Sarah & Chris
Date
Time
Place
Slug
May 4, 2025
1:30pm
Madison Square Park, Manhattan
“Timbo” & “Pickle”
Slug at First Sight.
It’s All in the Eyes, Chico.
“It’s all in the eyes, Chico”. That’s what my Swedish-American friend Erik once told me. What the young Casanova was trying to tell me is that in terms of intimate relations, you can tell one’s interest very simply by looking into their eyes. The eyes can say a lot, and the eyes can say nothing at all. This feeling of understanding two people can have together simply by locking eyes, is honestly pretty sexy. And as you know, slugs are pretty sexy… well at least romantic. That’s why for this Slug Story we brought together two sluggers with an incredible romance, my sister Sarah, and her husband, and my brother-in-law, Chris for we like to call: Slug at First Sight.
The First Date.
Sarah and Chris met in 2018. The first time I met Chris was actually on a double date. I don’t remember much from the night other than that it was raining and we had ate at Grey Dog in Manhattan. However, I do remember feeling like it was very easy for us to hang out together. Fast-forward five years later, Sarah and Chris get married (I was actually the officiant for the wedding) and are now officially husband and wife. I truly love their relationship. It’s funny, it’s goofy, it’s playful, but the same time very sincere, very serious, and very supportive. I felt that these two would be perfect for this story, Sarah being a superb actress in middle school, high school, and college – even having a short standup stint in the NYC Comedy Club circuit, and Chris … well, his handsome-ass was born to be on screen. So on a rainy day in the beginning of May, I met them at Madison Square Park with two slugs for each of them to wear.
Sluggin’ in the Rain, Just Sluggin’ in the Rain.
When we arrived at the park, we took a lap scouting out locations. We tried spots by the street, in between two trees, in between two streets, on one bench, on another bench, by Shake Shack. We walked around the park a couple of times until finally landing on a very beautiful stretch of benches, adjacent to the center lawn. I had an idea for two people to arrive on opposite benches, take out their slugs, start journaling or writing, make eye contact, and fall in love. I could be romantic at times. So we got started.
3,2, 1 action! The scene began with Sarah walking into frame and … Chris? Chris? Where was Chris? Cut! This was going to be interesting. Over the course of 30 to 45 minutes we shot take after take, adjustment after adjustment, trying to get this right. And I loved every second of it. I was nervous after this many shots Chris and Sarah would get tired, or annoyed, but what happened in between the first take and last take was beautiful. Sarah and Chris’ relationship was portrayed right in front of my eyes. There were laughs. There were jokes. There were annoyances. There were supportive moments. There were encouraging moments. I wasn’t just shooting a Slug Story. I was witnessing the everyday cadence of their lives together. It really made me realize how great they are for one another and how truly happy I am for my sister and now my brother. After we got the scene just right, we started to take photos, and this is where Chris really shined. Through the rain, we walked, skipped, and hustled through the park. What a day to be in love.
