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Monday, December 4, 2017

Meeting Hillary Clinton




On Thursday, November 30th, my mom and I traveled to Philadelphia to see Hillary Clinton speak at the Academy of Music. Because I purchased tickets right when they went on sale, I was able to get us the VIP package which included:

  • 3rd row seats at the show
  • VIP lanyard
  • signed copy of her book What Happened
  • PRE-SHOW MEET AND GREET W/ PHOTO!!!!

I invited my mom to come with me because I know she admires Hillary just as much as I do. She saw her speak on the campaign trail last fall but never met her.

Leading up to the big day, I had two important decisions to make:

1. What should I wear?
2. What should I say?

I ended up wearing black flats, tight black dress leggings, and a black and white tank with my black blazer over top. It was basically the pantsuit I wore to vote for her last November! I slicked my hair up in the most perfect faux hawk, put on some silver jewelry (included my feminist ring) and voila! My "Meeting Hillary Clinton" outfit was perfect.

I didn't decide exactly what I would say to Hillary until I saw her in person. When I saw her, it just came out! (More on that soon!)

It only takes 2 hours to get to downtown Philly from my house. We hit the normal city congestion as we approached the parking garage. (I reserved a space for us just around the block from the theater and it turned out to be very convenient.)

We had three hours to spare before it was time to check in. First, we walked to the venue, just so we knew exactly where we needed to be. From the venue, we could see City Hall. We walked toward it and figured we'd just sight see for a little bit.



Guess what my mom spotted? A craft show! We couldn't believe it! There was quite a big craft show set up around City Hall and across the street. My mom forgot to put on earrings that morning, so we walked through the craft show for looking for a pair. She ended up finding some cool purple ones!


After wandering around the craft show, we found a little pub and sat down to eat. I was hungry but my stomach was too nervous to eat much!

At 5:15, we joined the line of fellow VIP ticket holders outside the Academy of Music. We took some pics in line...


There were lots of police and they weren't allowing anyone to loiter in front of the theater.


Around 5:45, they let us in. We had to show our ticket, ID, have our bags searched, and do the metal detection thing. (Before the big day, we had to fill out a security form online so we could be vetted and cleared to meet Hillary.)

Next we were directed to the "green room" which was actually on the stage but behind the curtain. There were ropes up for us to just stand and wait in line. Behind another curtain we could see lights. The actual meet and greet would be behind the curtain and that they would take us in a couple at a time.

Here are some pics we took backstage while in line...






Obviously there was a lot of nervous energy. I can't remember a time I had so much anxiety for something! It didn't help that we stood there for about an hour and a half until they finally started the meet and greet! My back was hurting A LOT from just standing. 

Finally, the meet and greet started. We could tell by how the line was moving that this was going to be a QUICK meet and greet. My mom and I determined there was probably enough time to say "hello" and maybe one sentence. When you got closer to the front, you were allowed behind the curtain, and there she was. Hillary Clinton, standing about 10 feet away from us! 

Guys, Hillary looked BEAUTIFUL. Elegant is another word I would use to describe her. She looked presidential and poised. She looked exactly like she looks on television, except shorter and thinner than I imagined.

She was greeting her fans and then there was a picture. Some people just said hello and had a handshake. Other people stood and talked a little longer. Hillary listened intently. One man had tears in his eyes while he talked to her. She talked quietly with a young man who was about sixteen. She gave each person her full attention during the very short time together.

Meeting Hillary was such a whirlwind! My mom went up to her first. Hillary held out her hand and shook it. My mom introduced herself and then moved to the other side of her for the picture, as directed. Then it was my turn. Hillary shook my hand and looked me directly in my eye with a smile. I said, "Hello, my name is Megan. You are beautiful." Hillary said thank you. "I admire you so much," I said. Again, she thanked me with her radiant smile. Then we turned for our picture. My mom thanked her and Hillary told my mom, "I'm glad you came." Then she turned to me one more time. "It was an honor to vote for you... twice!" I said. She laughed and thanked me. Then off we went, directed to leave the meet and greet area. We were so giddy!


We were probably in the meet and greet area a total of 6 minutes. Our interaction with Hillary was 30-45 seconds. I know that sounds so fast, and it was! It really was a whirlwind. But she was lovely to everyone who came to meet her.

A couple more things... Her right foot was in a boot because she broke one of the toes while she was overseas. That's what one of her security members told us. As a runner, I felt devastated for her when I saw her in a boot! That would be terrible, and I felt bad that she had to stand for so long in that thing.

There were secret service/security dudes lined up behind us watching like hawks. It was actually pretty cool to see! During the show, they were all over the theater and even on the stage. They were alert at all times.

After the meet and greet we were given our autographed book and we found our seats... which were literally in the third row! On the stage was a book shelf full of her books and two armchairs. 



The theater was GORGEOUS!!!!





At 7:55, author Jennifer Wiener came out to moderate and introduce Hillary Clinton.



We could see Hillary in the wings waiting to come onstage.



Hillary got a VERY LONG standing ovation when she took the stage. After all, she was in pleasant company! For the first half of the show, Hillary told stories from her book and outlined the things that went wrong in the 2016 election. She was in a good mood, funny, but gravely serious on certain topics. There were many times her statements were met by applause and cheers. The second half of the show was more of a back and forth with Jennifer asking Hillary questions or responding to topics. 




My mom sent me two articles that cover the event that night. If you want to hear more details of what she talked about and see better pictures, check out the articles:

WHYY: 'How deep the rot goes': Fake news follows Clinton to Philly stop

Philly Voice: Hillary Clinton returns to Philly to talk election, her book and the way forward

The entire show was very engaging and I wasn't bored at all. It was fascinating to see her speak in person. Hillary is SO FREAKING SMART. She would have made an excellent president. Instead we have a racist buffoon who is literally losing his mind in front of the entire world.

When Jennifer said it was time for one last question. That's when a man in one of the balconies stood up and started screaming, "Tell us about Pizza-gate!" He would not stop shouting and security removed him.

If you don't know what pizza-gate is, it's an online conspiracy theory that Hillary and John Podesta were operating a child trafficking ring in the basement of a popular DC pizzeria. Yup, people actually believed that crap. A crazy guy from NC drove up to DC with an AR-15 and opened fire at the pizzeria because he thought he could save the children in the basement. (The pizzeria doesn't have a basement.)

After the heckler was removed from the audience, Hillary said "This is how deep the rot goes." She got angry. Conspiracy theories have big consequences. Can't we all agree on facts anymore?

Luckily, they didn't end on that note, and Jennifer asked Hillary a lightening round of lighthearted questions to end the show. It was over at 9:20, so the whole thing was about an hour and a half.

The show was WONDERFUL and we really enjoyed it. My mom and I agreed that coming all the way to Philly and spending money on VIP tickets was so worth it! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us! We were giddy and talked the whole way home. 

I was so thankful to spend the day with my momma! And I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet Hillary- someone I admire very much and supported wholeheartedly in the 2016 election. It was such an honor to meet her and express my admiration.
If you could meet any political figure (dead or alive) who would it be?

23 comments:

  1. Wow, this sounds like such a great experience for you and your mom! That picture is awesome with all three of you wearing black pants suits. It's a framer for sure!

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    1. Oh yes I am ordering prints today and thinking of hanging a framed picture in every room of my house... ;)

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  2. I read this post right after I woke up this morning and it made me tear up. I'm so glad you could share such a cool experience with your mom.

    It must be infuriating for HRC to have people seriously heckle her for such totally absurd things like pizza-gate, and to know that the absurdity led to a shooting. I can't even imagine having to deal with that. I truly don't know how I would handle it. I also would love to know what she says in private conversations about the way Trump continues to use her as a scapegoat for literally every issue that he faces.

    I still can't believe she's not our president. Truly.

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    1. She said she had longtime friends campaigning for her in PA, knocking on doors, etc, and sometimes they would knock on a door and say "We're here to tell you to vote for Hillary" and the person would say "I can't vote for her" and they would say "Why?" and the person would say "Well because she killed someone." SERIOUSLY.

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    2. I can’t. This is going to come off as possibly a stereotype but I think it’s also statistically relevant - given HRC’s demographics, what is the likelihood that she killed someone or was running a pedophile ring. Like just think about what you are saying, you know? It’s crazy. I mean I would even given Trump the benefit of the doubt that he hasn’t run a pedophile ring if I heard that he had. In the least I would seriously research it. And just like those people want to find a reason to hate HRC I want to find more reasons to hate him.

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    3. Ok actually I want to find reasons to support him not hate him, I’m just open to the fact there are additional reasons to hate him that I don’t yet know about.

      Similar to other presidents I didn’t vote for i would like to find areas I agree with him, just so hard to trust him on anything. And his moral character is reprehensible.

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    4. You are right, if I heard Trump killed someone or had a pedophile ring I would not believe it unless it was reputably reported through CNN or a similar news outlet. And even then it would be hard to believe! I think the type of people who believe in conspiracy theories are people who just want to believe what they want to believe regardless of facts.

      Yeah I have not yet come across anything I agree with Trump on. I mean, he supports the military. Me too. There we go! But he lies all the time so he just has a very bad track record so even if he said he was going to do something I agree with, I'm not sure I'd believe he'd actually do it. He basically has no core beliefs.

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  3. thank you for sharing your experience with us - I admire the hell out of Hillary. I agree with Kristina - I cannot believe that she didn't win. I still say every day to my husband that I cannot believe that Trump is our president. how is that possible?
    Kristen

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    1. It's weird, I was worried she wouldn't win. I wasn't convinced. I even called my mom the day before and said are you going to be okay if she doesn't win? I just can't believe with all the shit Trump is done that he is STILL the president.

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  4. I love Hillary. I'm so glad you and your mom got to meet her and know it's an experience you will remember forever. I still couldn't believe it when I woke up that morning last year and Trump had been elected. It felt like a neverending bad dream and still does :(.

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    1. I remember that morning. It was such a dark day. I'll never forget that day...

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  5. This is just so incredible! I am so happy you got this experience with your mom!

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  6. That sounds absolutely wonderful. Thank you for going into such detail, I got chills, reading about your experience.
    I am an avid "The Graham Norton Show" watcher on the BBC America Channel, which can be veiwed on-demand on Comcast. Hillary was his guest almost a month ago, the very day she fell down the stairs at the hotel in London. She of course, was gratis and funny when she told the story, and referenced their wonderful healthcare system.
    Thought you might like to see ut, if you haven't.
    Glad you were able to meet her, I know your mom was thrilled.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know about that interview. I would like to see it and I will look it up. Can you imagine if she had broken a toe during the campaign? "She is not fit to lead!" they would scream I'm sure.

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  7. What a fantastic experience, Megan. I am sure that is a night you'll never forget. I so wish that Hillary was our president and not that horrible orange clown.

    I'd really like to meet Barack Obama, if I had the choice.

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    1. I would love to meet him too! In fact my mom said if I ever see tickets to hear him speak, I am supposed to buy them!

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  8. This is so awesome!! What an amazing opportunity!

    this made me a little teary eyed! I still think back to the debates and how gracious and intelligent Hillary Clinton was, and I get really upset all over again at the current person occupying the white house.

    You and your mom look so happy!!

    And at Philly, was that the Christmas Market? We got the most amazing waffles there a few years ago, I still think about those waffles. I was going to tell you that there is a Wawa almost right across the street from the theater, that's where my sister and I get a quick bite before shows.

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    1. She KILLED the debates. Absolutely unflappable. I think I saw the Wawa! It says Dilworth Park Winter Garden. There was a skating rink and crafts in white tents. Across the street they were in sort of wooden cabins.

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  9. What a great experience for you and your Mom! Your picture with Hillary turned out beautiful!

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    1. Thanks! I am tickled with how the pic turned out too. I was worried one of us would have our eyes closed or something for our BIG MOMENT.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Megan. I'm sure you will never forget it.

    Leslie B.

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