May 1, 2019
Woke up early to take a taxi to the ABC studio to see The View. Because I registered with 1iota, I was able to secure free Priority Tickets. There were two long lines at the entrance—one for Priority Ticket holders and one for wait list ticket holders. After standing in line for half an hour, we Priority people entered the building, past security guards, who searched our bags,
then we were seated at tables in the cafeteria to sign release papers in case we were given freebies. We walked to the studio, where lights and cameras filled the entire room.
Hint: ABC studio provides accessible accommodation for wheelchair audience. In fact, the tech suggested I sit in my wheelchair which was more comfortable than the regular chairs. TV requires people to sit close together so the audience looks larger. I sat in my wheelchair in the third row aisle next to Bill.
A warmup comedienne greeted us with jokes and questions about where we were from. As a coincidence, three couples were from Dublin—Ireland, Ohio, and California (me). Many people were from out of
town.
Since it was Abby Huntsman’s Birthday Celebration,
ABC provided a link to Moscow, Russia, where Abby’s father is Ambassador. Interviews included hot topics as well as well wishes for Abby’s Birthday. Whoopi, Joy Behar, Meghan McCain, Abby— who was very pregnant with twins, and Sunny Hostin, entered the stage.
During each commercial break, the hosts had their hair and makeup repaired, while conferring with their staff people. At the end of the show, Sunny wheeled a table of cakes onto the stage.
I thought we were going to share some of the cannoli cakes, but unfortunately the food was for the staff and crew. Instead, each audience member received a Google Hub.
Accessible Travel 