Scenic Runway

Harpo Studios

Last week I attempted to fulfill a long held dream to attend a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. For years I have been a fan of Ms. Winfrey and her accomplishments. I remember viewing the premiere of the Oprah Winfrey Show while caring for my infant twin sons. As my sons grew the daily 4:00 p.m. ritual continued.

Year after year I’ve said to my husband that we needed to go to Chicago to see the Oprah Winfrey Show. I attempted unsuccessfully on several occasions to get tickets. I finally decided with or without tickets I would make the journey to Chicago.

Farewell Season

As we stepped out of the taxi in front of Harpo Studios, I noticed people walking to form a line inside the building. We decided to get in that line. I certainly would not recommend anyone doing this but I needed to at least make one final attempt to view a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. We were asked by the audience representative whether or not we had reservations or stand-by reservations. My response was that we had nothing. I immediately thought he was going to tell us to leave but he was kind and suggested that we move over to the stand-by line.

Within the stand-by line were several KLM flight attendants from Holland. Having overheard our conversation with the audience representative several of the flight attendants began a conversation with us. They indicated that they were on a three day layover in Chicago and had tried for two years to get tickets; they were finally able to get stand-by tickets to a taping. I mentioned that it had been a desire of mine for years to attend a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show. To my surprise one of the male flight attendants walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulder and said “if he is able to attend today’s taping he would allow me to go in his place”. I was pleasantly shocked! I replied by thanking him but I could not accept his offer. But his generosity was greatly appreciated and will never be forgotten.

The Oprah Store

There was a delay in determining whether or not there would be available seats for anyone having stand-by reservations. The chances for the KLM flight attendants who had stand-by reservations looked good but our chances of attending the taping was slim to none. The audience representative suggested that we check back in an hour or so once everyone with tickets and stand-by reservations had been seated. This was the perfect opportunity for us to take pictures outside surrounding the studio and to go across the street to the Oprah Store. As we entered the store we were greeted by a gentleman who welcomed us to the store. He noticed that I had my camera in hand and he stated that the only place we were allowed to take pictures in the store was in Oprah’s chair. Of course, I had to have my picture taken in Oprah’s chair.

Store Purchases

It was also a necessity for me to purchase items from Oprah’s store. We were fortunate to have the entire store to ourselves to leisurely browse. My purchases included a brown mug with the inscription of “Oprah 25th 1986 to 2011”, black lounge pants, tank top, The Oprah Store Logo PVC Tote and Live Your Own Dreams – Oprah Quote Magnet. The sales staff was extremely helpful. I remember at one point saying to the sales staff that “I was so happy to be here”. After purchasing our selected items there was still a little time left before we could check back with the audience representative. So we decided to walk around the area along with taking a few minutes to have coffee at a local Dunkin Donuts.

Harpo Studios.

Upon arriving back at Harpo Studios I noticed the audience representative who had earlier instructed us to move into the stand-by line. I knocked on the door to get his attention and asked if we had a chance of being seated? He said he would check and walked away. I crossed my fingers in anticipation but shortly afterwards I noticed him walking back and shaking his head. I don’t know if he heard me but as he came closer I said “please don’t shake your head no”. I was obviously disappointed but I thanked him for taking the time to check for us. I can honestly say that the Oprah staff was extremely courteous and never once did they make us feel as if we were bothering them for which I am grateful.

The decision to make the journey to Chicago was truly a dream come true for me. It certainly would have been an extra bonus to actually see a taping of Ms. Winfrey’s show but for me the trip was about closure. It was a journey that I had to make before the end of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Over the years the Oprah Winfrey Show has made me laugh, made me cry, entertained me, informed me but most of all inspired me.

Tags: Harpo Studios, Oprah Winfrey Show