My day at the Parada

One week before leaving for a few days vacation in New York I learned that my visit would coincide with the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. So I found myself last Sunday in the midst of it. My observations

1. I had no idea so many people attended it. Midtown Manhattan was swarmed with paradegoers.Forget about going to the MOMA.

2. I saw way too many alcaldes and batuteras from Puerto Rico there. In the tough times we are in, why on earth are they there?

3. I heard very little Spanish.

4. Which brings me to Latino women and a sexist statement. The idea that Puerto Rican women are sexy does not apply to the ones attending the parade. I don't think I saw one good looking woman there. And there must have been half a million attending. Then again, maybe they were not around 44th street.

5. Finally, I got the sense that Puerto Ricans living in New York are the biggest outcasts in the city. From the weird glances they received from whites, asians, hindus, arabs and even some Afro-Americans, I got the sense that they are considered as "odd people out". There was a sense that they don't belong there. The glances they were getting would scream "Oh, God. Here they come."

Anyway, there is only so much parade one can take. So when my Peruvian friend called me, we decided to escape the parade and go to the Village.Where we saw some great shops, listened to people playing jazz and doo-wop in the park and ate tapas. I hate saying this, but I felt much more at home there.