Neighborhood Characters

The "White Guy".
I can't remember his name but he's the black guy who is ALWAYS dressed head to toe in white.
White pants, shirt, coat and shoes, white wig, white eye-lashes and white parasol.
He is always done.
One time I gave him an off-white coat but he wouldn't take it. It was the wrong shade of white.
He's very particular.
I always feel happy when I see him.


About two years ago a man gave him $300.
This crackhead saw it happen and tried to take the money. He stabbed the crackhead and killed him. Luckily a lot of people saw what happened and when the police came he had everyone defending him.

Lucy lives in my building, just two flights up! In the same rent-stablized apartment she was born and raised in no less, and pays about $350 a month for. She lives on her deceased parents pension or something. We've had her over for drinks a few times and she LOVES Napoleon, as do all our neighbors. Her apartment is total "Miss Havisham" realness, every piece of furniture is white and cobwebbed, replete with cockroach-infested kitchen and 4 very stinky cats. Her make-up is always heavy as her eyesight is not good and she believes it's un-ladylike to wear glasses. She is as kind as can be ... occasionally Doug has to go upstairs and help her flip her mattress as her arthritis is bad, which she says is the reason she can't clean her apartment anymore.

A couple of doors down on our block is Nora, an aging trannie and former call girl. Nora claims to have been photographed by Warhol for Interview magazine and usually will wax nostalgic about Studio 54 on our stoop. I believe her ... she's still beautiful though probably in her early 50s. Somehow Nora broke her back once and sometimes must get really zonkered on pain meds just to get through the day. She has a dog, Boula, one of Napoleon's playmates.

Next door to Nora is FLLOYD. Enough said!

Is it true that she covers everything with plastic?

Doesn't anyone know about Michelle? I did meet her once but I never really found out what she's about. Anyone know who I'm talking about?

Sofas and chairs covered in plastic, yes!

I've seen Michelle the Rocker Chick around the hood for years as well, if it's the same girl I'm thinking of, still turning out that Dale Bozio look flawlessly year after year. Isn't she somehow connected to the old rocker guy who works upstairs at Trash-n-Vaudeville? I seem to recall seeing them together, not necessarily as a couple but maybe friends.

Nora is a legend.
Chi Chi and I first met her at The Mudd Club.
She was the queen of Studio 54, along with Francesca, Fadora and Nicole.
They were all absolutely gorgeous!
Nora was a BEAUTY!!!!!
(still is)
Andy loved loved her.
I'm sure Bobby has pictures of Nora somewhere.
She is really funny too and very smart.
Casanova goes bonkers whenever he sees her.
They french kiss for hours.
I love Nora. I think she is aging very well.
She does get a little tipsey though.

The name escapes me but if you have a snapshot of her, post it and I'll go digging in the archives.

Grace Period. Lives on E. 2nd. Not a big club scenester. Saw her total transformation from Ken, a successful architect from the upper west side, married, big condo. Took about five years. Went through hormones, wardrobe evolutions. Then the op, and passed really easily. She really blossomed afterward on the LES underground poetry diveline. Did totally hilarious house romping joke poems with a poison cartoon edge. She had a submissive biological boyfriend, Rico, a gym queen tatted and gorgeous. Grace does sound for indy movies now and is off the poetry circuit (not really much of it left compared to back then). She kept a pet blue bunny that got that color after she took to painting her apartment by using a long handled mop she just flung around after painting the place orange. I always feel good chatting with her because she gives off that liveliness a person does after they have really found out who they are. Kind of inspiring. Maybe Bobby remembers her from downtown poetry.

Love Grace. Glad to hear she is so happy. Rico is a little sub stud from what I recall too.

I forgot to mention Lucy also collects dolls and religious icons. There are Madonnas and china girls all over her apartment, and also her Christmas tree ... she leaves it up year-round because she says it's too much of a pain to take down and put up again. In the summers, usually around now, she heads out of town with her cats for some retreat in the Pokonos to escape the heat. Usually doesn't come back until September.

As for Nora, she always has a story to tell. In the vein of Chrysis, she seems proud not to have gotten a pussy and has showed Doug some of her scars. She was the Amanda Lepore of her day but makes fun of Amanda for having a "fag boyfriend" (meaning Kenny Kenny). She and Amanda are friends though. Nora also hung out with Divine alot while Divine was in "Women Behind Bars".

Lex doll, Am I the only one who didn't know that Amanda and Kenny Kenny are lovers? What? I can't imagine that.

Nora loves "Miss Amanda" as she calls her.
She has known Amanda forever and has seen her blossom.
She gets a big kick out of her.
Talk to her about movies...
she knows EVERYTHING!

Amanda and Kenny Kenny are NOT lovers. Believe me, neither are each other's type. Maybe Nora just thinks they are.

Anyone remember Hot Dog, the homeless Lesbian that used to befriend all of the neighborhood restaurants? She would hug them, they would give her free food, then make her leave.

Daddy, you mentioned someone named Fransesca, is this the same person who tended bar at Area?

Francesca at Area was very pretty, I think she was from Italy.

The only character that I can think of right now is the homeless guy with about ten dogs, i'd always see him in Tompkins park.

No, Francesca was a transexual.
She was drop dead gorgeous.

Oh, OK Daddy thanks.

I do believe that Francesca from Area was also a transsexual,,,, it was so long ago, I could be wrong. I do remember her telling me how she hated American men and wanted to go back to Italy.

I don't remember Francesca from AREA.
But then...
there is a lot that I don't remember.

Lol, I forgot lots of stuff that happened years ago. But I remember Francesca. Or maybe her name wasn't Francesca,,, now I'm begining to lose my mind. lol

I didn't really know her, but she was one those people that had an influence on my transgender life. Just seeing her and talking a bit had a positive effect on me. I can't really explain the what the effect actually was, it was just a feeling that I wasn't all alone, there were others like myself.

I often run into the Naked Cowboy at parties.  He gets hired for a lot of private events.  He really makes me cringe. Nice guy but I just hate that he's the fake version of a NY character.

Anyone know the tranny who used to sell things outside of Love Saves The Day?  She seems to have inherited their van and still sells stuff (in warmer weather) on St Marks place.

Yeah that Naked Cowboy thing is repulsive.
He's like the nightclub S_ _ _ sh.
It's full of tourists from out of town thinking that they are seeing New York but it's really a room full of other tourists from out of town looking at each other thinking, "New York isn't so weird. It looks just like home".