I love a parade and I especially loved the Steelers victory parade. Here's the brief impressionistic message I sent my kids in New York City after I retuned to the office frozen like a popsicle.
Got a place in an open car park on the PG side of the Boulevard opposite the diocese office not far from Papa J's. Crazy scene. Tens of thousands of Pittsburghers, all wearing black and gold. Cops on horses, 4 or five high schools bands, players riding on top or in back of light trucks. (Tomlin, however, walked.) Polamalu surfed the crowd -- just dived off his truck into the crowd. Thought he would kill himself, not to mention others, but somehow he got caught and he got back on. Cold. Happy.
Love Dad xxxx
As it turns out, there were six high school bands and the police estimate of the crowd was 350,000.
The only thing I could add to this account was the shamelessness of public officials in inserting themselves into the parade as if they were the conquering heroes. Both Dan Onorato and Luke Ravenstahl were guilty of this but Mayor Luke was the more flagrant -- he stood in a truck right next to Big Ben.
What is more, he filmed the event with a little video camera that just happened to wave in front of Ben's face so that from where we stood you couldn't get a decent picture of Ben. The gall of the man. Perhaps he thought the parade was for him.
Posted
Feb 03 2009, 05:52 PM
by
Reg Henry