THE NOT TOO DISTANT PAST

Who: RENE RUSSO
Where: Los Angeles
When: June 15, 1999
Why: An L.A. woman, Russo was twice transformed in the City of Angels: first as a model, and later as an actress.
"Someone said, 'We have tickets for the Rolling Stones.' I was in love with Mick Jagger. So we went to The Forum, saw him, and loved the concert. After, I remember walking with my girlfriend, Betty … I was wearing a little granny dress, the kind that was really popular in 1972. That's when the man who is my manager today got out of his Mercedes in the middle of the street, and said, 'Excuse me, are you a model?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'You could be; here's my card.' I guess he could tell I wasn't going to call him, so he said, 'Bring your mother.' So, I took his card and when I got home I gave it to my mom, and a week or two later we met him. The rest is history."

Who: HARRISON FORD
Where: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
When: October 1, 1999
Why: Even superstars have trouble finding paradise. After half a lifetime of searching, Ford found his in Jackson Hole.
"No matter where I am, where I've been, what I've been doing, I land at this airport and I am struck over and over and over again by the magical beauty of it, the display of nature. There's a view of the Tetons that always makes me laugh. It always makes me smile. And that's the way this place is for me. I always decompress here."

Who: GEENA DAVIS
Where: Boston
When: December 1, 1999
Why: Growing up in the suburbs 50 miles outside of town, Davis came into Boston for Christmas, college, and, eventually, the birth of her acting career.
"I was studying acting, so we did plays at the Boston University Theatre. The play we did when I was a senior was Knickerbocker Holiday, this goofy musical about New Amsterdam. That was my final big play at B.U., and I played Mistress Schermerhorn, the jail keeper's wife. I don't remember much about this play, except that I was supposed to have a Dutch accent, but I sounded more like Eva Gabor. We always filled the house. Who knows how many of them were parents of the cast, but we did okay."

Who: SAMUEL L. JACKSON
Where: Atlanta
When: June 15, 2000
Why: He arrived from his home in Chattanooga to study marine biology in 1967. He left seven years later as an actor.
"I went to graduation last year at Moorehouse College. Back in 1969, I actually got expelled from the college for locking the trustees in the administration building. We were trying to get some concessions on campus - student representation, more African-American studies … . We kept them overnight. As my wife and I were walking through campus at the graduation, we passed the huge statue of Benjamin Mays, where the names of honorees from the school are listed. We stopped and looked at it, and there was my name! It made me proud to say, 'I've come a long way from that rebellious kid.'"

Who: ELIZABETH HURLEY
Where: Paris
When: August 1, 2000
Why: Paris is the capital of style, fashion, and excess, not to mention Hurley's favorite destination.
"Nothing beats the Hotel Ritz. I love the Ritz, I dream about the Ritz, and, like Coco Chanel, could happily live at the Ritz. The rooms are to-die-for, the service is impeccable, and the food is guaranteed to turn the most abstemious supermodel into a glutton. If I were to be sent to the electric chair, my last meal would be the Ritz's spaghetti Bolognaise. I special-order it as soon as I arrive, no matter what time of day, and wolf it in seconds. I don't know what they put in it, probably about eight pounds of butter, but who cares? It's France!"

Who: SEAN CONNERY
Where: Scotland
When: December 15, 2000
Why: Driving through his homeland, Connery stops for great golf, historic castles, and timeless legends.
"Saturday combines my two great loves: golf and the East Coast of Scotland. I follow the Firths of Forth into Fife. Try saying that after a dram! The Kingdom of Fife, as it is known, is home to some of the best golf courses, and certainly the first golf course, in the world. The best thing is you don't have to be Sean Connery to play a round. They are pretty much open to letting anyone on who takes the time to look around."