Photo Wednesday 091014 : West Indian Parade 2014 Edition

I was in the parade which feels like many more than ten days ago. Not in the parade in the teen aged sense of the days when I'd hope the barricade and join the mostly other non participant paraders, but in a more age mature stroll with my niece and nephew down the parkway lanes, enjoy the people watching and food scents.

From my point of view, having walked back and forth from Franklin to Nostrand and back, as well as taking the train out to Utica Av, (with the exception of a lack of information dolled out to the rank and file officers on where crowds could permissibly cross streets) the parade was a grand success.

I have lots of pics (Senator Chuck Schumer was hilarious with the bullhorn in my opinion) and I'll put up a gallery soon, but I've settled on this shot from high above Franklin Av and Eastern Parkway.

PAH-TEE DUN!? Does The Earlier Ending West Indian Parade Change The Culture?

After some weeks away I'm back today on deh pahkweh and u can't believe it really shuts down at 4pm.

Judging by how many people were still lining the parade route after it was done, I'm not alone.

The ruling passed a few years back curtailing city parades to 4pm meant almost nothing for most parades but the West Indian Day Parade is the big exception.

Years gone by would see the parade last well into 7p recent decades brought the end time to 6.

The opinion of whether the earlier ending is good or bad is divided by culture and straddled by race. One thing seems clear based on the piles of still simmering food trays and still burning cook fires, food vendors are still coming loaded for hours of sales. I wonder how they made out