June CBAs

The Creative Begging Awards are back! I was worried at the end of May that I wouldn't find as good contestants this month as Elmo, Obama and, of course, our current champ, Mr. Random African American. But I should have known that I'd have nothing to be nervous about -- there's truly an endless supply of crazy in New York City, and I'm happy to say that the beggars really stepped up their game these last few weeks. So without further ado, here are the street pitches that really shone in June...

NOMINEES
1. Emperor of McDonald's: this scraggly man stands at the corner of Delancey and Essex outside of a McDonald's and holds the door open for everyone who goes inside. If no one's entering, he'll shout phrases like "I am the Emperor of McDonald's and I command you to buy McNuggets!" or "The Emperor of McDonald's ain't lovin' your attitude!".
2. The Joker: A guy in Times Square gets dressed up in a flamboyant purple suit and paints his face to look like Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight. When he walks up to tourists, completely stoic, his one-liner is: "Put a smile on this face."
3. Voodoo Lady: I've only seen this woman once, but her temerity was outstanding enough to earn her a nomination. Two young guys were on the edge of the sidewalk trying to hail a cab when she came up and jostled them aside. They were sort of confused, especially when she started wiggling her fingers and muttering something at the traffic. Ten seconds later a cab showed up and she opened the door for the young men. Poor guys tried getting in, but she wouldn't let them. "I summon cab for you," she huffed, "you owe five dollars." The guys just shoved past and crawled in; she gave the cab the finger as it sped away.

To vote for who you think deserves the June CBA, leave a comment on this post. Poll closes on July 1st at 12:00a.m..

Good luck to all the nominees, and may the best beggar win!