On Wednesday I stopped in Bergdorf Goodman’s because I heard that they were having a sale. It was lunchtime, and I realized I would need some fortification before braving the sales racks, so I went up to the restaurant, which is on one of the top floors. The restaurant was packed, but I was able to find a seat at the bar.
If you’ve never been to the restaurants at Bergdorf’s or Barney’s, they are very busy at lunchtime and the tables have all been reserved, but it’s often possible to get a seat at the bar if you’re by yourself (which I always am). The bar seats are pushed close together and the only interaction you usually have with those seated near you is to ask if they can please move their bag/phone/coat from the chair next to them, and then you sit and order and read something on your phone until your food comes.
On Wednesday, I had just sat and was drooling over the menu, when I happened to glance at a plate that was being served to an older gentleman seated to my left. He saw me look and immediately told me that it was the Lobster Blahdeddah (don’t recall the exact name), and it’s delicious, he had had it before. I said that it looked so good, maybe I would get it. Then he said, “Would you like to try a little bit of mine?”
So, just to explain again, people NEVER talk to each other at these lunch counter/bars and certainly, I’ve never had anybody offer me their food before, though I once had an angry woman try to take my salad, insisting it was hers. I managed to stammer, “That’s okay, but thanks,” and was burying my scarlet face in my menu (I have no idea why I found this exchange so embarrassing, but I did), when the man introduced himself and the younger man seated next to him! I said hello, and told them my name and now that I was looking at them, I was trying to sort them out. The younger man, whose name was Lorenzo, was gorgeous. The older man, not quite so much. They were both very charming and when the older man explained that he doesn’t live in New York, I had to feign surprise and didn’t laugh. Then they went on with their meal and while I checked the messages in my phone, I admit, I was eavesdropping a little. Were they father and son? Were they a couple? They didn’t seem to know each other very well – the older man was telling the younger man about himself and I won’t tell you the presumptions I drew about their lunch date with my wretched little imagination, when suddenly, the older man said to me, “Did you watch (and I don’t remember if he said Dateline or Frontline) last night?”
“No,” I said.
“Well, we were involved with that. That’s why we’re in New York.”
“When you say involved …were you on it?”
“Yes, well, Lorenzo was. It was about how Prince William isn’t the only royal who is available and eligible to date single women.”
Lorenzo was texting something on his phone, clearly bored.
“Why, is Lorenzo a prince?” I joked.
“Yes, he’s a member of the Italian royal family.”
“What? Lorenzo, is that true?” I cried, inching my barstool closer to them.
“Well, yes,” he said. He was embarrassed. He was adorable.
“Are you really looking to meet women, because I know a lot of younger women!”
“No, I have a girlfriend and she’s annoyed I did the show. I just did it to promote my business.”
What business is he in in, dear blog? The dog shampoo business, that’s what!
Lorenzo is the founder of the Royal Pet Club, which makes fancy pet care products, and as soon as we started talking dogs, his highness was very engaged and enthusiastic. I whipped out my phone and showed Lorenzo the photo of Gomer, which is above. This photo is the screensaver on my phone and I use it as a sort of calling card/ID and flash it at people, usually within seconds of meeting them. Just so they know I’m not single.
Lorenzo smiled at the photo and then said, “Is that a labradoodle in the background?” I told him that yes, Daphne is a doodle, and he said, “Do you know Bocker?”
“No, is he a prince, too,” I gushed. I was now leaning across the plate of the nice man who had introduced us.
“No, he’s a labradoodle,” Lorenzo said, and he urged me to go on YouTube to check out his stuff. Here he is on The View. He could be Daphne’s twin. Then his highness and I talked about Lorenzo’s petcare line and about how his products are great for dogs and horses, how the PH balance of their coats are the same, but quite different than ours, and it’s especially good for animals with skin allergies, and then it was time for me to tear myself away. I said goodbye and his royal majesty, Prince Lorenzo Borghese (with an American accent) gave me his card! And I told him I’d blog him up!
Great story!
He was on The Bachelor!
I just googled Lorenzo. Holy ravioli – he’s a handsome fellow. I wonder how his girlfriend felt about him being on The Bachelor, or picking up a hot chick at Bergdorf’s.
I bet his accent was like liquid smoke – intoxicating. I love an italian accent.
Ann – I had a hearty out loud laugh about gomer being your man.
i googled him, too – wow… he lived in connecticut (near where our bev is!) and new jersey.
ann, i can only hope you gave him aislinn’s number!!
Lisa, he’s too old for me. I like my Italian men young and untarnished by tomato sauce.
Nice line, Aislinn!!
tomato tarnishing…never thought of that…
Ohhh lisa really where abouts????
He went to Pomfret school 5 mins up the road, Renee Zellweger lives in Pomfret too….
The same school that Robert F Kennedy attended too
I could have had him round for a bit of Gnocchi
Or gnooky
You’re on a roll.
Dying
something tells me bev would be serving gnocchi without her gnickers!
Oh yes, Bevs would!
(this is too funny)
bet he would love me having Gnooky on my Gknockers without my Gnickers….
wasn’t he the one who was on the bachelor???????
Ann, only you. Wow. I read the end of yesterdays’ post too, and if you are truly retiring the leather jacket I asked for it first!
I can’t part with it, but I might just keep wearing it around the house and sleeping in it, and no longer wear it out where I might be photographed
Ann…..step away from the leather, do NOT retire the jacket!
HI-FREAKING-LARIOUS, as always. DYING LAUGHING at how you flash the screen-saver photo of Gomer “so people know you’re not single.” HAAAA!!!!
Laura, that line had me on the floor too.
Laura, he gave me his card. Should I ask him if he’ll be on Hash Hags? He wrote a novel! And he’s just so darned good-looking!
I think that if he does a Hash Hag interview, you should have a live audience. You know, for support.
Aislinn, I’m IN!!!!
Novel, shmovel! Let’s patch him in via Skype: WITH THE VIDEO ON
He was The Bachelor several years ago. Of course that relationship lasted about 5 minutes. He’s a cutie, and what a fun time you ended up having at lunch. Love that you whipped out that pic of Gomer! Isn’t it interesting how our dogs can be the thing that brings us together? I love traveling with mine for that reason. Everyone is just friendlier to you when you have a dog. Or two.
I googled him too, what a cutie. I thought he was cutest when he had a dog in his arms, but who isn’t cuter with a dog?
The only name more fabulous than Borghese would have been if he was a de’ Medici. I am a big fan of Cosimo de’ Medici; Cosimo would make an excellent name for a noble dog.
How much am a freak I am, I didn’t google the prince, I googled the labradoodle, Bocker. He has his own song, Bocker, not the prince. As always, loved the story Ann, you have such fun!
Janet, it was quite funny, Lorenzo was surprised I had never heard of Bocker. I guess he’s quite the celeb in the dog world.
What a prince, that Lorenzo!
A Prince and a dog…what a pair. I actually filmed a webisode for Prince Lorenzo Borghese too.Thanks for checking out my website and song…yes I’m on Facebook too and Twitter. One busy doodle.
Bocker, what CAN’T you do?
Ann, I love this story and it reminds me so much of why NYC is a place where anything is possible. Thanks for sharing this great experience.
Okay, I just googled Bocker and I found this video that has me quite jealous/enraged. Bocker has a theme song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-mYnXeMTDk&feature=related
And his “tricks” are really very elementary. But he has thousands of views. My doodle waves and barks on command too. Holly rides a skateboard and balances on a ball but does she get invited on The View? No. Is Prince Lorenzo name-dropping Holly or Daphne at lunch counters? I doubt it very much.
I am about to challenge Bocker to a YouTube trick duel, and I expect the poor thing will be licking his wounds after my bitches show him what they’re made of.
I just need a theme song.
Ah, Ann’s competitiveness is once again peaked! You go, girl!
I must admit, very good video and love the theme song.
You are right, Ann!!
Daphne, Lulu (on a good day), Holly and Gomer can blow the youtube people’s away!. It is called Marketing!!!!.
Theme Song at the rescue…
In the meantime I must say, I am overwhelmed at the sort of thing that the Wedding Attendees wore on their heads!. Okay, so I have NOT lived in Europe for some time… okay, so I would NOT eat some of the things I used to eat, but, have I changed this much that I would NOT put items such as those in the photos on ME head??. What is the point?. Must be a bear to get in and out of the car. And forget about bending over!!! the whole ‘landscape’ equipment would fall down. Then again, during the French Revolution… folks also wore stuff on their tops.
Just had to share.
Sorry, I don’t really do a lot of tricks. So it wouldn’t be much of a challenge. Yes I do the fashion, modeling and acting stuff but I am mostly involved with helping those less fortunate than I am…love making children smile and helping the helpless in the many shelters. I’d still love to meet your doodle and I have been a guest on three radio programs. One very lucky doodle am I. Thanks for liking my theme song.
Aw, okay, we’re no longer jealous. You’re too adorable, Bocker, and you help others. You and Daphne would get along well, she’s very kind and smart too.
And Bocker types too!
Yes.. @bocker
What an encounter! Imagine going out shopping and running into Italian royalty, a handsome one to boot. I love that the older man offered you to take something off his plate, unusual, that doesn’t happen everyday.
Gloria
Do you mean that you would marry Devin off to this Lorenzo guy just so you could become a Contessa and have access to a lifetime supply of high-end pet-care products? I know you didn’t SAY that in so many words, but we all know what you were thinking.
Great story, Ann! Hope Lorenzo is on Hash Hags soon. Maybe you can issue a trick challenge to Bocker! Keep the jacket! and one request: could you please post a Hipsta photo of Mark? Tks!
Thanks to our good friend Prince Lorenzo Borghese for mentioning me in this fun blog. What a great story!!! We are honored to know Lorenzo and be a big endorser of his incredible Royal Treatment Pet Products!!!!! Woofs and Licks, Bocker the Labradoodle
Bocker, I am so impressed that you found Ann’s blog. It sounds like you have a Wicked Good Life, too! I love your website, and think you are quite a handsome lad. You really must meet Daphne. I’d stay away from Holly, though…ask Gomer about it.
Sounds very intriguing!Would love to meet one day. Yes, I am truly a very lucky and busy doodle! Hope you’ll join me on facebook too…http://www.facebook.com/bocker.
What a fun blog and a really interesting encounter!
Ann, he was on The Bachelor!!!!!!
I have the lyrics to Holly’s theme song. I just need a singer:
(Sung to the tune of “Windy”)
WHo’s walking down the streets of Roxbury
Growling at every man that she sees,
Who buries dead things under my pillow?
Everyone knows it’s Holly
And Holly has beady eyes
And Holly will hump your thighs,
And Holly just really hates guys,
We do not know why….
We do not know why!
::::laughing so hard my husband thought I was having a seizure:::
That Lorenzo also does amazing work for animals. He even donates a lot of his money to non profits for animals. And..Bocker is an amazingly famous dog with his own theme song and thousands of fb friends!
Not sure if this would be fair, but my dad is a singer! Of course, he’s singing my theme song. Talking about royal weddings, he sang at the wedding of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew..plus at the Queen Mum’s 100th b’day, The Queen’s 60th b’day and Prince Edward’s 21st! He worked for years with the Lester Lanin Orchestra and now with Peter Duchin. http://www.steveshelto.com
So I guess your dad must have been the poodle. Because labs are great and everything, but they’re terrible singers.
You got it!!
I’m not on Facebook, Bocker. Do you Tweet?
Yes @bocker See you there!
Now I’m thinking that Luke the wonder of a service dog needs his own Facebook page, Twitter account, website and a set of calling cards – perhaps an agent and publicist.
I wonder if we’ll need to get him a celebrity girlfriend so we can do that cutesy mash-up of his name with hers, and maybe a sex tape that “accidentally” gets released. You know, just to stir up some media buzz and make the other gals envious.
Oh! And a fake stint in rehab, of course.
Hey Denise! I visited your website, great blog. Love Luke, what a gorgeus golden, golden retriever.
Gloria
Denise, I think that Bocker could provide Luke with more than a few pointers; he (Bocker) appears to be quite the publicity hound. (Wow, two canine puns in one sentence!)
Ann, This is amaaaaazing! Only you, girl, only you!
Holy Moly!!!! I’ve been on vacation from school this week and my daughter was up visiting from Florida (it’s been about 7 months since we’d seen her), so I’ve been busy……..look at all that I missed!!! Great story Ann and Bocker, welcome to the blog; a fun and terrific group of humans and their pets. Ann–I just love your song and Alan–the puns were great! Fun, fun , fun…..
That is so cool.
On a unrelated note and totally self serving
We just found out our daughter and her hubby are expecting a BABY
We are very excited
He took our last name because we are the last of our branch and our name is really awesome and I was selfish enough to not keep having babies until we had a boy
He also had a very common last name like the most common in the country and was eager to get rid of it
So yay we are hoping for a BOY!
oh and I am one of those women now that tells EVERYONE
YAY babies!
Yay, Tammy!!!!!