The year of this next story is either 1985 or 1986. I'm not quite sure, but I do not think it is that critical. But who knows? 
 
I used to do my share of driving, along with other stuff, when we first started. I even did proms. Although you are up all night, they are money makers. 
 
One night, at a local senior prom, three other stretch limousines and myself took 20 to 24 young people to the Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City where they rented rooms to party all night long. The stretches were not as big as they are today; six people was alot then. We arrived at the hotel sometime around midnite. The boys and girls headed in, with instructions for us to wait, because some would be returning home. And wait we did. I think I left the city that morning, or night, at 5:00 AM.
 
I am not really sure on the correct times, it was alot of years ago, so if the times sound vague, deal with it. 
 
The Parker Meridien is a large hotel that is between 6th and 7th Avenues and has two entrances, the main on 57th and a back entrance on 56th which actually was the door with the most use. This was the entrance we were at. You could park and not have any problems. With that being said, limousines were rarely bothered at all back then. 
 
Next to the hotel to the left of the 56th street entrance is an old brownstone apartment with a front porch with about seven stairs. Sitting on the stairs were five young Asian boys and girls. I don't know why exactly I point that ethenticity out, but it must be for a reason. I do every time I tell the story. After some time, we limo drivers got into a conversation with them, because after awhile we get tired of hearing each others boring stories. They were there waiting to see Eddie van Halen, who was staying at the hotel. 
 
A little after 1:00 AM, the kids went up the block to 7th avenue to get something to drink. Guess who came out. You got it. The man, Eddie van Halen came out, got in a cab (go figure) and took off. No fans, no cheering, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.
 
Well, the kids got back and we told them what they missed. But as the story goes, what goes up must come down. So they figured he would have to come back. So they waited. A short time later, two young American boys ( goofy) showed up. They were actually there to see Hall and Oates, but said Eddie would be fine, too. If I wasn't working, I definitely would not have been there. Fans!
 
So, sometime around 3:00 AM, a yellow cab pulls up! Now the seven kids are sitting on the adjacent porch just talking. We limo guys were just milling around. Out of the cab comes Eddie. As he is walking to the door of the hotel, the kids jump off the porch and run at him yelling out his name. Eddie makes a mad dash for the revolving door and gets through to the other side. A hotel worker inside the doorway stopped the kids from getting in. All that waiting for nothing. Eddie was clearly a good 100 feet inside the hotel safe and sound. 
 
As we are watching this, Eddie stops and comes back, through the revolving door and outside to say hello to the fans that waited all night. The seven fans. Seven kids who weren't going to break his career if he didn't talk to them. This was great. What seemed like a long time was problably less then five minutes, but he signed all their stuff and each one took a picture with him, with his arm around them. Let me tell you, he was fabulous. He made their night worth the wait.
 
I have no idea what kind of man Eddie van Halen is, nor do I really care. But that night he was a star to those boys and girls. And as a side note, Hall and Oates did show up a little later. They did not give the same reponse as van Halen. Their driver pushed through the crowd (seven kids) so the stars could get to the hotel. No autographs, no pictures, no nothin' hunny. 
 
Thanks Eddie. It's a night I remember.