jouvert the parade

Maybe the j'ouvert was great but this parade sucked. Not to many live bands or costumes but plenty of politicians and unions. The only ones who seemed to be putting any effort into having a good time were the Jamaican and Guyanese trucks/crew. I did have a good plate of fried shrimp though, and there didn't seem to be much of a crowd.

just back in, and wow that was fun!

if you're headed out, i strongly recommend the conch salad at the bahamian stand on the north side of the street just east of nostrand.

and as for the politicians, the only one i minded was suozzi, who made a bit of an ass of himself. but i wasn't sorry to have taken his flyer, because later i was in a portapotty with no toilet paper.

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=62306

The parade was great this year! I took a whole Flickr set of pictures, if you want to see what you missed:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redlipstick/sets/72157594269380257/

Yeah, those pics are GREAT!

Wow, I recognized some costumes that I'd only seen the top 20% of (due to being short). Thanks for posting them.

I never heard of Jouvert but now I know. I got stuck in that area at 4am this morning, because I could not understand why they were preparing for the parade so damn early! So much traffic! A 10 minute ride turned into a 45 minute one. Wow.

Are you girls of carribean descent?

The Haitians weren't having a good time.

I'm glad everyone had fun!! I had the opportunity to play mass (march in the parade) this year. This was the first time I ever did it. I was with the D'Midas truck (I believe it was the second truck to go down in the parade)... our theme was a Touch of Glass, so unlike most of the costumes out there we weren't wearing feathers.

Anyways... one of our Queens won for best costume which is great!!

I can't believe we danced from like Rockaway Pkwy all the way down to the Museum... but I woke up this morning with aches and pains to prove it!!

As soon as I get all of my pics together I will definitely post them...

sje - many thanks for the pics - they are great.

My Bajan wife and I had a ball - Barbados forever!

Great roti and conch along the way plus curried goat and of course maubi.

sje wrote: Was there no or very little alcohol for sale this year, or am I wrong? It was a particularly mellow and happy year, and I think this is why. Even the cops seemed relaxed.

There hasn't been any alcohol for sale since the Giuliani ban, but there was lots of alcohol being consumed (and not all of it by me).

Official sale of alcohol has been prohibited since the Guiliani years (at all NYC parades not just WIAD) - that's why the Red Strip truck is no longer around.

sje wrote: Oh, OFFICIAL sale. The last two years there was plenty of it, and the drunken revelers to match. This year, I saw very few drunks, for some reason.

Interesting distinction, right? It's like the LAW against consuming alcoholic beverages in the Park during a philharmonic concert - yeah, right

sweet tea wrote: oh! you strike me to the core!

seriously, though, they weren't? they sure seemed to be when i saw them. but then, it was my first time at the parade, and, as previously noted, i don't understand kreyole. but i felt like this big wave of joy came by. not hectic frantic wild happy, like the jamaicans (also good times), but JOY. like we were all floating for a minute.

and then the bajans, who i also loved. i had my hands in the air, i was singing. i loved it.

maybe it was all just a mystical effect of conch salad and mauby.

Maybe I'm not being fair. I attended from 12:30-3:00. Walked from Underhill to Rogers. I thought the food was great, hence my hogging down the lo-cal fried shrimp with fried wings, macs and cheese and collards and a diet pepsi, the crowds very calm and happy. The cops also calm and taking things in stride. My gripe isn't with the aforementioned. I just thought that there weren't enough live bands and way too many flatbeds with ready made music, a dj, and the dj's entourage sitting on the trucks looking bored out of their skull. I also saw a good ratio of politicals marching which I think is obnoxious. I liked the Jamaican and Guyanese trucks. I mean the people on the trucks were partying and the crowd following them were having a good time as well. And yes Ms. Sweet Tea, now that you mention the Ayitians (I believe this is how you say it in Creole) were having fun as well. I'm just remembering former parades where there were a ton more costumes and live music and everyting else that made it for a memorable experience rather than a fun one. And again to be fair, this is my first time I have gone in six years. I dunno, maybe I'm nuts or just in a constant frumpy mood. Btw, if any of you ladies were in those rare but lucious costumes and you have pics I'd love too see 'em.