Shortly, I'll be leaving for the Salute to Israel Parade (Fifth Avenue, beginning at 57th Street and going up to 79th Street. I'll be there around noon or "noon-thirty," wandering the crowd with my intrepid friend and loyal blogreader Julia. I hope to see some of you there, but just in case you miss it, I wanted to share a list of things I expect to see, and then after I return later, we'll see how many of these items we can check off. Plus, if my camera actually works, there will be pictures...
Things I Expect to Find at the Salute to Israel Parade
1. Ultra-Orthodox Jews asking for donations to help orphans with wedding dresses.
2. Israeli women with magenta hair and full-on face makeup melting in the hot sun.
3. People I knew in high school who now are escorting a brood of eight children.
4. People I knew in high school who will ignore me when they see me.
5. People from camp, their parents and their children camped out on the park side of Fifth Avenue.
6. A throng so thick that you don't walk through it, you sort of have to shuffle your feet one inch forward every three minutes, and suffer pokes, prods and pushes from the people all around you.
7. The Hip Hop Hoodios on a float.
8. People handing out flyers about the Young Israel-sponsored concert in Central Park (Blue Fringe, the Moshav Band, and more).
9. Buttons that say "I'm Going," or "I [heart] Israel."
10. Orange hats, tee shirts, etc, worn by supporters of the coalition to support Gush Katif (a Gaza settlement bloc scheduled to be evacuated this summer).
11. People "wearing" Israeli flags as mantles around their shoulders.
12. Awkward hellos from people I kind of know but don't necessarily want or have time to stop and talk to.
Of course, there's more...hope to see you there!
13. And me in the crowd! :)
Posted by: Dina | June 05, 2005 at 08:42 AM