The Mermaid Parade, 2013

FDNY truck sprays water on the Mermaid Parade

 So, I went to the Mermaid Parade and a police event broke out.  Sounds like a joke, but seriously, the whole thing was pretty whacked.  I've photographed the parade for years and have always had a great time.  The real point is to by-pass the parade itself and stroll down the boardwalk to meet the mermaids and photograph them.  Great fun, well, until this year.  The photo above was taken from the New York Aquarium's bridge to the boardwalk.  Unlike other years, this was the only way to get across, at least from this end of the parade.  If you look closely at the photo you'll see a row of police cruisers.  Behind that row they had set up a pen to funnel the parade-goers like cattle.  It was unbelievably and unnecessarily crowded.  [more below the fold]

Brooklyn Heights in the Rain

Brooklyn Heights in the Rain

Across the East River from Manhattan lies the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, bordered on the river side by the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.  I first encountered it on a rainy June afternoon in 2006, coming back from the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. 

We had been walking in the rain for most of the afternoon, including during all of the Mermaid Parade and were now pretty soaked when finally made it to the Promenade.

The scene shows the Brooklyn Bridge in the background through haze and fog.  The only thing that mars perfection is the trashcan in the foreground, but there really was no other view that would have framed the bridge exactly the same way.  Even with the trashcan, it's still one of my favorite shots.

West 10th Street, Brooklyn

By the time this post hits my blog, I'll be in New York for Thanksgiving week.  Before leaving, I wanted to publish one last post and thought, in counterpoint to the season, I'd post something from summer.

I took this shot in 2005 on West 10th Street and the Boardwalk on Coney Island in Brooklyn during the Mermaid Parade.  For those who haven't been, the Mermaid Parade is sheer insanity, but in a really decadent and fun way.  Hundreds of people pack both side of Mermaid Avenue to watch the craziness.