Working in a Ticker-Tape Parade Zone

The New York Giants' Super Bowl win on Sunday meant a ticker-tape parade on Tuesday. Since this is at least the third ticker-tape parade in the four years I've worked in Lower Manhattan, it's old hat. But that doesn't mean my coworkers and I like it.

Obviously I have many colleagues who were extremely happy at the win, and a few went out to see the parade on Broadway, just a half-block away. But Giants fan or not, a ticker-tape parade results in many hassles for workers in the area.

It wasn't that bad for me. I normally take a single train to work, without transferring. However, that train deposits me on the west side of Broadway, and my work is on the east side. Crossing Broadway is nearly impossible on parade days, so I transferred to another line that goes on the east side. So far, no problem.

But the Broadway exit that I would typically use that deposits me a half-block from work was closed by the police because of the crowds, and all commuters at the station -- where something like eight subway lines converge -- were being herded to a single exit a couple of blocks from Broadway. I finally made it outside and fought my way south, when most parade-goers were heading north. Both street blocks that have entrances to my building were closed, but a kind officer let me through when I explained that I worked there. All in all, I got to work about 10 minutes later than I normally would have.

Crowds one block from Broadway, one hour before the parade.
Freedom Tower in background.

A co-worker was not so lucky. He had no choice but to start his journey to work on the west side of Broadway. Innumerable officers pointed him this way and that, and for a time he couldn't even cross Broadway. There was a clear divide, he said: Giants fans in blue, others trying to get to work in black. An hour and 15 minutes later, he made it.

When I left work at 6:30, there were still some stray bits of confetti (shredded paper, really), but the crowds had long since dissipated. At the bars, I suspect, or at home sleeping it off.

New York Celebrates Another Yankee Victory

News flash: The New York Yankees won the World Series last week.

And although I'm not particularly a fan of the Yankees, I did root for the home team throughout the postseason, so I just had to get a glimpse of the ticker-tape parade on Friday just steps from my office.

Actually, this was my second New York ticker-tape parade (the first was after the Giants won the 2008 Super Bowl), so I was prepared for the crowds. I made it to work just fine -- even a couple of minutes early -- but a couple of my co-workers weren't so lucky. They got stuck on the other side of Broadway, weren't allowed through the crowds and across the street, and took more than an hour to go about 2 blocks.

From my desk I could hear the cheers and screams from the crowd outdoors, so I could tell when the parade was nearby. I grabbed my camera phone and snapped a few quick shots of the spectators and floats. Did I see Derek Jeter? A-Rod? Maybe. I was really too far away to know.

The intoxication wasn't limited to the 21-and-over crowd. Some of my co-workers saw many a kid drunk and looking for more. I guess I was too busy wondering who was going to fall off their makeshift stool first to notice any of that.




There's always next year, Reds.

St. Patrick's Day, Bay Ridge Style

The pounding bass and loud late-night crowds have all but disappeared in the last year from the bar/Mexican restaurant two floors below us. But today is the exception to the rule: the day of the Bay Ridge St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The neighborhood unearthed everything kelly green from the closet and lined Fifth Avenue for the 90 minute march of mostly bagpipe bands and Irish dancers. Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- now running for a controversial third term -- also walked the 30+ block route. I joined the crowd long enough to get a green-tinted bagel donated by a local politician and watched the rest of the parade from the bedroom window.

The parade ended about 45 minutes ago, but I can hear the crowds and tunes from the bar downstairs and don't expect it to end for at least another 9 or 10 hours.

Another Thanksgiving in New York

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year on this day I fulfilled a lifelong dream by attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But unlike last year, which was a freakishly warm 70 degrees, today was about 40 degrees colder. So instead I watched the parade from the comfort of my own couch.

That's OK, because Paul and I got our fill of the parade last night. The gigantic balloons are inflated the night before Thanksgiving and netted down on a couple of side streets just west of Central Park. Not knowing what to expect, we went to see for ourselves.

The experience actually was more of a hassle than attending the parade itself. The crowds were as thick as cranberry sauce, and the line to reach even the first balloon stretched several blocks. But once you reached them it was fun seeing the balloons at eye-level, if you can say that about something that's three stories tall.

All in all, we spent about two hours in line and seeing the balloons-- nearly as long as we were at the parade itself last year. My advice? Watch the real thing and go to the parade.

St. Patrick's Day, Take Two

St. Patrick's Day was two weeks ago, but you wouldn't have known it if you were in Bay Ridge yesterday.

Our neighborhood held its St. Paddy's Day parade yesterday afternoon for some reason, and the route was right by our apartment. I watched from one of our bedroom windows.

It started with one of the local politicians handing out green bagels (alas, I could not sample one since I was inside) and it ended with all of the nearby bars being packed and LOUD for the rest of the night, at least past midnight when I went to sleep.

The parade itself reminded me a bit of Defiance's Halloween Parade, except this one had fewer floats and more bagpipes. I had no idea New York City had so many bagpipe bands. I'd never before seen so many kilts.

A Tuesday for the books

It's not everyday you see streams of toilet paper flying outside your window.

That was the scene today, about a block away from the Giant's ticker-tape parade in Lower Manhattan. The streets were crowded when I got to work about 9:15. A few of my co-workers had trouble making it to the building less than an hour later.

All morning through the early afternoon, horns and the crowd's chanting buzzed through the windows. Confetti -- shredded documents, not the pastel papers you see at parties -- flitted through the sky. A few whole pieces of paper drifted to the ground, and toilet paper streamed out of high-rise windows.

The whole thing seemed to come straight from the 1940s, but ticker-tape parades supposedly have a longer history than even that. New York's first was to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. This was the first, however, since 2000.

Speaking of old-school, I voted in today's primary with a mechanical lever machine. I didn't know anybody still used those! I was in college when I was first eligible to vote and had to vote absentee. By the time I had my own permanent address, I was using electronic machines.

Not only is it Super Tuesday, it's also Shrove Tuesday. I always got donuts at Schuler's in Springfield on this day, and I miss it now. Instead, we're going to Little Cupcake- the best substitute.

Thanksgiving in the city

The first thing I was thankful for Thursday morning was a beautiful, sunny day. The temperature reached into the 60s-- perfect weather to watch my first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person.

I had planned to bundle up in about four layers of clothing. Instead I wore a long-sleeve shirt and a fall jacket. It felt even warmer outside because of the crowds.

The parade's Web site said we may want to get there as early as 6:30 a.m. to get a good view. No thanks. We got there at 8:15, 45 minutes before the parade started, and contended with only about four rows of people in front of us. Paul and I are tall, so that hardly mattered. Not long after we got there, the major crowds began to arrived and it appeared to be difficult to even move down the sidewalks.

We were at about the midway point of the parade, at 50th and Broadway. That's about 16 blocks from Macy's, where all the performances were. I couldn't help but notice that we were surrounded by symbols of New York and Ohio:

a Duane Reade pharmacy across the street ...

and an Applebee's to our right.

The parade got to us at 9:30. The parade featured a few semi-celebrities: Good Charlotte, Dolly Parton, Lifehouse, Wynonna Judd, Menudo and I think a few people from High School Musical. Of course there were several high school bands from around the country, and I couldn't help but recall how jealous I was when the Defiance High School band were invited to perform years back.

The helium balloons looks even larger in person than they do on TV. It sometimes felt like they were right on top of us. When any of them veers toward the sidewalk, the entire crowd cried, "Whooo!" in unison.

The parade ends at noon on TV but was done at 11:30 where we were. Then everyone crowded onto Broadway to take pictures and maybe catch a last glimpse of the parade as it winded south. It was strange to be standing in the middle of such a normally-busy throroughfare.

I wanted to take advantage of the sun, so we headed to Central Park a few blocks away, and we weren't the only ones. The park was completely filled with kids on the playgrounds and families (including us) climbing the huge rocks near the southern edge. Paul found out last night on the Internet that there are books dedicated to bouldering in Central Park, the rocks are that big.

The ice rink was busy as well, and Christmas music drifted into the air. Then we walked down Fifth Avenue, peering at a few of the holiday window decorations.

We cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner-for-two that night, but the day was certainly not like any holiday I'd ever experienced before. Unfortunately the warm weather didn't last long-- it's back to hats and gloves today.