NYC Easter Parade: I'm All Smiles

Have you ever wanted to feel like a celebrity? Glamorous attire, the flash of hundreds of cameras, pose after pose; people begging to take your picture, clamoring for interviews. Before yesterday, I believed the easiest way to achieve this was to get on some ~~horrible~~ reality tv show. Now I know this is not the case. There is a way that is much easier, and much, much more fun to achieve celebrity status for a day. Attend New York’s Easter Parade.

The scene. Crowds bottle-necked around especially decorative hats. The whole parade was not this jammed.

This event is deliciously unorganized. The city shuts down traffic along 5th Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets. New Yorkers and visitors, some traveling specifically for the parade, do the rest. The stars of the show are those wearing hats, Easter bonnets, the more elaborate the better. A grand range from crafty to classy, creative to couture. It is a fabulous, milling millinery crowd, with every one admiring and taking pictures. The best hats get an incredible amount of attention and a guarantee of featuring in several publications reporting on the event.

This lady was fabulous and knew how to work that hat, and a camera. Every one wanted her picture.

Yesterday, I was in the thick of it. And cursing myself for not wearing a show worthy hat. Next year! Are you thinking of your hat for next year too? The good news is, we have lots of time, loads of inspiration, and a many options for our asphalt carpet debut.

NYC Easter Parade — That’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the background. Too bad it’s covered in scaffolding, it’s usually so pretty!

The “Classic Easter”. This look will always be a hit.

The “Strength in Numbers & Colors”. The uniformity and brilliant color, multiplied by four is especially striking.

The “Classy”. These ladies were from the Milliners Society, which they proudly proclaimed by wearing sashes.

The “Adorable”. Is there anything cuter than 2 older gentlemen wearing home-made hates featuring rubber duckies?

The “ADORABLE”. Oh right, there is something more adorable. Kids. Duh.

The “Crafty Show-stopper”. These ladies were visible half a block away, which was impressive.

However, when seen up close, they looked uncomfortable. I’m going to recommend a hat that isn’t so cumbersome you have to hold on to it to keep it on.

The “Full Costume That Has Nothing to Do With Easter”. This will get you noticed, for sure.
This was the perfect way to spend Easter morning. The perfect way for a creative, agnostic, New York Cliché to celebrate the holiday. I left the area with a huge smile on my face. Walking through Rockefeller Center, my smile turned upside down when I saw the famous ice skating rink. “It’s spring! Why is there still ice skating!?” I fumed. And then I saw this.

I grinned, so happy I nearly clapped my hands. There was the Easter Bunny just skating along the rink. You don’t get a better celebrity sighting than that. It was perfect.

How was your weekend?