Day: November 7, 2009

Came out of the subway at the World Trade Center yesterday at 11:30 am. Had a 12:00 pm appointment near the Staten Island Ferry. Completely forgot this was the day of the World Series tickertape parade. Confronted by an ocean of blue and white clad fans filling Church and the cross streets, all trying to get over to Broadway (my original planned route). OK, think fast. Go north, skirting the crowd, then east, then south? No, could take a wrong turn in the Wall Street diagonal canyons and get dumped back into the masses (am still not confident in that maze). East to the South Street Seaport, then south under the FDR on foot? Too much walking. West over to West (the west side freeway barreling south to the Battery tunnel) presented the best option even though pedestrian routes along the highway are intermittent--construction flanks the entire corridor. I went that way: crossed a skybridge, followed the paved footpath south until it ran out, re-crossed West to the sidewalk on the opposite side, all the while navigating knots of Yankees fans still surging to the parade. More zigging and zagging and finally emerged at Battery Park, where barricades kept moving me west and south--I could see the tickertape (mostly shredded printer paper) floating in the air now over lowest Broadway. A dead run through the park and I made my destination at 12:01 pm. Phew.