Just walking to and from the train station to the office every morning and evening, there are several characters I see regularly. One is a woman I call the Purple Pansy, because she is tall, and invariably dressed in purple. Some days it is lilac, other days it is violet, but so far always purple. I am sure she is a very nice lady, but she obviously has a thing for the colour purple!
Another fixture is the fellow who sits on the stone steps of a large office building and begs for spare change. Well, he doesn't actually beg. He just patiently sits there, day after day, with his empty Tim Horton's coffee cup in front of him. I don't think I've ever seen him without a book or a paper. When it gets really cold or rainy, he disappears for a while, but resurfaces once the weather becomes warmer.
Then there is the homeless fellow, somewhat younger than the man on the steps, who always dresses in business-like attire--a dress shirt, sports jacket and pants, a very battered briefcase, and sneakers.
Like many of the homeless people on the streets, he is obviously mentally ill. Sometimes he talks to himself and other times he harangues passersby. Sometimes people hand him coins but most folks look the other way.
My favourite denizen is a young woman who is somewhat of a fashion maven. Every day she wears a different ensemble, complete with Manolo Blahniks! There is no need to check out the fashion mags, just watch her from day to day and you'll get a very good idea of the latest trends.
If I ever need to change jobs, and move to one that isn't downtown, I will definitely miss the people most of all....
1 comment:
You always loved people watching! You've passed that love onto me!
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