I Love a Parade

Saturday night on my way to a canine quinceanera in Brooklyn I noticed my local boys in blue dumping a truck load of crowd control stanchions on my corner. This could only mean one of two things, Woodside ran out of Guinness and was about to riot or we were hosting a parade. Thank goodness it was the later.

After a few clicks on the ol’ blackberry I was quickly informed that Sunday marked the 11th year of the “Woodside/ Sunnyside St. Patrick’s for All Parade” – 11 years? Really? How have I NEVER attended this parade? It marches right up to my block, I’m a bad resident. However through deeper googleing I realized that not only is this a St. Patrick’s Day parade but it is also a GAY St. Patrick’s Day parade – bonus! (for more info http://www.stpatsforall.com/ )

Sunday was glorious. Warm sun, bright blue sky, just as if Spring decided to wake up and drool its yummy goodness all over NYC. I donned my green cardigan (that has become one with body since arriving at Hanukkah), green long sleeve T, green scarf and just before I slipped into my green penny loafers I paused and thought…. ehhh maybe too much and went with the black ballet flats. Restraint is something one does not find often in “theme” wardrobe choices however I try to retain a smattering of outer borough chic.

Down the 4 flights of stairs (which are currently dripping with black/ brown tar – what the F$#%^$^CK!?) and out into the wilds of Queens, I decided to take a little adventure après parade in hopes of discovering the mysteries of “Sunnyside Gardens”. You see during my Woodside parade fact finding google-fest I stumbled onto a blog that sang the praises of several eateries that coincidently lined the parade route so I thought – why not think global, act local – and hang a left at the end of block.

A few blocks into my Skillman Ave. discovery zone I realized that I lived just steps away from an entire enclave of hip “Williamsburg wannabees” and “Park Slope-ish” families who spend their Sundays lounging over the NY Times at cute cafes or amassing to brunch at comer bistros. It was like I discovered that the land of Oz was right outside my door (well really it was LEFT outside my door, but you know what I mean). I felt so good about my new (to me) neighborhood that I popped into Quaint, planted myself at the bar and ordered up a $4.00 mimosa.

While enjoying my afternoon libation, I was thinking about how cool it was that out of all the neighborhoods in all of the 5 boroughs it was MINE that hosted the All Inclusive (and homosexual) St. Pat’s parade. I mean really, its blue color Woodside we are talking about here, with a HUGE Catholic Irish (off the boat) population, not your usual demographic for openly embracing diversity. Yet as I sat at the bar embracing my adoptive Queens hometown peeps my inner glow was quickly dimmed when to my dismay I discovered through some blackberry googeling, blogs/ web postings that spewed hatred and ugliness regarding the upcoming festivities. Really people, thanks for the gray cloud. But my Parade Sunday could not be ruined that easily, this news only reinvigorated my Irish/ Woodside spirit with the hope that I alone would emanate so much good cheer and joy that I would negate any and all who arrived to rain on my Big Gay Irish Queens Parade!