Trick or...Parade?

It’s listed as one of the top One Hundred Things to Do Before You Die. It attracts over two million visitors each year, disrupts traffic all over town, and boasts some of the most elaborate displays of puppetry to found anywhere in the U.S.. Yes, I’m talking about none other than New York’s Village Halloween Parade, and yes, this was the adventure that Stephanie and I chose to partake in the last weekend of October.

Originally, our game plan had involved elaborate paper mache costumes that would shock and awe all those who looked upon us. Alas, work, visitors, and other New York adventures got in the way and we arrived at the 31st with nothing to show for ourselves. Resilient, we quickly assembled some costumes with old clothes and cheap eye-shadow-turned-face-paint. Stephanie ended up as a wandering gypsy woman, and I was a unicorn (with a somewhat dubious head-piece – I think I looked more like an uncoordinated rabbit that had an unfortunate run in with a poll).

Pleased with our quick thinking, we headed down to the village. As we drew nearer, more and more interesting folk appeared in the subway cars – Santa Clause and the Mario Brothers, to name a few. When we finally stepped off onto the platform, there wasn’t an un-costumed face in sight. The press of people was so thick that it took a good ten minutes to get through the turn styles and up the stairs. When we finally did emerge, the first thing I noticed was the ubiquitous police presence. Everywhere you looked there were officers, giving directions, keeping the crowd flowing, and making it clear that this was going to be a safe event.

After some wandering and crowd weaving, we eventually made it to a holding pen for parade walkers (we weren’t about to just watch this – we wanted to march!). At first, it was just fun looking at all the bizarre outfits swirling around us. There was a Satyr that looked remarkably real, and a glowing firefly too. But the pen was packed pretty tight, and despite the party vibe and thumping music coming from the float next to us, our feet were starting to feel it after a half hour of waiting. The rain sealed the deal for us – we were busting out! (And by busting out I mean saying a lot of “excuse me”, “pardon me”, “excuse me” as we squirmed through the press of people and clambered unceremoniously over the side barricades). Once we were free of the pen, it was easy to slip into the actual parade. We walked next to a zombie pirate ship for awhile, then tailed an LGBT marching band, and got stuck behind a huge group of “Thriller” dancers. All in all, it probably would have been more fun if the rain wasn’t coming down in sheets by this time. Sufficiently soaked and satisfied with the experience, we soon turned our attention to escaping the parade itself – a feat which proved even more challenging than getting in. Despite the rain, the crowd watching was between five and ten people deep, and protected by barricades. It took us a good half mile of walking before we glimpsed a weak spot and made a break for it.

Once we were free of the parade, we shuffled along bovine-like with the herds of people milling through the village. Eventually we came to a little Mexican Restaurant where we relaxed and dried off while eating super-spicy salsa. We met up with friends after that, then began the long trek home (there was a line above ground for the subway). Needless to say, there were lots of rowdy, intoxicated riders packed in with us. We found their loud antics amusing, to say the least, but we were just as excited when we found out that yes, the train would be going express. Joyous high fives all around!

Wandering the City

It's been a few weeks. It's actually been quite a full few weeks too, so I'll do my best to get this up to date. And thus, this entry goes out to my Grandpa – hopefully I won't be so negligent in my writing in the future!

Aidan's visit was relaxing. We took it easy, opting for lazy mornings over sight-seeing and movies over Broadway shows. Really, after six weeks apart, it was just nice to spend time together again. Of course, being the couple that we are, we still managed to get in our fair share of adventure. Among other things (including a fruitless SoHo cupcake search), one such adventure was our Sunday trek out to Brooklyn. The train ride was long, but the invitation from our Michigan friends (Alex and Zan) had included a homemade dinner, and a sneak peak at the new dance piece they were putting together – an irresistible combination. So when Sunday morning rolled around we got ourselves out of bed at a reasonable hour, whipped up a carrot cake, and hopped the downtown A train.

Once we finally got above ground on the other side of the river, Aidan and I found ourselves in a semi-industrial neighborhood. It’s amazing how other-worldly different neighborhoods (and boroughs) can feel in New York, especially when you remember how small the city actually is. But it was nice taking in the different sights as we made our way over to the small but impressive studio space their company was rehearsing in. We climbed the creaky stairs and settled in for the show which, to our delight, incorporated big wheels! The piece turned out to be both playful and moving, full of all the energy and unique movement of the best kinds of modern dance. You learn so much from sitting in on rehearsals as well: back story, tricky spots, differing opinions and the reasoning behind choices. It really fleshes out the experience (and almost always leaves me aching to create my own work!)

Afterwards, we helped pack the props into their car and headed over to their home in Park Slope. It was a beautiful, large, first floor apartment with a bay window – and a yard! We had a wonderfully autumnal meal of vegetarian chili with avocado (I still need to swipe the recipe) with thick carrot cake slices for dessert. And the conversation was just as good; it was so refreshing to talk to another young “artsy” couple that was making it work in the city. Every once in a while you need a reminder that yeah, even though there are rough days, you can get through them – and it’s worth it in the end.

Aidan stayed until Tuesday morning, when he boarded a terribly early flight back to Ann Arbor. But I wasn’t left without company for long. That Friday, my friend Julie arrived in Times Square ready to take on the city. Our first item on the agenda was the Broadway show “In the Heights”, winner of the 2008 Tony Award for best new musical. With a few hours to kill before curtain, I led Julie away from the bright lights and over to the sleek bars of ninth avenue. We snacked and sauntered around Hell’s Kitchen for a bit before heading over to the theater. The show was fun, full of romance, impressive dancing, and numerous references to upper Manhattan (the set looked like my street corner)!

And that was just the beginning. On Saturday, we really hit the town. After showing off the farmer’s market, headed down to the Hell’s Kitchen flea market (which was disappointingly small) and then over to Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and the fashion district. We popped into all sorts of little boutiques, each of us succumbing to a least one fun purchase. Then later on we happened upon a street fair that we wandered through all the way to the edge of the park. Now, it wasn’t a particularly nice day out – cold, gray, with occasional spits of rain – but Central Park in the fall isn’t something to be missed. We wandered through the east side paths for a good twenty blocks, taking in the foliage, the carriages, and the harvest festival. We finally emerged around 81^st, where we quickly found a diner to soothe our grumbling stomachs. Then, it was on to the Met! Julie had never been to the enormous museum before (or the city, for that matter) so it was a lot of fun to point out the big highlights, like the Egyptian Temple and the Sculpture courtyard. However, I had never visited on a Saturday before, and the press of tourists was overwhelming at times. Nevertheless, we got in a good amount of browsing, and by the time we left, it was getting dark.

Originally, we had planned to go over to the Guggenheim (which is free Saturday evenings from 5:45-7:45pm), but it would seem that every other person in the city had the same idea; the line was around the avenue length block. Fortunately, we had our trusty Time Out with us, and were able to find a suitable alternative. Switching gears from visual to performing art, we headed down to the Public Theatre for a free staged reading of a LAByrinth play. Not without its flaws, the show was nonetheless engaging, and I’m glad that Julie’s first experience with staged readings was at such a great theatre.

On Sunday we headed up to Fort Tryon Park, strolled through the Heather Garden, and had a delicious brunch at the New Leaf Café (our “splurge” meal). Then it was off to SoHo for more gallery hopping and boutique shopping. It was a much prettier afternoon, and it was all too easy to pass the hours strolling through the gorgeous neighborhood. Eventually we made our way over to the west village as well, ending up at the Chelsea Market. I could spend days there! I love all of the eccentric little food and culinary supply shops. I must say I was impressed with my own restraint; I only ended up with some thai spices and shortbread!

We ended our whirlwind tour of the city with some karaoke at our favorite local spot, The Piper’s Kilt. It was a thoroughly fun and exhausting weekend, and I was so happy that Julie was able to make it out. Of course, the next weekend was just as packed…

To be continued!