Who Is/Was Sylvia?

Sylvia Miles died yesterday. I knew her a bit over the years — she would accost me at parties and ask me to get her a drink. She was frugal — she used to go into NYC restaurants, eat a meal, complain there was a hair in the main course, and ask to be comped — and she was blowsy. But she was a reminder of the days when New York was full of unique individuals — “characters,” we used to call them. Those days are long gone — “characters” can’t afford to live in the city anymore. It’s a pity.

Leave a Comment