People Watching Findings

[Mistress Kang]

I know what a big bunch of voyeurs we have here. Here are some fruits of my "laborious" pleasure for all to enjoy!

 

Here is PHOTO A:

 

PHOTO A DETAILS-

LOCATION: Chinatown

SUBJECT: Assumed homeless Asian man

PERCEIVED SUMMARY: Not exactly sure if it's "sad" to say, but when I lived in Miami Beach, particularly in South Beach, the best entertainment I found during my outdoor people watching were watching the crackheads who were also usually street prostitutes and sometimes even street prostituting! The majority of the NYC homeless population are at least one, if not all, of three things: #1) male, #2) mentally ill, #3) drug addicted. My subject in PHOTO A is clearly #1 and possibly either #2 and #3 or BOTH! The fact that he may be a crazy bum is not what's entertaining, however a likely truth, what does tickle me is my imagination of what his thought process might have been before he arrived at that intersection and lit his cigarette LOL It just cracks me the hell up!!

 

I've named this individual "Brad", if you haven't figured it out yet, it's a combination of the words "bum" and "graduate", or "Braduate" for long

 

However I do have an argument for whether or not Brad falls under all three categories of the majority of the NYC homeless count, or only two... Hear me out- while a druggie might put on a graduation gown he's found (possibly in a dumpster next to some unwanted or interim-cum-sissy) to keep warm even during long warm summer days because he's got the cold sweaty shakes resulting from his inability to support his habit due likely due to and even causing his overall financial difficulties, I strongly believe it must take a true looney-tune (ahem, such as Brad) to continue dressing himself by putting on the graduation cap atop his big ol' crazy noggin!! LOL Or..another explanation for this sighting is, although it's way less interesting and entertaining as any one of my theories, since it *was* the month of June when I encountered Brad :wink: it IS *one* possibility that Brad may have recently (possibly as recent as earlier that same day) graduated and shortly after, almost immediately, became homeless and the day I took his photo was one of, if not his first, day of homelessness. What do you think? Yay or Nay?

 

Moving on...

 

Here are PHOTOS B:

 

PHOTO C:

 

and PHOTO D:

 

PHOTOS B, C and D DETAILS-

LOCATION: Times Square

SUBJECT: Assumed Psycho-Sexy-Asian-Maid (in a French uniform)

PERCEIVED SUMMARY: To date, I cannot figure out the story behind what I saw, maybe all of you can help!? Upon spotting a young Asian gal dressed in a scanty version of a French maid uniform with sexy black thigh-high fishnet stockings and open-toed 5-inch (maybe 6) high-heels in the broad day light of a weekday among the crowd of boringly-dressed tourists, I feverishly began to follow her while dodging people and snapping cell phone pics. It was just thee most unusual sighting- granted it *was* Times Square and on a Thursday (what I like to call "Herpes Night")... It still does not explain what I was trying to catch in my photos! I tried better shot of the "main attraction" (as I said, NOT only her outfit!). Alackaday as I was not able

 

You can't tell from the angles in the photos, but what my fellow pedestrians were staring at, after the initial shock of her frilly-form, was most likely the entire right side of her face which was painted with colorful "drawings" (?!) in addition to her "normal" makeup (also applied quite heavily). Her hair was styled a little strangely but it was absolutely nothing worth commenting on compared to her face. You'll see that in most of the photos the passerbyers eyes are directed upwards because they were looking at her face and not her body/outfit, and maybe some were like, me, trying to figure out what the hell was going on LOL It was just not the sort of face painting you'd find at a county fair- it was more like...someone took a sharpie to her face much like one would doodle stars, rainbows and duckies on the back of a notebook in class.

 

In PHOTO B I had just spotted her and got my phone cam ready. In PHOTO C I was gaining on her LOL and in PHOTO D I had to let her go because I was never going to get her face unless I was in front of her and it would be very obvious... When I last saw her she went into the Toys R Us store lol What was also unusual was her behavior, she didn't seem like she was crazy or homeless or a drug addict. She wasn't on her cell phone like most New Yorkers are and she wasn't shying away from the stars. Kudos to the Freaky Asian-French Maid of Times Square!

 

 

 

Well, there are quite a few of self-proclaimed people-watchers here, so let's here your stories! I've often thought of taking a whole day off and walking around Manhattan taking picture of everything I find interesting! One day I will, for now, a little at a time

[spankbri]

Little doubt she's an artist. I lived with one once - they tend to do stuff like this just to enjoy the feeling of moving on their own plane of existence. They'll also paint random parts of your rental house at random times with random colors. Pisses the landlord off no end.

[Outcast]

This is very cool. I made a life out of watching the mentally ill in amazement. I just stare. I know I'm alittle nuts myself so I'm a stones throw so I try not to judge. On the subway I see alot of crazy shit. Once on a crowded train I'm standing there next to heavyset ladies. In comes a young Hispanic guy ,little thin guy with a skinny moustache about 20 or so. Well he accidently bumps one of the heavyladies causing a dirty look and the teeth suck. He gets pissed and starts a loud rhetorical conversation with himsrlf on this crowded train, "Damn, women in New York are ugly!"In a strong accent "Damn you ugly!" The ladies are super pissed "Motherfucker,i know you ain't talkin to me!" Then he takes his index fingers and makes a cross like he's warding off dracula" Please don't look at me your fucking ugly!!" Then as it was getting good I was at my spot and missed how it turned out. I suspect that young man was about to get tuned up by these two monsters . It was funny. Oh well, guess you had to be there.

[sweetbitchkalina]

hey jessy in photo D I spy elmo woo

[John082]

I believe I have sussed out the deep meaning of the photos, and like much that we encounter on a day-to-day basis, fundamental truths lie within the chaos.

 

Brad is, in truth, a recent graduate, stymied by the dearth of job opportunities. The shopping cart contains all that he retained from his undergraduate education, and he stands there replete in all the glory that such an education entails. However, he is jobless and homeless, despite four years or more of hard work. This is all the world, and the current job, market offers Brad. He looks longingly across the street, wondering if his future lies on the other side, but he lacks the courage to make the crossing. Perhaps someday he will. Unbeknownst to Brad, the backpack in the foreground, yet behind him, contains all he really needs to know, but Brad is so busy looking across the street that he cannot recognize that all he needs is passing by his back.

 

In Times Square, Lola the French Maid is the embodiment of all Brad’s notebook doodles. They are the representations of his fractured consciousness spilled out on a naked page. Sure, they were separate on the leaves of his Composition Book—the French Maid, stars, rainbows, and duckies. The French Maid is a long repressed fantasy, although it is unclear whether Brad sees himself in the maid outfit or someone else. The stars are his deep held aspirations, unattainable and forever out of reach because he has cast them at such a lofty height. The rainbows represent the elusive treasure of Leprechauns, forever out of sight and illusory in nature. And the duckies…well, he’ll just have to visit the Fortress to learn about the duckies.

 

The moral to the seemingly random collection of four pictures: there is nothing to be gained in not having the courage to cross the great divide of one’s fears and reservations, and one’s meanderings will cavort in the Boulevard of Dreams, alone and separate from one’s self, if one doesn’t clutch his or her dearly held dreams close to their chest. Never let your dreams go.

 

 

OR, they could be totally random photos.

[jpcpat]

Looking at Brad's recent haircut and decent shoes/pants, I'd say he is a recent addition to the homeless population. The cap and gown actually fit, so they may be his. A few possibilities:

 

After graduation, his parents broke the news: You're an adult now;Get out! So he packed his things and stole the shopping cart. Now he is wandering Chinatown, hoping to shame his parents into taking him back.

 

OR

 

He is making an existential statement about graduating from college with no job and $100K in student loans and a $50K judgement against him for illegally downloading songs and movies, The homelessness is just a way to avoid bill collectors.

 

OR

 

He has been a bum for a while, but went to the barber's college and got the cut. The pants and shoes came from a mugging. With his new disguise, he is crashing graduation parties for the free buffets, and plans to invade college dorms for both a place to sleep and things he can sell to feed his drug habit.

 

The freaky Asian-french maid of times square seems more like a public humiliation thing (how did a mistress avoid that possiblity?). It could be that she is just stopping by a toy store on her way to work (at one of the nearby shows), but the face art you described seems to rule that out.

 

What do you think?

[akiravn1]

Just more proof that people watching provides some of the best free entertainment available.

 

I once saw a grown man in a childs carriage outside of a liquor store in Downtown Newark. Another grown man walked out of the store with bottle in hand, then handed the bottle of liquor to the man in the carriage and proceeded to push the carriage down the block. I witnessed this while waiting for a bus. The only interpretation I had made at the time, was a couple of alcoholics out having some fun.

[Mistress Kang]

Little doubt she's an artist. I lived with one once - they tend to do stuff like this just to enjoy the feeling of moving on their own plane of existence. They'll also paint random parts of your rental house at random times with random colors. Pisses the landlord off no end.

 

Depending on the brand of artist, most need an audience while I think you'll find that NONE of the mentally disturbed artists truly *need* any LOL This one clearly needed an audience, she's in TIMES SQUARE, I don't know what she *had* to get in that Toys R Us, but there are other options...

[Mistress Kang]

This is very cool. I made a life out of watching the mentally ill in amazement. I just stare. I know I'm alittle nuts myself so I'm a stones throw so I try not to judge. On the subway I see alot of crazy shit. Once on a crowded train I'm standing there next to heavyset ladies. In comes a young Hispanic guy ,little thin guy with a skinny moustache about 20 or so. Well he accidently bumps one of the heavyladies causing a dirty look and the teeth suck. He gets pissed and starts a loud rhetorical conversation with himsrlf on this crowded train, "Damn, women in New York are ugly!"In a strong accent "Damn you ugly!" The ladies are super pissed "Motherfucker,i know you ain't talkin to me!" Then he takes his index fingers and makes a cross like he's warding off dracula" Please don't look at me your fucking ugly!!" Then as it was getting good I was at my spot and missed how it turned out. I suspect that young man was about to get tuned up by these two monsters . It was funny. Oh well, guess you had to be there.

 

This reminds me of a couple I sat across from on a subway once- perceived homeless druggies, one male, one female. One had a box of fried chicken on their lap and maybe they were eating it too, I don't recall exactly. I think they were druggies because of how they were swaying back and forth while the other passengers and I did not experience such a turbelent ride. In one of their intoxicated sways, a fried chicken thighs flew out onto the floor and without missing a crackhead beat, one of them picked it up and either started eating it or put it back in the box...it was so long ago... But what a sight, two crackheads eating fried chicken off the subway floor- yum.

[Mistress Kang]

hey jessy in photo D I spy elmo woo

 

Yes you do! I wonder if it's the same guy or at least Elmo suit LOL

 

 

And I wonder if he's a plushie too! Imagine that. And all male shoe salesmen are foot fetishist...

[Mistress Kang]

Just more proof that people watching provides some of the best free entertainment available.

 

I once saw a grown man in a childs carriage outside of a liquor store in Downtown Newark. Another grown man walked out of the store with bottle in hand, then handed the bottle of liquor to the man in the carriage and proceeded to push the carriage down the block. I witnessed this while waiting for a bus. The only interpretation I had made at the time, was a couple of alcoholics out having some fun.

 

I made an audible HA HA HA as I read that. And I agree, drunk probably homeless dudes clowning around.

[Mistress Kang]

I believe I have sussed out the deep meaning of the photos, and like much that we encounter on a day-to-day basis, fundamental truths lie within the chaos.

 

Brad is, in truth, a recent graduate, stymied by the dearth of job opportunities. The shopping cart contains all that he retained from his undergraduate education, and he stands there replete in all the glory that such an education entails. However, he is jobless and homeless, despite four years or more of hard work. This is all the world, and the current job, market offers Brad. He looks longingly across the street, wondering if his future lies on the other side, but he lacks the courage to make the crossing. Perhaps someday he will. Unbeknownst to Brad, the backpack in the foreground, yet behind him, contains all he really needs to know, but Brad is so busy looking across the street that he cannot recognize that all he needs is passing by his back.

 

In Times Square, Lola the French Maid is the embodiment of all Brad’s notebook doodles. They are the representations of his fractured consciousness spilled out on a naked page. Sure, they were separate on the leaves of his Composition Book—the French Maid, stars, rainbows, and duckies. The French Maid is a long repressed fantasy, although it is unclear whether Brad sees himself in the maid outfit or someone else. The stars are his deep held aspirations, unattainable and forever out of reach because he has cast them at such a lofty height. The rainbows represent the elusive treasure of Leprechauns, forever out of sight and illusory in nature. And the duckies…well, he’ll just have to visit the Fortress to learn about the duckies.

 

The moral to the seemingly random collection of four pictures: there is nothing to be gained in not having the courage to cross the great divide of one’s fears and reservations, and one’s meanderings will cavort in the Boulevard of Dreams, alone and separate from one’s self, if one doesn’t clutch his or her dearly held dreams close to their chest. Never let your dreams go.

 

 

OR, they could be totally random photos.

 

It's funny *and* sad how "Never let your dreams go" can fit into almost circumstantial imagery during people watching. I enjoyed reading your sussings lol

[Outcast]

 

 

This reminds me of a couple I sat across from on a subway once- perceived homeless druggies, one male, one female. One had a box of fried chicken on their lap and maybe they were eating it too, I don't recall exactly. I think they were druggies because of how they were swaying back and forth while the other passengers and I did not experience such a turbelent ride. In one of their intoxicated sways, a fried chicken thighs flew out onto the floor and without missing a crackhead beat, one of them picked it up and either started eating it or put it back in the box...it was so long ago... But what a sight, two crackheads eating fried chicken off the subway floor- yum.

Yes Mistress Kang, back around 15-20 years ago you would see crackheads or crackerteers as I use to call them all over the place. What a horrible drug, people walking like babies roaming the streets looking on the ground for maybe a piece of rock to smoke. Constantly shaking and fiending for a hit. In movies Ide say the most accurate depiction of a crack head was Samuel L Jackson in "Jungle Fever" . He hit the nail on the head. Also, with regards to homeless people , my friend calls them "urban frontiersmen" which I thought has a nice ring.

[Mistress Kang]

Looking at Brad's recent haircut and decent shoes/pants, I'd say he is a recent addition to the homeless population. The cap and gown actually fit, so they may be his. A few possibilities:

 

After graduation, his parents broke the news: You're an adult now;Get out! So he packed his things and stole the shopping cart. Now he is wandering Chinatown, hoping to shame his parents into taking him back.

 

OR

 

He is making an existential statement about graduating from college with no job and $100K in student loans and a $50K judgement against him for illegally downloading songs and movies, The homelessness is just a way to avoid bill collectors.

 

OR

 

He has been a bum for a while, but went to the barber's college and got the cut. The pants and shoes came from a mugging. With his new disguise, he is crashing graduation parties for the free buffets, and plans to invade college dorms for both a place to sleep and things he can sell to feed his drug habit.

 

The freaky Asian-french maid of times square seems more like a public humiliation thing (how did a mistress avoid that possiblity?). It could be that she is just stopping by a toy store on her way to work (at one of the nearby shows), but the face art you described seems to rule that out.

 

What do you think?

 

Hilarious. Regarding your last suggested Brad story- so you're saying he's a lecherous barber turned mugger?!? LOL

 

Actually, one of the ladies *did* think it was perhaps it was a dare or a sort of sorirty hazing. I didn't see anyone around but maybe the proof was to be purchased at Toys R Us?? Maybe the sorority group was waiting nearby in a hotel or a vehicle?

[Mistress Kang]

I wish I had a pic to go with this post alas I do not. On with it. During life in Miami, I was sitting on the drivers side in my car with air conditioning on full blast. In the wing mirror I watched a positively crazed, possible crackhead, JOGGING along the street side of parked cars down (not the sidewalk side) with a pair of RED boxing shorts *AND* BOXING GLOVES (!). But that wasn't it. The kicker to this was this- in the heat of the midday sun of Miami Florida, in addition to his already ridiculous "jogging suit" he wore a clear plastic bag OVER HIS HEAD!!!! That's it folks. Oh, also, I had a running and proven (however coincidental it may have been) theory that crackheads all wear the color red lol This was one of those cases

[Phred]

...I don't know what she *had* to get in that Toys R Us, but there are other options...

Maybe she has Ursusagalmatophilia.

 

I'm just saying...

[Johnny]

Yes Mistress Kang, back around 15-20 years ago you would see crackheads or crackerteers as I use to call them all over the place. What a horrible drug, people walking like babies roaming the streets looking on the ground for maybe a piece of rock to smoke. Constantly shaking and fiending for a hit. In movies Ide say the most accurate depiction of a crack head was Samuel L Jackson in "Jungle Fever" . He hit the nail on the head. Also, with regards to homeless people , my friend calls them "urban frontiersmen" which I thought has a nice ring.

 

I vaguely remember reading a Halle Berry interview a long time ago & she said, specifically for that crackhead role in Jungle Fever, she purposely didn't brush her teeth for like a week or so right before filming because she wanted it to be realistic. She may have been joking, though.

[Johnny]

There's a guy on my block who yells & screams at his imaginary friend every day. I guess they don't get along too well.

 

In the 80's & 90's in the Bowery, Chinatown, LES, etc., there were usually crazies & homeless people all over the place, at least 3 or 4 on every corner, sleeping on the sidewalk. When I was in high school, there was this homeless women who slept in a giant refrigerator box on the sidewalk every night right around the corner from me & I walked passed her every day on my way to school & one morning, I walked passed her & out of nowhere she jumps out of the box at the speed of lightning, scared the shit out me, & she got into a fighting stance, I thought she was gonna attack me, & she starts spitting at me, really far, this women could spit, luckily she didn't get me, & I ran away from her. After that, she didn't bother me for a couple of months so I forgot about it & then all of a sudden, she did it again. I finally started walking on the other side of the street. Eventually she was gone. But I still think of it every time I walk passed that building.

 

A homeless person once gave me a present.

 

I remember so many homeless people over the years & I wonder if they're still alive. One time a lady kept saying hi to me in the E train Station every morning & I used to ignore her because homeless people were a lot more aggressive back then & one day she was talking to me & said I saw you the other day walking with your guitar, are you in a band & I would ignore her. About a week later, I was going to work & she stopped me & said, I have a present for you & she's looking through her bags & I said, listen I gotta go to work, I don't have time for this & she says wait one second, I have a gift for you & I said I really gotta go & I started to walk away & she pulled out a guitar pick & smiled at me & handed it to me. I stopped & took the pick & said, thank you so much, that really was thoughtful. She said I found it & immediately thought of you. I felt really bad after that & I kept the pick for a long time, wondering if I was the only person left who acknowledged her existance & then I eventually lost that pick & felt bad about it & then my girlfriend made me feel bad for losing it. I wonder if she's still alive.

[Johnny]

Love & Heroin -

 

This is weird, when I was a teenager, early 80's, I was walking down St. Marks Place & this attractive couple, guy & girl, about early to mid 20's, were sitting on the hood of a car & they started to get ready to have a passionate kiss, it looked like a movie the way they put their hands on each others faces & stared into each other's eyes, getting ready to have this incredible passionate kiss & then all of a sudden, as they moved their faces closer to each other & their lips were just about to touch, they became completely stiff, it was like the twilight zone in color, completely paralized & stuck in the positions that they were in, almost like time stopped for them and noone else & there they were paralyzed holding onto each other's faces & then they started to tip over & fall onto the roof of the car, but with their arms & legs still bent in that position.

 

They must have both shot up at the same time or one right after the other. & wanted to have experience that kiss exactly when the drug would take effect. Although that was one of the first times I saw someone on heroin, that pretty much was a typical day in NYC in the 80's. Luckily, I never, ever touched that stuff.

[Mistress Lahiri]

This thread really has me thinking about perception...look at all of this we're speculating about other people and imagine what they're saying about us! I was walking out of the Fortress the other day and I saw a man across the street and he nodded at me as I got into a cab and I couldn't help wondering...what does he think I do? Where does he think I'm going? I wonder if anyone in the outside world can tell I'm a domme...wonder if anyone knows that in my purse, next to my wallet and phone, is a length of rope and a pair of thigh high stockings

[joey]

brad is one smart cookie. as jack london once said a homeless man is a man who has just given up. when i was growing up in washington dc we had a lot of guys like him on the street. you could go to these guys and get info on things like how to make a gourmet dinner or a possible cure for cancer.

 

the Asian girl got up that morning and put on what she thought was her best bdsm stuff. she was going to the Fortress to ask MJK for an audition. however she got a case of stage fright and went into the toys r us for an interview.

[Mistress Kang]

brad is one smart cookie. as jack london once said a homeless man is a man who has just given up. when i was growing up in washington dc we had a lot of guys like him on the street. you could go to these guys and get info on things like how to make a gourmet dinner or a possible cure for cancer.

 

the Asian girl got up that morning and put on what she thought was her best bdsm stuff. she was going to the Fortress to ask MJK for an audition. however she got a case of stage fright and went into the toys r us for an interview.

 

Did you actually ask those DC sidewalk residents how to cook a gourmet meal??

 

Hmm...if someone came to the Fortress and met me dressed in an outfit like that I think I'd need some sort of explanation for it whether I'd suss it out for myself or just ask her directly. Hopefully it'd be because she's the artist "type" and not the crazy type.

[Mistress Kang]

Found this online of other people's people watching, specifically Asian "photographers"! It's like they're all saying "look at my ass!" LOL

 

 

 

 

[Outcast]

Found this online of other people's people watching, specifically Asian "photographers"! It's like they're all saying "look at my ass!" LOL

 

 

 

 

They're practicing chi gung horse stance!

[Johnny]

In the 80's, one night I was standing in front of CBGB's with my friends & a homeless person came up to us & asked us if we had a light & none of us did so were were like, sorry, we don't have a light & my friends are crackin' up & I'm like what's so funny & my friends are nodding, look, his joint is hangin' out of his pants.

 

Another time I fell asleep on the bus & I woke up to everybody on the bus laughing, I was like what's going on they were saying you didn;t see that,a guy was just walking down 10th ave. completely nude until the cops came & arrested him.