Sightseeing, Celebrity Sleuthing in NYC

Nancy Fieg and her aunt Lisa Fieg spent more than $200 -- including $75 for a single order of macaroni and cheese -- at the hip celebrity hangout Waverly Inn in New York's Greenwich Village, but not only did they miss regulars 'Bob' De Nero and 'Bob' Redford, they didn't even see George Hamilton or Joe Franklin!

They were not entirely disappointed, however, during a four-day hiatus of sightseeing and celebrity stalking.

Nancy, 25, of Des Moines, is the daughter of Col. Edward L. Fieg Sr. of Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield, Calif., and Karen White Fieg of Grimes, Ia. Nancy is planning to move to New York next spring, so she visited her aunt in the "Big Apple" to familiarize herself with the environs and just have fun.

And she and Aunt Lisa actually did see two celebrities, and big ones!

Multiple Emmy-award-winner and Tony-winner David Hyde Pierce, who played Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," was spotted walking his airedale in Riverside Park.
Golden Globe-winning actor Paul Giamatti, who was in "Sideways," "Planet of the Apes," "Saving Private Ryan" and some 60 other motion picture, television and stage productions, was seen at an adjacent table as Nancy and Lisa were dining at the very hip Spotted Pig restaurant, also in Greenwich Village.

Thinking she would not be noticed, Aunt Lisa tried discreetly to take a picture of Giamatti with her camera phone, but as soon as she snapped the photo Giamatti turned and glared at her. She couldn't find a hole big enough to crawl into.

Nancy currently works as a customer service representative for Wells Fargo in Des Moines, but she plans to market her culinary arts degree when she moves to New York. She is a granduate of Iowa State University in Ames, Ia.

Among the Nancy's and Lisa's stops was the 1827 Episcopal "Church of the Transfiguration" at 29th Street and Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. One of Nancy's ancestors on her mother's side designed stained glass windows there.

They also visited Washington Square, Central Park, the new World Trade Center and 11 other restaurants other than the two mentioned. Needless to say, the two were exhausted at the conclusion of their -- uh -- vacation.