Can I Please See Your Picture ID, Mr. Alda?

Friday, 05 March 2010 | by Pat's Picks

I spent an hour at the Apple Store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan tonight, as I work toward resolution of my iPhone battery trouble. While I was there, actor Alan Alda stopped in to retrieve his repaired Macbook. (Sorry, no photo. He was just minding his own business and a snap would have been intrusive.) He sat across the table from me as he waited with his wife Arlene.

He told the 20-something greeter that he was there to pick up his computer. She asked him to have his picture ID ready.

Eventually, a more mature (30-something) technician emerged with the computer. Seeing that Alda had dutifully placed his drivers license on the table, the slightly-older Apple employee said, “I won’t be needing that.”

(photo from Apple.com)