I have successfully managed to experience a stress free St. Patrick’s Day parade in four easy steps.
1. I got in early to beat the crowds, spotting Paddy’s Day decorations in the unlikliest of venues, people (and dog) watching and catching the marchers preparing for their long day.
Zigolini - screams Irish, doesn't it?
Irish wolfhound getting into the holiday spirit
Getting ready to put their best foot forward
St Patrick's Cathedral looming large
Early birds catch the worm. No idea how long they'd been sitting out there.
Auxilliary police unit getting ready to march
2. I went to the end of the parade route to avoid the worst of the crowds and figured about four blocks before the end the bands would get a second wind, knowing that a well-deserved pint was just a few blocks away. I stayed for the early part of the parade while the crowds were still thin on the ground, and took way too many photos for the short time that I was there. Sorry, but I get a bit snap-happy sometimes.
Bloomberg's not an Irish name, is it?
3. Tedium was beginning to set in. Now I love brass bands, men in kilts are cool and horses and wolfhounds are great, but it’s the inbetween stuff that really drags. Those people who you don’t know, who wander along the route doing nothing, attempting some kind of royal wave. But I got through the tedium by remembering it was really, after all, all about the kids.
4. Just as the crowd was beginning to fill out, I turned tail and left, heading north in search of a very different kind of green parade. Just one final image of St Patrick’s Day – the Actor’s Chapel glowing green on my way home.
The Actor's Chapel glowing green
Hope you had a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Where's my backpack? 