Spider-man: My Experience Watching the Filming of the First Movie

Imagine while walking to work one morning, you found yourself entering a comic book universe you've loved since childhood.

Spring of 2001 in New York City: September 11's tragic horror wouldn't rock the Big Apple for several months. New York still was that unique city of historic dreams, fond fable and no small measure of innocence in terms of what can happen in a metropolitan setting when international politics collide.

I had just gotten off the PATH train at 14th St. and concentrated on nothing more than the pleasant weather. A great thing about Manhattan in early morning is that despite it being celebrated as the city that never sleeps, it's peaceful, even tranquil during early those hours. Like a serene, slumbering giant being roused, commuters danced around NYC gracefully with the practiced elegance of classical ballet.

The office lay a few blocks from Union Square Park, so my routine was to cut through it. As I rounded the park's corner, I spotted a parked van with no surrounding cars - my first clue there was something special going on. When looked closely, it felt like I'd entered something akin to the Twilight Zone. It read: DAILY BUGLE

True comic fans can appreciate the weight of the moment. Peter Parker's employer, J. Jonah Jameson's beloved tabloid, the Daily Bugle just materialized into existence during my commute. Somehow I stepped unaware into that galaxy of pulp fiction stars too big for regular books or mainstream magazines. Comic book superheroes need a canvas as broad and colorful as the world they play in. Suddenly, I was there too.

For a few minutes I just stared. Around me passerby, stuck in auto pilot commuter mode sidestepped me skillfully. I almost shouted, "How can you walk past the web slinging, wall crawler's newspaper, which keeps him in costume and bought Mary Jane's wedding ring!"

Instead, I gawked slack jawed like a 10 year old inexplicably wearing his father's business suit. What broke my reverie, was a young headset wearing woman. Without reservation, without fear of being laughed at, I said softly, "Spiderman?"

She nodded, "You can watch, but please step back. We can't allow you into the shot."

I climbed nearby steps to get out of the way and into a better vantage point. The clock ticked away my lateness, but so what? This was a once in a lifetime childhood dream come true. As I patiently waited for "action" to begin, I studied the Daily Bugle Van closely. It resembled an over sized golf cart more than anything, and on back was a long camera rig. When they called action, it would move up the block, as someone threw out a stack of newspapers. Over and over again, the van pulled up, newspapers got tossed out. Rinse, repeat. Granted not the most glamorous film making, but it still held me.

I managed to break free of that sweet illusion long enough to save my job. My office was the same old same old as always, but as I sat down at my PC and logged in, I felt as if I had somehow left the real world and entered into another. Comic books, especially Spiderman had been very real to me as a kid. A few minutes ago, a film crew had effectively confirmed that reality. The rest of the day could never seem as real.

Spiderman 3 opens May 4, 2007.