The Magician And The Soap Star

When you live in New York, you invariably find yourself crossing paths with colorful characters -- often when you least expect to. Yesterday, I encountered two such characters, at varying ends of the celebrity spectrum.

I was lost in thought about everything I have to do before my Australia trip on Friday when a male voice called out--

“Smile -- the snow’s not that bad.”

Welcoming the interruption, I looked up to find that the voice belonged to an adorable magician named Daniel. Newly transplanted from Reno, Nevada, Daniel hopes to make it big here in the Big Apple. He demonstrated a few card and coin tricks and then asked me about graduating from college and starting my career, implying that both were recent events.

Upon informing Daniel that I’m just a few weeks away from turning 35, he seemed genuinely surprised. It may have been part of his shtick, but the line achieved his original intent -- it made me smile.

Later, a visit to the ladies’ room at trendy Koi restaurant in Bryant Park had me standing behind Emmy-nominated soap star Tamara Braun (Reese on ABC’s “All My Children”).

The First Time I Met Tamara: At The Daytime Emmy Awards in NYC, May 2004

I told Tamara I’ve been a fan of hers since her breakout role as Carly on “General Hospital.” I learned she’s a Chicago native and, like me, prefers New Yorkers over Angelinos (she was based in L.A. during her GH stint). Still, she’ll be departing her current soap gig in April in search of something that resonates more with her.

Tamara isn’t the only daytimer I’ve run into lately. Last month, I ended up sitting next to one of her colleagues, actor Darnell Williams (AMC’s Jesse), during a crosstown bus ride.

Like I said, you never know who you’re going to run into in the Big Apple. That’s why I’ve made it one of my new year’s resolutions to keep my eyes wide open. I don’t want to miss any celeb sightings or, of course, any glance-worthy bachelors.