Not again!

Today I was in Tompkins Square Park again and a different man walked by me as I was sitting on a bench and said, "You have beautiful toes!" He then came over and said, "Do you realize how beautiful your toes are?" He sat down next to me and again told me how wonderful they were. I had been reading a magazine which I slowly put away in my purse. He must have anticipated me leaving because he then said in such a sincere way, "Oh, no - you don't have to go! They're really beautiful." To which I replied, "Thank you," and quickly walked away.

I think I might be spending the rest of summer wearing boots.

Tompkins Square Park

It was nice out today so I was wearing flip flops. A man noticed and said, "I like your toes... Can I suck them?" Then after I ignored him and passed by I faintly heard him say, "Can I?"

East 7th Street & Avenue A

I walked by Niagara on my way home from dinner last night and prepared myself to either ignore the usual beggars or meekly apologize for my lack of change. But no one asked me for money. What I got was this:

"I'm ready to bang you all night, mama." And as I quickly walked away I heard, "No, come on, I'll bang ya!"

I think we can all appreciate the fact that this homeless man was offering a service as opposed to just seeking a handout. If only more people were this resourceful.

Getting Used to It

I don't know which is worse: being so acutely aware of every cat call that you receive or being able to ignore it.

Of course, over the years, I've learned to let them slide for the most part, reserving my vocalizations for the most interesting and offensive cat calls. Since starting this Cat Call Appall project, I've become much more aware of these acts again and usually don't let them slide as easily. I know mom always used to say ignore them and they'll go way but, much like flies, they just seem to multiply.

Seeing as I probably got my first cat call when I was 13 or so, I've been getting cat called for well over a decade now. Mom usually has great advice but ignoring the problem just doesn't seem to do the trick.

Last night on St. Mark's an SUV drove by and the passenger rolled down his window so he could make kissing noises at me. I responded with a very dry, "Yeah, yeah" in a way that DeNiro's blonde wife from the Bronx in "Raging Bull" might have said it. As I crossed the street I gave the car the finger. They probably didn't even see me do it but it was somewhat satisfying to at least respond to their oversized vehicle.