The Show Must Go On...

... to bring you the following news update.

ELEPHANTS HAVE INVADED THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN!

The crowds gathered at the Queens Midtown Tunnel early, some setting up camp by 10:30 PM.  Why?  Well, to see the elephants emerge from the tunnel, of course!  My friends and I waited there a bit, then ambled over to the 34th Street Tube - the first block the elephants would actually walk in the city itself.  We staked out some prime reality against the metal crowd barrier fence doohickeys and waited.  And waited.  Word was out that the elephants would arrive through the tunnel sometime between 11:30 PM and 12:30 AM.

As the crowds lining the streets grew from hundreds to thousands lining the way from the Queens Midtown Tunnel to Madison Square Garden, the festivities began.  At times it seemed that all 35,000 NYPD officers were within the parade route.  As traffic continued to flow up the normally very busy street, it was apparent that not everyone driving knew what was going on. 

So, here's the scenario... you're driving up a street in Midtown Manhattan and, all of a sudden, you see crowds of thousands lining the street, hanging out on fire escapes and such.  You see protesters carrying signs.  There is absolutely nothing going on other than the existence of cops and crowds.  It's near midnight on a Tuesday night.  What do you do?  Here's how some handled it.

Rolling down window, "Hey, what's going on?"  "ELEPHANTS!," the crowd yells.  The driver quickly romps on the gas the second the light turns green thinking NYC is getting stranger and stranger.

Some drivers and passengers refused to look at the crowds... if they looked down into their laps, there were no crowds lining the street watching them drive by.  We frightened them.

Some held up phone cameras excitedly telling their friends and family that they stumbled onto something odd in NYC, what it was they did not know!

Finally at about 12:45 AM, amidst the sign toting protesters and the cheering crowds, an NYPD motorcycle brigade led the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Hummer around the corner from the North Tube.  There, in all their glory, the elephants with the ringmaster riding atop the first one, paraded up the street in the actual trunk holding tail formation.  Big elephants; small elephants... about 12 in all.  Now, these elephants walk FAST.  Picture taking was a bit tough even with a front barricade stand.  And, of course, it was dark.  I tried flash and no flash.  The photo above was flash, but I had to adjust it for detail.

The elephants were followed by show horses and even miniature ponies.  They walked even faster and were harder to photograph.  But, I said I was gonna shoot elephants roaming the streets of NYC and here ya go.  ;-)

For more pictures, please see my other AOL Journal entry - http://journals.aol.com/upseted/JackiesQuirkyMusings/entries/89

Cool - Thanks Jackie.

Good Morning America showed the elephants entering/in the tunnel yesterday morning.

Here in Grand Rapids Michigan a similar thing happens - the train can't get right to the arena the circus uses, so the elephants parade down the road - usually in daylight as I recall though.

Cheers

Roger
Comment from ldrshelpkiwi - 3/24/05 7:20 AM

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