Columbus Day Parade 8th Oct

8^th October

Columbus Day Parade

On waking this morning we discovered that there had been not one but two murders last night both within yards of where we had been in Greenwich Village, it just shows that NY can still be a dangerous place!

Today was Columbus Day, a Bank Holiday, on which there was a parade up 5^thAve.  Apparently it is the last of the season of parades that extends from Easter to this day and that during this time there are no less than 140 different parades, each causing 5^th Ave to be closed, disrupting traffic and having to be policed.  Anyway we decided to take a look and although considered one of the minor parades, it really was quite impressive.  It started at 11.30am and didn’t end until after 2pm.  Overall it was a celebration of Italian Americans and their role in the public life of the city.  Police, Firemen, schools, universities, citizens groups, you name it, including the department of sanitation.  Many of these groups were accompanied by bands, dancing girls and majorettes.  Scattered through the whole event were numerous Italian supercars carrying beauty queens and other dignitaries including the Major and the State Governor.

 Anyway after 200 or more photos we decided we were cold and had had enough so had lunch, visited St. Pats Cathedral and then hit the shops most of which like Bergdorf Goodman’s and Macys, were well beyond the means of the likes of us, so to ensure honour was maintained, can’t go to the shops without shopping, we made purchases in Gap.  Just like Milton Keynes!

 

Before going out to eat we waited for our tour to arrive but gave up when they were two hours late, they eventually arrive three hours later than expected, there has to be a story there.