Yesterday morning I woke up at 5:30 AM to get into the city to cover the Knicks parade. It’s cute that I thought 5:30 was early enough for me to get going. On the G train I clocked 2 fans. When I transferred to the C, there were about 15 more. Then when we arrived at Fulton, there were 5 million.
I have to assume I’ll never witness anything like this again in my life. Once we collectively figured out how to even exit Fulton station (many exits were closed off), I came up the steps, was handed an AMNY paper, and prayed for my survival.
No one knew where to go. Left? Right? No that way is cut off you can’t past the corner. You have to go with the hundred thousand people around you who honestly believe they’re going to get in to see the parade. Hope was real high in the first 45 minutes. I grabbed a coffee and a granola bar at a bodega before I made the choice to stand in what I thought might be a line to get “screened” by the cops before making it onto Broadway. As we slowly inched forward, I listened to everyone around me bitch and moan about the mismanagement of the situation. As if there’s a way to properly manage 5 million people coming into an 8 block radius. Some felt the cops were purposefully trying to confuse us. Others wondered why Mamdani didn’t extend the parade to a longer route. One man I was stuck next to lectured to his girlfriend for ever and ever about how the people working in these buildings should be grateful for the view, should be getting their friends in, and definitely be Knicks fans only. She nodded along and continued to apologize to him, “I’m sorry if we can’t make it to Broadway, babe.” Girlfriends were doing a lot of emotional labor yesterday!
Once I realized being stuck 1/2 block from Broadway was pointless, and not what I wanted to continue to draw, I abandoned my post. And thank god I did it. First of all I really just needed some water, but second, the real New Yorkers were the ones having their own parties in the side streets. Like these girls who were beyond thrilled to be playing a little basketball themselves.
And this dude who told me not only was he Batman, he was there to protect the city from the crazy crack people that come into our neighborhoods during events like these. He added he was good with the crazies, he knows how to keep them calm. “It’s all about kindness.” I agreed—especially when we’re all crammed down here together.
These two women who grew up in Brownsville didn’t care that they weren’t at the “official” parade. They were having the time of their lives, on a day that they’ve waited for, for their entire lives.
A group of teen boys were less thrilled that they couldn’t make it to broadway. When I asked how they felt, one responded loudly, “Like shit.” The youth, as always, is wasted on the young!
One sentence I heard over and over again, was from young men declaring their excitement to share the tales of today to their grandchildren. I felt almost certain that all of these men were single. Very interesting that they were not mentioning telling their future children. Specifically it was their grandchildren. One man told his friend, “We don’t even have to tell them we didn’t make it to the actual parade, we can lie about it.”
As the hours went by, the prices of shirts were dropping. If you waited around long enough, I felt positive it would become free merch.
Other things for sale? Donuts! Magnets! Flags! Balloons! Even custom Knicks hard hats for construction workers!
The night before, I turned to James and expressed my concern for bathrooms. This early in the morning, this many people drinking coffee, where on Earth would everyone poop? He was optimistic. Said there would be bathrooms. I am a realist however. I knew it would be a problem. And I’m not gonna lie to you, as time dragged on, downtown really started to smell. I didn’t draw anything related to this but I really just felt I needed to tell you this. No one else is going to report with this kind of honesty!!!
Next I spoke to a man who drives for the New Jersey transit.
When I asked him about his fandom, he couldn’t lie. “I’m not a die hard, I don’t want to act like I am. If this were about football, it would be different. But I am very happy. I grew up watching these games with my mother, may she rest in peace.”
The closer we got to 10 AM, the more people accepted their fate. They just wanted to find a place to be once it all began. Lines began to form around every bar and restaurant off Pearl street. A sea of orange and blue; They were ready to storm the gates.
Those not concerned about beer were thrilled about the community they had formed on each corner. Who cares about the actual parade? We have it all right here. These woman from East Hampton knew that Broadway was full before they arrived, but it didn't matter to them. Today was a beautiful day.
I was nearly considering going home to finish my drawings when I heard the sound of a drum. Was it what I thought it was? YES. AND THEN SOME! A marching band zipped past me and everyone cheered. The leader shouted, “Follow us. We’re gonna give you a real show.”
I sped walked behind them until they opened up into a less crowded area near City Hall. They went into formation and gave us a helluva performance. I found myself jealous. Can a 35 year old join a high school dance team??
By 10:15 I needed to eat, I needed to pee, I needed more water. I had spilled an entire cup of coffee down my left side and my back was killing me. The first diner I looked up, I found was actually closed when I got to it. Luckily, I then found Squires which somehow had a seat for one with only a 5 minute wait.
The “real” parade played on a TV in the background and I realized, I didn’t really care? Hours earlier I thought I’d be sketching members of the Knicks, Spike Lee and Mamdani, but it turned out I’d found something much better. I really wanted to stay at the diner all day to finish up my work, but with the brand new line around the corner to get in, I realized now was so not the time to be hogging a table.
As I left Squire’s, there was an initial panic of how the hell was I going to get home. The subways were a mess and obviously there was no way I was about to spend my life savings on an Uber. But then it dawned on me. THE FERRY!!!
Just as people had been all morning, strangers on the ferry were relishing in the joy together as they commuted back to Brooklyn. This woman was so excited about her conversation with these men that she just met that she declared, “We’re taking a selfie!!”
ICYMI: Get your tix to the next Cartoon Strips next Thursday!
Looking forward to: Mermaid parade is tomorrow!!
On repeat: New York, New York
Recently Watched: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
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