I saw Ellen!!!!! And Portia! It was everything that I expected and more!
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Photo via @Kafranklin21
I met my sister at Quincy Market at 11:00 AM, which was a whole hour before Ellen was scheduled to arrive. I wasn’t all that surprised to see so many people waiting for her, but I didn’t expect that many super fans! Holy moly!
My sister and I scored a second row spot behind the barricades and then waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Two hours later, things started to happen.
Channel 5 anchors Ed Harding and Heather Unruh arrived.
As well as a ton of policemen and security.
Another 30 minutes passed and then a Duck Boat arrived outside Faneuil Hall with Ellen and her staff on it. Yay!! At last, the 2.5-hour wait was worth it!
AHHHHH! There she is!!!Ā
Look closely. Ellen is standing on the back of the Duck Boat. She’s wearing a navy blue polo shirt.
Now, Portia (wearing light pink) is standing next to her.
Here they come!!! (You can kind of see the back of Ellen’s head behind the cop’s shoulder.)
When I snapped this photo, Ellen was only about 5 feet from me!
In person, Ellen and Portia looked just like they do on TV. This probably sounds weird, but I’ve seen celebrities who are much shorter or older in person, but these two looked exactly how I expected. They were both happy, comfortable, and glamorous.
Ellen and Portia walked to the front of Quincy Market, where they were greeted by Mayor Thomas Menino. Mayor Menino declared it Ellen DeGeneres Day in Boston today!
Ellen only spoke for a few minutes, but she told the crowd that Boston is now one of her favorite cities and she plans to root for the Red Sox and Patriots from now on. Ellen also congratulated the Bruins on their Stanley Cup win!
Photo via @choll12
Ellen is visiting Boston to promote her show’s new 4:00 PM time slot, so she told the crowd that she needed to leave to do some interviews. I was a little bummed that she didn’t stick around longer, but she’s a busy lady– and I’ll take what I can get. Honestly, I was psyched to see her in person even if it was for a short amount of time.
If you’re a crazy Ellen fan like me, you can see the whole event on video from Channel 5: Uncut: Ellen Greets Fans at Quincy Market.
Lunch
After our Ellen sighting, my sister and I walked to the North End for lunch at Antico Forno. I had an Eversave certificate from months ago, so I decided to cash it in.
As an appetizer, my sister and I shared the āInsalata di Spinaci con Mandorele Pancetta,āĀ which sounded much more exciting than it actually was. It ended up just being baby spinach with pieces of bacon on it. We ate it anyway, but I’m glad that we decided to shareĀ the saladĀ instead of ordering two like we almost did.
We had quite aĀ bit of money to spend on the Eversave, so we ordered two pizzas with the plan of taking home lots of leftovers. We ordered a Margherita Pizza (mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, and basil) and a Due Formaggi Pizza (mozzarella, Ricotta, oregano, and garlic). Both were deliciousāā like, really delicious. I love flatbread pizza with lots of high quality toppings like these ones. If I were in the North End, I’d hit up this place for pizza.
For dessert, my sister and I eachĀ enjoyed a cannoli. Mmm! I loved the filling! When in the North EndāĀ¦
I still can’t believe I saw Ellen today! My goal for 2011 is to see her show in person, which I still want to do, but today counts for something, right? I guess it’s just a bonus to my goal!
94 Comments
mmmmm, those cannolis look amazing!!
haha how fun! Looks like you guys had a good time. I would’ve been miffed about waiting so long but good to see it didn’t ruin your time!
aaaaahhhhhh! so jealous! i LOVE her so much (and portia, whos book btw is one of my faves). amazing day š
LOVE ELLEN! So jealous of your afternoon!
Looks like you had a fabulous time! My family and I were just in Boston this past June for the Stanley Cup Parade! š
Yumm! The pizzas look so dang good!!!!
So, I read your post this a.m. about Ellen. Was going to share this next thing, but didn’t. Then I am on FB and see our dear friend’s picture of her mom, also a good family friend, sitting next to Portia on the Duck tour. My friend, Julie Silver is married to Mary Connely who is the producer of the Ellen Show. Julie and Mary live in CA, but Julie grew up in Newton, where I am from, and her mom lives in Boston now. So, her mom must have been doing the gig with them, I gather Mary was there too. I watched the footage you posted from Channel 5 and saw Julie’s mom get off the Duck tour, she was the last one in a white shirt.
Weird small world story.
I do hope you get to see an Ellen show. I tried to “pull a string” for Miz Fit earlier in the summer, but didn’t get a reply and I don’t feel like being one of those annoying friends, or I would try for you too. They probably get those annoying requests all the time.
Wow awesome seeing Ellen and she was so close. That pizza looks amazing.
So cool! Ellen is the bomb!
That pizza looks like the perfect post-Ellen lunch too. š
Looks like fun! And those pizzas?! Oh it’s been too long since I have had my favorite pizza. Glad that you had an awesome day!
Oh my goodness, I’m so jealous!
That poor salad. The pizzas look delish, though!
Lucky you! I’ve give anything for a glimpse of “Ellen” š
Oh wow, there she is! Very cool. š
I love Antico Forno. They have a sausage pizza that’s my favorite.
Sounds like a fab afternoon…even with the long wait!
Sounds like an awesome day! Ellen always cracks me, she seems like the type of girl you’d want as a best friend!
So cool! You got really close š
Lunch looks great too.
Woww this reminds me of LA and seeing the red carpet events!! I saw all the teen stars because of the kids choice awards being right next to my school!
Seeing Ellen: amazing
The way the pizza looks: amazing
How awesome!! I have loved Ellen’s show since it started. š
That just sounds like a fantastic day, and I’m totally the kind of fan that will wait 2.5 hours for my favorite celebrities to make an appearance. It’s a special feeling!
Great choice on the pizzas, I’ve been craving a quality white pizza around here, something crunchy and crispy and gooey (and, let’s be honest, a little greasy) but have yet to find the perfect pie. The search continues.
LOVE it!! One of my sisters got to meet Ellen years and years ago (before she was even with Portia, who was her gf before that? Her name escapes me) and they spent a good 20 mins chatting it up in the drug store my sister worked for at the time. Said she was ridiculously down to earth and approachable and just an all-around good person. I LOVE to hear that about celebrities, she totally seems like the real deal. So cool you got to see her!
@Jess:
Anne Heche! She was the crazy one.
That crowd reminds me of when I was in London for the Sex in the City movie premiere- we were in a MOB of people waiting to see the stars!
I am glad you got to see Ellen. I think she is awesome! Good for you.
they are my favorite couple in the WORLD. favorite favorite favorite! I want them to adopt me! BTW read portia’s book. SO GOOD
I do LOVE Ellen. She is awesome. And so comfortable with herself and who she is as a person. I have always thought that, and its why I love her.
I think it is so cool that you were that close to her. Even though it’s so fan-ish to say, I definitely would have been there screaming and waving (maybe even with a sign!)
So awesome that you got to see Ellen and Portia in person! Jealous! š She seems like such a great person!
Ellen and delicious pizza? Sounds like a decent day ; )
I didn’t know she was moving to the 4pm time slot! Crazy cool!
Congrats on seeing your idol! She is such a great person and it must have been so cool to hear her speak š
Glad you got to see Ellen! And that you liked Antico Forno!
I heart Ellen! I think it would be the only show that I would really like to sit in the audience for! I hope you get to go! š
So fun that you got to see Ellen! I love Portia too (my fave show ever is Arrested Development š )
That is an awesome experience. Her and Portia look so cute together…holding hands š Going on her show would definitely be a good goal to achieve!! Hope you get to attend it!
That sounds so fun! I Love when you’re able to catch a glimpse of a celebrity that you really love and/or inspires you š
Yay!! Glad you got to see her in real life! I keep waiting for the day I get to see my role model in person (Jennifer Aniston). Likelihood of that happening is probably pretty low in Colorado but I can dream!
Hahahah. This post CRACKED me up. Your excitement is so palpable, it’s not even funny. I bet this is the post that has the most exclamation points you’ve ever used in one sitting. š CONGRATS! Happy Ellen DeGeneres Day! (One day late, but still)