Thursday, March 29, 2007


elephant!
Originally uploaded by Needleworks, Inc..
The circus came to town on Tuesday night. If you had the gumption to stay up until 1am on a school night, this is what you would have seen.

Elephants, my friends. And buckin' broncos and some ponies. It was, quite honestly, really amazing.

The Ringling Bros. circus actually enters Manhattan through the Midtown Tunnel and parades across 34th Street to Madison Square Garden.

I know that the circus is a controversial topic. Last time they were in town, the streets were lined with animal rights activists and police. Tuesday night was a tame affair, however, with the rowdiest bunch being from the Yeshiva University dorms. I want to add this link for people to visit, just to stay informed.

Personally, it was a magical night. When do you get to see elephants walking down a Manhattan street? Right past the Empire State Building? It was surreal and exciting.

My evening wrapped up with a 30 minute wait for the L Train (big surprise). There was a crowd on the platform, whom, I can only guess, had all gone to see the elephants. I mean, it was 1am on a Tuesday night (or Wednesday morning, whatever).
This incredibly charismatic guy was playing the guitar on the platform - Al Green, The Temptations, Jimmy Buffet, Elvis Costello, Prince. Soon, the whole platform - hipsters, scruffy guys in leather jackets, middle aged women with kids who should not have been up that late, but hey, they went to see the elephants - began singing along. It was one of those odd moments of NYC solidarity that I so adore. It made me so happy and soon, I was singing, too.

So, we bided our time, a whole 30 mintes waiting for the train, singing the chorus to "My Girl". Like I said, magical.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

New York New York - It's a wonderful town! Thanks for edklna great post

Macoco said...

That does sound magical. I'm such a sucker for stuff like that. I can guarantee I would have teared up as the animals went by. Parades, marathons, commercials - they all make me cry. ; )