Through the end of the year, reporters will be looking back at and following up on stories and topics that resonated strongly with our readers in 2018, according to metrics on lohud.com. This story is part of that series.
One day, in the middle of a haircut appointment, my stylist suddenly stopped towel drying my hair.
I sat up from my reclining shampoo chair to find former President Bill Clinton standing a few feet away from me.
Wrapped in a beauty parlor smock, my hair dripping wet, I instinctively stood up to say hello.
His unannounced visit set off a buzz in the little salon located in the heart of Chappaqua.
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Over the years,as a reporterfor theThe Journal News/ lohud, I have had many opportunities to interact with Bill, as well as Hillary Clinton in their adopted hometown and mine, and have interviewed all three Clintons, including their daughter Chelsea. (One of my articles made it to the infamous Wikileaks emails).
As a journalist, the proximity has given me a unique perspective on what makes these global celebrities, who never seem to lose their relevance, tick.
Everyone from the “lock her up” crowd to the “hoping to run into her in the Chappaqua woods” crowd is fascinated by them.
Just Google the last name, and a minimum of six news stories a day pop up from around the globe.
The Clintons moved into a white Dutch Colonial on Old House Lane in 2000, after they left the White House. It'sa place Bill has lived the longest of any home, he once told me.
Almost everyone in the hamlet has their favorite Clinton sighting story.
Once, my husband, Sanjay, was stuck behind Billat the Citibank ATM on South Greeley Avenue, the town’s main artery.
“I’m sure I have money in this,” he told Sanjay,apologizing for fumbling about a bit.
When my mom was visiting from India a few years ago, we both noticed Billexiting the corner Starbucks and walking in the direction of our car.This was her first Clinton sighting and in her excitement, she motioned him to stop. He did, smiling. I let her out of the carandproceeded to park.
When I caught up with them, a secret service officer discreetly lingered around as a few more pedestrians had stopped to say hello.
I took a picture of my mom with the him.It’s now prominently framed in the entry hallway of her home in Bombay.
At town events such as the Memorial Day parade, fundraisers for local causes, swearing-in ceremonies and booksignings (most recently forHillary's "What Happened"), the Clintons have made themselves available to reporters.
But, I’ve also run into them randomly while running errands: at the local farmer’s market, at the Susan Lawrence bakery, on their walks withtheir dogs near the libraryand buying groceries (yes) before Christmas at the Chappaqua Village Market to name just a few.
During those random encounters, I've mostly tuckedmy reporter's hat under my arm, controlling my journalistic urge to get their take on theissue of the day to give them the privacy they deserve.
And not everything is national news.
When you're a Clinton neighbor,one tends to hear things, such as Bill likes Diet co*ke. One friend, who works for PepsiCo, tried to convince him to switch his habits by offering to send a crate of Diet Pepsi to his home. He wasn’t interested.
Following quadruple bypass surgery, Bill famously switched to a vegan diet. Word on the street isone of his favorite mealsis the (vegetarian) Bombay Frankie Roll from Little Kebab Station in Mount Kisco.
And Hillary likes the scent of lemon. She is, apparently,known to keepa supply on handduring large book signing events.
Bill vs. Hillary
When it comes to meeting people, Bill Clinton is known for havingthe ability to connect with just about anyone.
But from first-hand experience, I know Hillary does, too. Earlier this year, she chatted with my daughter, Sanjana, about the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the college she was joining. Hillary talked about visiting and receiving an honorary degree from the university in 2013.
It wasn't their first meeting:Sanjana met Hillary at age 5 and promptly informed her that they shared a birthday.
Covering the family as a reporter provides a different perspective.
On Election Day 2016, my assignment was to interview local Clinton supporters inChappaqua throughout the day.
I’d spent the previous night at Westchester County Airport, waiting in the cold with hundreds of people — from regular supporters to public officials — for Hillary’s campaign plane, dubbed “Hill Force One,” to land. They were all there, bundled on the chilly night, to greet the Democratic presidential candidate as she headed home from her last campaign appearance, amidnight campaign rallyin North Carolina.
I ended election day atCrabtree’s Kittle House restaurant (from where Hillary was beamed into the Democratic Convention via satellite to accept the party’s historic presidential nomination) at an election watch party organized by the Chappaqua Friends of Hillary. There were about 300 guests.
As the results started rolling in and the inevitability of the outcome became clear, the room slowly started thinning out, with people looking physically drained as they left.
When I asked some of those supporters recently if they’d support a rumored Hillary 2020 candidacy, the answers almost always came in sighs.
In October, when I interviewed Chelsea Clinton, she was forthright about the circ*mstances that might lead to her running for office. She said she was happy with the current officials representing her district in New York City and so she’d consider a run if someone were to “step down or retire.”
The story went viral, with everyone from U.K.’s Daily Mail to Breitbartto Babble reporting on it. Yes, the Clintons are still making headlines, but I've also witnessed them far from those headlines.
That day at the beauty parlor, Bill was not in for a haircut, but to inquire after a relative of the owner who had not been well.
The owner walked around the former President of the United States and snipped a little stray lock off the back of his head as he exchanged pleasantries with a patron. He didn’t flinch. It was like watching a mom fix her young son’s bed head.
I was glamming up to host aLohud Speaker Seriesevent that evening. Naturally, I used the opportunity to tell him all about the series and how it benefited local charities and asked if he would be willing to serve as a guest.
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He said he would love to at some point. Meanwhile, he offered me a pro tip: “I think you should contact Ben Stiller, he lives here and he’d be great.”
Umm, thanks?
I guess it was futile to let him know that I didn’t have Stiller’s number on speed dial.
“I saw him a few weeks ago at a party. He’ll be great,” he repeated.
So Ben, if you’re reading this: my email issvenugop@lohud.com. You come highly recommended.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is the new audience strategist and a member of the editorial board for The Journal News/lohud, part of the USA Today Network.
