Technically, St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, but if you were not decked out in green gallivanting around Fifth Ave. the day before, consider yourself having already missed out on the holiday. That’s because Saturday, March 16, was New York City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. People of all ages were gathered in the city at roughly 11 a.m., trying their best to dress in as much green as possible and embrace the Irish blood that flows through their veins, no matter how small that percentage is. Personally, I’m 12.5% Irish, and yes, it counts.
My friends and I awoke entirely too early for a Saturday morning (8:30 a.m.) and spent far too much of our time perfecting temporary glitter shamrock tattoos and listening to “Shipping up to Boston.” We wound up catching the 10:47 a.m. train to Grand Central, interrupting everyone’s morning commute with our shenanigans. Impossibly, there seemed to be only one other group who was dressed for the occasion. Despite the lack of festivity, I did see a girl who had dyed her hair Kelly green, which I have to say is dedication.
As you can probably guess, the parade had started way before we even got to the right spot. Nevertheless, if you think that stopped us from contributing to the holiday spirit, think again. Following the mysterious sounds of bagpipes, we marched through Midtown, determined to see at least a glimpse of the parade. We were women on a mission, only stopping to purchase a $5 Irish flag from a street vendor and to shout “GO RAMS” at people sporting the maroon sashes of those who had walked in the Fordham section of the parade. I’m going to assume they were simply shocked to see such enthusiastic fans because only a few returned our chant while the rest of the Fordham parade walkers kept on walking.
After a few twists, turns and directions from a very kind police officer, we managed to find our way to the parade just as it turned the corner of 46th St. I had never been to the NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade before, but it was everything I had guessed it would be. Marching bands, bagpipe players, Irish dancers and people wearing the sashes of other schools and organizations were strolling between masses of green and gold like Moses parting the seas.
We stood in the center of chaos — cheering, taking photos and letting our reasonably-priced flag wave in the wind. It was about 20 minutes of fun and Irish pride before many of our fellow parade-goers started to dwindle. After the parade had marched its way out of our street corner, we were faced with the decision to scout the land for Irish pubs or head to the place all roads lead to when you are having a good time: McDonald’s. It seemed like a crime not to get a Shamrock shake in the current circumstances.
Never before have I embraced my sliver of Irish heritage so much, but as they say, everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Since Fordham typically has spring break during this holiday, it was nice to be in on the action in NYC for a change. Though, if you did not take advantage of this opportunity, I strongly recommend sticking around for next year. Whether or not Fordham is still in session for St. Patrick’s Day, I know I will be in Manhattan on March 17 (or the day before)!
