My Famous Neighbors and Their Politics

I often pass famous people walking down the street. Just in the past year, I have seen Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, Moby, Mario Batali, Tim Robbins, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Ethan Hawke, Mandy Patinkin, and so many others who sweep by me on the streets. Mostly I see people who look familiar to me, and I often think, "That person sort of looks like so and so." Many of these individuals are hard-working New York-based actors who I may have seen for just a minute or two on a TV drama. This morning, for example, I saw a woman who may have played the psycho dead-beat mom on Episode 146 of Law and Order.

I found a good way to look up some of my more politically involved neighbors and see where they live. I can also find out which political parties or candidates they support. It's a website called Fundrace, now part of The Huffington Post. You may enjoy this yourself, because you can plug in any zip code and discover all kinds of things about neighbors and friends. Only the ones who give a certain amount to a political candidate or party are listed.

So, for example, I found out that my aunt in Dallas gave money to George Bush in 2004 and that my New York zip code neighbor, the architect and artist Maya Lin, wrote a substantial check to the Democratic National Committee. Artist Robert Longo is listed as a contributor to the GOP.

In New York, we have an unwritten rule that we leave celebrities alone and do not bother them. If they want more attention, they move to Los Angeles.