We said goodbye to Dino Eli. Aka “The Galeristo”, “The Mayor of Orchard Street”, “Poppy”. During my early days of NYC living, I led the classic starving artist life on the lower east side. When I met Dino he helped me and my friends in any way he could. He found me an apartment and roommate where I lived for several years. I saw him almost every day on the block. He hosted my first solo photo show out of his little gallery on Orchard Street (which is now a deep fried ice cream joint). Dino was born and raised in New York to a gypsy family. He used to tell fortunes for cash. He was full of superstitions. If we were walking on the street together and I walked on the opposite side of a lamppost, he would turn around and re-walk on the same side as me. He said “it’s bad luck if we are divided by something” I could give many more quirky examples like this. When I took these photos in May of 2012 he wasn’t in a great mood. As he sat in his child sized chair, he was bitching about his struggling gallery business and how fat he was getting. Everything was rolling the wrong way for him. Looking back now, I appreciate the trust he had in me to photograph him in such a vulnerable state. I could write a book about my days of Orchard Street and Dino would be a pivotal character. We sadly lost touch for years. I tried to find him, but in true Gypsy fashion, he left no trace but in our memories. Rest easy Poppy