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The Saga of Meeting Idina Menzel

Kelly Stewart
Sep 23, 2016
5 min read

When I got the text from my little sister Maggie stating her hero, the woman who she is “literally obsessed with,” was going to be at the Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue signing her new CD, I knew what I had to do.

Maggie lives in Alabama, so she wasn’t able to get to Fifth Avenue to meet Idina. I stepped up to the plate.

12:00 p.m. - I show up and the line is already out the door and around the building. Idina said on Instagram she won't start signing CDs until 1 p.m. I begin to panic that I should have been here - like my sister told me - hours ago. I begin walking to the back of the line and notice everyone has the same size B&N bag. We have to purchase Idina’s new CD before we get in the big line. I turn around and go back into Barnes and Noble to purchase the CD.

12:15 p.m. - I ask someone where the Id… I didn’t even have to finish saying her name and they pointed to the cashiers. They have the CDs protected behind the counter. I am finally realizing Idina is a REALLY BIG DEAL so when I get to the counter (after waiting in the line to check out), I panic and buy two CDs.

12:35 p.m. - I go back outside, walk around the building and find my place in line. I begin to take the plastic off the CD to make it easier when I meet Idina, and the guy in front of me yells, “DON’T DO THAT!” I stop immediately and try to shove the CD back into the plastic wrapping. It won’t go back into the wrapping. The cashier told him if you take the plastic off the CD before entering the building IDINA WON’T SIGN THE CD. I panic and warn the girls behind me in line. No one told me not to take the plastic off the CD.

12:50 p.m. - We’re standing in front of a sandwich shop and I’m getting hungry. The sandwich shop people must have called B&N and complained about the rowdy Idina fans because the Barnes and Noble security crew comes out, takes a big section of the line (starting with me) and moves us back about a half a block.

We’re all worried that someone will take our old spots in front of the sandwich shop. Our security guard, Dean Martin, assures us that won’t happen. This security guard (“I’m not the real Dean Martin," he says flashing his cool security guard creds, “the real Dean Martin is dead.”) is the coolest security guard I’ve ever met.

1:00 p.m. - People keep asking my new friend Dean Martin why there’s this huge line outside of B&N. He can’t remember Idina’s name so, since I’m now at the front of the line, the passersby turn to me for answers (“Now if it were Dean Martin in there signing CDs - the real Dean Martin I mean, not me - I'd be right in line with ya!” Dean laughs). I begin to feel like a total Idina fraud for acting like I know her. The girls in line behind me laugh because they know my deep dark secret… I hadn’t heard of Idina until my sister’s text earlier this week. (Sorry Idina)

1:10 p.m. - THE LINE BEGINS MOVING. We’re back at our old spot by the sandwich shop.

1:30 p.m. - THE LINE MOVES A LITTLE MORE. We’re all pretty giddy by this point because we’re on Fifth Avenue now and almost at the doors. One of the girls behind me in line was skipping work for this. She told her boss she “had an appointment” or something. Then, the NYC Eyewitness News team pulls up right in front of the building where we're standing. The girl begins to panic (FINALLY i’m not the only one panicking about something). If they film the line and put it on the news, she’ll be in the shot and she’ll get fired. She hides her face. I don't believe she was caught on camera.

1:45 p.m. - We’re finally shuffled in Barns and Nobel, up the elevator and through shelves and shelves of books. They’re really keeping Idina hidden in the back of this place. We go through some more security (btw, it didn’t matter that I took the wrapper off one of my CDs, thanks, yelling guy) and I get on FaceTime with Maggie. She’s almost in tears she’s so excited. Maggie did her hair and her makeup and was wearing a Wicked Tee Shirt - she would have totally fit in with all these Idina fans. We finally start getting closer to the line and they tell us phones are not allowed. I begin to panic AGAIN because I waited almost two hours for this and wanted Maggie to see her idol up close and personal through her iPhone. I ask if FaceTime was allowed…the security lady tells me, ‘No, but I don’t see your phone…’

Side note: the security detail at B&N is the best.

2:01 p.m. - After standing in line with a bunch of her biggest fans for two hours it's as if I've been an Idina fan my whole life too. I’m pumped to finally meet this goddess. The time comes. I finally meet Idina. My heart is pounding as I scurry to the table and put down the CD booklets for her to sign while holding my phone awkwardly so it doesn't look like I'm FaceTiming the whole ordeal.

“Thanks for doing this...this is really great,” I say to her. It was the only thing I could think of and it was absolutely the most boring thing I could have possibly said. I wanted to tell her I was FaceTiming my obsessed superfan sister, but I couldn’t do that because of the whole 'no phones allowed' rule.

“No, thank you for being here!” she replies as she flashes her big, beautiful smile and signs my CDs. I nodded. The deed was done.

I walked away and snapped one final pic to remember the whole absurd, hilarious and, overall, extremely fun experience.

Final thoughts: Looking back at it now, what I really should have said in my best Idina Menzel crazy fan voice was, “I loved you in Frozen, I mean, I loved your voice. I know that wasn’t actually you building the snowmen and snow castles.” That would have been great.

Maybe next time, Idina.

BEHIND THE SCENES... Here are a few more photos from the day: