Yesterday, of course, was Barbara Corcoran's 60th birthday. (Hope that you remembered to buy some property!) Anyway, quite by accident, I stumbled upon a Corcoran feature in the Times from March 5, 2000, titled What Do You Do All Day?
Let's take a look, shall we!
Wednesday, Jan. 19
6:00 a.m. Lana Zinger, Russian-born personal trainer, arrives for morning workout.
6:30 Tommy, 6, watches his mother work out. Between crunches, requests reading from "Harry Potter." Request denied.
7:00 Makeup artist arrives.
7:15 Dresses (brown Christian Lacroix suit with Herms scarf).
7:45 Takes Tommy to school in cab. It is absolutely freezing.
8:10 Arrives at Tavern on the Green to give speech at her company's awards breakfast.
8:15 Talks janitor into letting her practice her speech in a broom closet.
8:55 Emerges feeling confident, but "like Aunt Clara on 'Bewitched' -- dusty and smelling of Lysol."
9:00 At podium in front of 500 sales agents, clinks glass to get attention. Glass breaks.
Boring!
1:00 Sharon Baum walks in dressed in fur-trimmed suit with faux-diamond "Sold" pin. Corcoran says, "Boy, if you're not rich you certainly look it." Departs in Baum's Rolls-Royce for lunch at the Lobster Club. Shares creamed spinach, biscuits, French fries with Baum. Discusses whether the market will survive if the dot-com companies take a hit, how even Wall Streeters with millions in cash can't find apartments.
2:45 Departs restaurant. Gets call from office saying that the seller of the nine-room Park Avenue apartment she's been wanting to buy for herself finally wants to make a deal. Phones from car. ("I'm so nervous, I have to stop thinking like a sweaty-palmed buyer and start thinking like a broker.") Strategizes with Baum about how to be the winning bidder. Baum tells her to get as much information as she can about the family. Makes the call to the Park Avenue seller. "Oh, God, I got disconnected. Does anyone else have a cell phone?" Everyone in the car has a cell phone, including the driver. Still can't get through. Is now very hyper. Stays in the car and keeps trying while Baum looks at multimillion-dollar "maisonette" on upper Fifth Avenue.
4:00 Driver drops Corcoran off at gym, where she meets Becky Wood, Tommy's nanny, and watches Tommy swim.
