Halloween Parade

Dan's cousin Kevin was in town this week. It was also the first Wednesday we've been in NYC for Halloween in years, going back to our student days in the mid-90s. After a long day of work for Dan and Kevin (who telecommuted from the roof), and my long walk at the cemetery myself, we three were all in the mood to relax and celebrate.

We rung in happy hour with glasses of Krupnik, from the Polish neighborhood over in Greenpoint. Ahhhh, the heavenly essence of Krupnik. We tasted two kinds, inhaling the honeyed vapors and declaring them equally compelling. I was grinning ear to ear, pleased that so much enjoyment resided in these small casks, and still relieved we hadn't had to travel all the way back to Poland to get our hands on more of this stuff.

Off we went then, to dinner in Greenwich Village. And yup, we hoped to glimpse the parade somewhere along the way.

Little did we realize as we wended our way toward the Spanish restaurant we had set our hearts on, that the parade route would parallel and criss-cross our own for much of the way. We jostled along the avenues and side streets, and finally decided if you couldn't beat them, why not join them. We climbed up on an iron fence, clinging to the metal bars, trying to get some airspace to call our own. Mostly we saw the backs of other onlookers. But we did see some fun costumes as we stood there and watched: a pile of Smurfs, girls in baby doll outfits- long socks and short skirts, a middle-aged couple in a ketchup and mustard get-up, naughty policewomen, and more than one pre-fab costume from "V for Vendetta."

Finally we got hungry, and headed off to food. The restaurant had a table waiting for us, or so it seemed- it was just crowded enough without having to wait. A late-night, relaxed crowd. Paella, garlic shrimp, cappuccinos and cake. Kevin treated and we all rolled out of there, physically sated and pleased with ourselves in the world.

We walked all the way home, and plunked happily to bed.