It was a brisk and windy winter day in New York, and the Christmas Spirit was in evidence everywhere. As we taxied down Fifth Avenue, store displays vied to be declared best window of the year. It's sort of an unofficial contest held every year to see who can outdo whom in decorating for the season.

We pulled to a stop in front of Victoria's Secret, and our taxi driver glanced at the crowd milling on the sidewalk. "What's goin' on here?" he asked, his accent unmistakably Brooklyn. "Claudia Schiffer is coming to open the new store," we told him. "No k iddin'. Good lookin' lady. You gonna meet her?" he asked, handing us the receipt. "Yup," we said. "Lucky you," he smiled as sped off into the traffic.

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