New York/Central Park

Brendan finds Osama

We were in Central Park on Tuesday, and my 7 year old son Brendan scampered up on one of the many rocky outcroppings in the park. As he reached the top a man seated cross-legged below spoke in a loud voice: "I am in New York to..." Then someone yelled "Cut!" I saw that the seated man was--uhh--Osama bin Laden. He was speaking to some cameras and microphones. I called for my son to get down from the rock, and a man came forward wearing a t-shirt with "The Onion" printed on it. Seeing the onion logo I figured it must be some Islamic media outlet.

I told the guy if he was going to have Osama bin Laden sitting here in Central Park he better let the cops know about it. He pointed over my shoulder to a genuine NYPD officer casually leaning against a nearby fence watching over things. Situation obviously under control, I apologized to the man for interrupting their interview--probably another of Osama's public service announcements--and we headed uptown to the Museum of Natural History.