September 8, 2009

Carnival...on Labor Day...in Brooklyn?!





Being Labor Day yesterday, the day was ours to do with it whatever we wanted. From driving to the beach on Saturday, Matt and I had seen the police barriers getting set up at the side of one of the main roads in Brooklyn as well as various Caribbean flags being sold out the back doors of various vans. A little Googling told us that what we saw was the preparations of the 42nd walking/dancing/running of the West Indian Day Parade. Being it's the one time of year where Matt can get one of his favorites, jerk chicken, just a few blocks from our apartment we were off to the parade in the early afternoon. He mildly prepared me for what I would be seeing and it did not disappoint. The bright and bold colors of the many flags of the West Indies plus the costumes being worn by parade marchers/dancers was quite amazing as well as the smells and sights of all of the food vendors (don't fret, we ate the much-anticipated jerk chicken). I was so glad I had brought my camera! And of the many photos taken, I put some together for you, dear readers, above. Enjoy and I highly recommend taking a trip out to Brooklyn for it next year. This year had an attendance of almost 3 million spectators and marchers combined.

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