moving mass of humanity flowing down the sidewalk is like a rushing river--you just have to jump in and go with the flow, god forbid you don't know where you're going, or actually care. We've developed rules:
1) Don't look lost--put the tourist map away and just keep going.
2) Don't look directly at anyone.
3) Don't let anybody hand you anything (aggressive advertising!).
The Taxi Ride--
Why didn't anyone WARN us about the taxicab kidnappers??? We didn't know--Russ always had a "car service" when he came to New York on business (back in the good old days) and this is my FIRST TIME! I was clueless, when we walked out of the wrong door at the airport (instead of going to the right from the baggage claim and going outside directly at the taxi stand). Russ was (already) on his cell phone, and a nice foreign man in a white shirt and black pants walked up and asked if we were looking for a taxi. My friend Nancy had told me we'd take a cab from the airport to the hotel, and that it would probably cost about $60.
Okay..."Yes, we are looking for a taxi."
"You please to come with me, this way--" I grabbed Russ and we followed nice foreign man out to the parking lot (away from the taxi stand with all those comforting, familiar yellow cabs)...
"You please to wait here--I get the car. Wait here!" (There were other people loading into nice Lincoln Town Cars and limos, so I'm thinking okay...)
Russ finally gets off the phone, and before we have a chance to think about this, the guy is screeching to a stop in front of us in a beat-up old white Lincoln Continental. I'm nervous, but Russ asks him, "How much to The Southgate Tower?"
"Oh...that be $45--let's go!" (As he's putting our luggage in the trunk.)
Russ pushes me in the backseat and jumps in (he's actually all excited about this, for some reason--to save $15?). I quickly note there is no prominently displayed taxi license or even a meter, but I also notice it's clean and there are indeed door handles on the inside of the back doors, so okay--off we go. Russ quickly pulled out his map to chart our progress from the airport--in the right direction--to the hotel. And we made it. It was okay.
My advice to newbie New York travelers: turn right from the baggage claim area and don't go outside until you get to the door that leads directly out to the taxi stand with the yellow cabs!
Lots of other adventures and all about our "fabulous" hotel room (it actually is pretty cool, just not in the shiny, opulent, generic Marriott/Hilton way--this is New York, baby!), but I've got to get to my publicity summit and meet the media! Today I'm talking to some media coaches, radio, journalists, People Magazine...and LIVE with Regis & Kelly!
Reader Comments (2)
As an author who is considering attending this thing, I want to know if it is worth the money, or if you think it was a "scam." I went to their presentation at the BEA (Book Expo America) and I couldn't tell. It is a lot of money, and I certainly don't want to waste it, if there is no "pay-off." So....write me at the e-mail address provided and let me know if you really think it was worth the expense.
Thank you,.
Sincerely,
Connie Wilson
Thanks for your note! It IS a lot of money to attend the RTIR National Publicity Summit--I had to dig deep to finance the 'investment' and it's still sitting on my credit card (I won't see royalties until MARCH--so much for instant fame and riches!!)...BUT, for me, I definitely think it was worth it. If you have a project finished or very near completion, and you are ready to pitch it--to really get out there in front of the public, this is a one-stop publicity training and contact extravaganza. If you work it. Aside from the media contacts, I met so many people, other authors and people in the industry (agents, publicists, resources), the networking and relationships from the summit have been phenomenal.
A word of warning, though--there is an element of showcase vendors, people there with more stuff to sell you. Focus on establishing relationships and media contacts, avoid opening your wallet for anything else, at least at the event itself. You pay enough to be there, maximize the opportunities already paid for!
All the Best,
Sherri