Anyone who has lived Downtown for a while has a favorite neighborhood character. You may not know him or her personally but you enjoy seeing them do their thing or work their look, adding flavor to NYC's diminishing though still existing gorgeous mosaic.

Examples:
Lucy / Lucia: The gothic looking trannie from E.10th street with a fondness for parasols. She once told Johanna Constantine that she looked like Brooke Sheilds.

Meow (formerly Cat... or Kat):
Always decked out in tie dye with hair to match, super long colorful nails, and a new wave neon design (it looks like Long Island) painted over one eye. She's always working in the neighborhood, first at Sock Man, then at Ricky's, more recently at Love Saves the Day. I really admire someone who is so dedicated to their look for so long. BTW she had a REALLY HOT son who I met at Jackie once. He was dating a trannie but I hear he has since married a GG.

Michelle The Rock Chick: In the summer of 1985 I was riding into the city on Thursdays to attend a mixed party at Palladium. There was this stunningly made up bleach blonde gal working the mailing list with a breathy Marilyn-like voice. Think Angelyne/Dale Bozio/Rhonda Shear, with a hard rock edge. She was sooo fem that I wondered if she was a transsexual. Years later I met her working at Roxy. Her name is Michelle and she's a biological female. I see her all the time on Saint Marks walking her dog. To this day she is always painted always in heels, never has roots showing, she is flawless. Does anyone know anything about her? I am such a fan!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Miss Understood,

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!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: daddy,

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.