New York | Marg Helgenberger | Catherine Willows | Nebraska

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New York State of Mind

CSI's Marg Helgenberger loves New York for the accents, the street-vendor hot dogs, the hotel bars, the three B's, and … how much time do you have?
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Marg Helgenberger grew up in a tiny Nebraska town - North Bend, population 1,200 - but left as soon as she could. "I got my Social Security card at the age of 11 because I knew I needed to make some money," says Helgenberger, 48, a veteran actress best known for playing forensic scientist Catherine Willows for seven seasons on the top-rated CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. While growing up in Nebraska, she paid her dues working in the soybean fields, in the cornfields, and even in a meatpacking plant. At 23, she found herself in New York to join the cast of Ryan's Hope. She now lives in Santa Monica with her husband and her son, but she still thrives on the energy of the East Coast's cultural center. No fewer than five times during our interview, she ended some anecdote with, "I don't know, I just love New York." And it wasn't for lack of something to say - quite the opposite. She was so jazzed about New York that she scheduled a second interview just to talk about it a bit more. "I love how everywhere you turn, there's something new," she says. "There's a surprise right in front of you on every corner."

You lived in New York when you were younger, right?