Mia
Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2009
- Messages
- 359
- Reaction score
- 11
Can't write much as I have a touch of the flu and have to turn in soon, but wanted to post and say that I did bike over to the Lower East Side yesterday and show Judith's picture around. I didn't even bother going over to talk to anyone that looked to be under the age of 40-45 at the very least, but talked to about 7 or 8 'old timers' that have been living in that area on and off the streets for the past 40-50 years +. A few looked at her picture and just shook their head, one muttered, "Pretty girl - where is she?" and I tried to tell him the story of what happened to her but couldn't seem to get through to him that she disappeared over 30 years ago, and not just recently. There was a couple, a man and a woman, homeless, who I talked to, both of whom seemed very lucid. He said he is 54 and she said she is 58, and according to them they were living on and off the streets in that area in the late 70s/early 80s (and still are - amazing, really). When I showed them Judy's photos they, too, commented on how beautiful she was, and when I told them her story the woman especially started getting very sad, tearing up, and smoking cigarette after cigarette. She said that during that era, there were just thousands of very young people coming to NYC to live on the streets and she was friends with many of them. She said that so many just 'disappeared' one day, without saying goodbye, or giving any indication they were leaving. That area sounds like it was a revolving door for lost souls back then (and to a lesser extent, still is). Anyway, this woman, whose first name is Amy, did not recognize Judy at first, but she said she looked familiar and asked to keep a few of the printouts so she could continue to look at them, show them around, and see what she could come up with. I happily gave a dozen of them. So although I didn't get any direct hits the first time around, I did meet Amy and get her on our side/working for our cause, and this is a woman who has been living in the same scene Judy was living in for the past 40 years or so. I am hoping she can find something out, even if it is a tiny bit of information. I also posted Judy's Charley Project page on all the store billboards/bus stops/phone poles/trees, etc. Not sure how long they're going to stay up, but tens of thousands of people walk down Avenues A and B every day. If just one who knows something catches a glimpse in the next 24 to 48 hours (my prediction how long they will stay up), well, you just never know.
I told Amy I would be back in the park (Tompkins Square) next weekend and that I'd buy lunch for all three of us if they'd like to meet me again and talk about old times, about Judy, about anything. They agreed, so I'm hoping she and her boyfriend/husband will keep our date.
I didn't ask anyone yet about AR, as I didn't feel comfortable doing so just yet. But after talking/meeting with Amy and her boyfriend a time or two more and gaining some of their trust, enough that I have a chance of getting an honest answer and not just an "No, never heard of him", I will ask. Maureen/Kim: is this even worthwhile, though? You mentioned that Judy met AR in Oswego at the university up there. Do you know if he even ever spent any time in NYC? Or was he a primarily Oswego resident? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!
And Oriah, thanks so much for the info on the old women's homes/hostels. I live in the West Village, so Leo's in Chelsea is particularly close and because you say it is run by the same nuns/women now, I think it is my best bet. I am going to try my best to go up there sometime this week one day when I can get off work a little early.
Keep up the great work, you guys! I almost felt Judy's beautiful spirit as I walked the streets of her old stomping ground yesterday. This wonderful young woman needs to be found, or at the very least her fate needs to be uncovered. Someone out there knows - it is just a matter of connecting with that particular person. I, for one, am not going to stop until I've pursued all avenues - twice! Like I said, I feel a special connection with Judy, and I just know she's the kind of girl I would have loved to have been friends with, gone dancing with, and stayed up late walking NYC's streets and talking about life and love with. She truly is a kindred spirit.
I told Amy I would be back in the park (Tompkins Square) next weekend and that I'd buy lunch for all three of us if they'd like to meet me again and talk about old times, about Judy, about anything. They agreed, so I'm hoping she and her boyfriend/husband will keep our date.
I didn't ask anyone yet about AR, as I didn't feel comfortable doing so just yet. But after talking/meeting with Amy and her boyfriend a time or two more and gaining some of their trust, enough that I have a chance of getting an honest answer and not just an "No, never heard of him", I will ask. Maureen/Kim: is this even worthwhile, though? You mentioned that Judy met AR in Oswego at the university up there. Do you know if he even ever spent any time in NYC? Or was he a primarily Oswego resident? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!
And Oriah, thanks so much for the info on the old women's homes/hostels. I live in the West Village, so Leo's in Chelsea is particularly close and because you say it is run by the same nuns/women now, I think it is my best bet. I am going to try my best to go up there sometime this week one day when I can get off work a little early.
Keep up the great work, you guys! I almost felt Judy's beautiful spirit as I walked the streets of her old stomping ground yesterday. This wonderful young woman needs to be found, or at the very least her fate needs to be uncovered. Someone out there knows - it is just a matter of connecting with that particular person. I, for one, am not going to stop until I've pursued all avenues - twice! Like I said, I feel a special connection with Judy, and I just know she's the kind of girl I would have loved to have been friends with, gone dancing with, and stayed up late walking NYC's streets and talking about life and love with. She truly is a kindred spirit.
