the man in the newspaper suit
I asked you to remind me to tell you about the man in the newspaper suit. I still have so many east coast trip stories to tell.
I was walking down the street towards the apartment in which I was staying in New York. It’s a very lovely street in Chelsea.
Sitting on a stool facing the street was a man in a newspaper suit. I’m not sure of how the infrastructure of this suit was built, but the newspapers were cut or torn into strips (a couple inches wide and several inches long) and tied, much like a rag rug.
He was a sight to behold, not only because he was wearing a carefully crafted, newspaper strip suit, but also because his face was painted dark green. The newspaper strips surrounded his face and much of his body, so he looked like some kind of urban Maurice Sendak character come to life. He was completely at ease, sitting next to a friend selling newspapers, and just, well, hanging out.
I could not help but give him a second, admiring look as I passed. He saw me looking.
Man in the newspaper suit: Hey! I like your boots!
Me: I like your whole outfit!
Man in the newspaper suit: I like everything about you!
We laughed and I moved on.
What a great exchange. I’d love to know his story.
Uh-oh, I did forget to remind you. That’s a great story. And he was amazingly attired.