Louise at OTBKB posted her own list after seeing NY Magazine’s Top 10 Most Influential New Yorkers. Of course, I had to come up with my own list. These are not in any order other than the first one. They just came into my head this way. Who’s on your list??
1. Regular Folk. My neighbors, the people on the streets, in the subway, the teachers, the sanitation guys, the token clerks, the diner waitstaff, the FDNY and PDNY, the local hardware shop owner, the bus driver….you get the point. These are the people who make NYC what it is.
2. Rudolph Guiliani. Hated the guy! Hated what he did to the city. But changed the face of the city, so that makes him important.
3. Ed Koch. He’s the guy I think of when I think of the NYC I grew up in. Was he a good mayor? I was too young to have an opinion. Important? Yeah, why not?
4. Gloria Steinem. Too young to remember what I thought of her. I had Bella Abzug on the list because I remember her and her funny hats. I bumped her for Gloria because G was probably more important. My list is light on the women!
5. Al Sharpton. Ok, so the guy is a pain in the ass. I actually gained a lot of respect for him during his 2004 presidential campaign. I took a survey on which candidate had the same views as myself and he ranked second after Kucinich.
6. David Berkowitz. Son of Sam scared the sh*t out of me that one summer. Does a serial killer deserve to be on the list of the most important people in NY? Probably not. But in my mind, the fear he created changed something in this city.Therefore, I think he has an important role in history.
7. Gordon Parks. Not originally from NY, but he lived here most of his adult life. An incredible photographer, director and writer. He opened the door for black photographers in the fashion industry and gave us a glimpse into Harlem street gangs.
8. Curtis Sliwa. Yeah, that right wing guy on radio and TV. As a little girl (or tween) I remember the Guardian Angels on trains at night and they gave me a sense of security.
9. Loren Michaels. Hello! Saturday Night Live? I didn’t see him on anyone else’s list. Come on, this show is a New York institution. It’s been the catalyst for so many entertainment careers. And it just may take part in swaying this year’s election. (PS: He’s Canadian, but so what?)
10. David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Spike Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon, Martin Scorcese, John Travolta. I had them separately but had too many on the list, so I had to clump them together. They may not all be from NYC originally, but they are extremely important New Yorkers!
Bumped: Phillipe de Montebello, The Clintons, Chuck Schumer, JFK Jr, Jackie O, Donald Trump, Fred Trump