Many people in the massive crowd assembled in lower Manhattan Tuesday morning weren’t able to get near the mile and a half stretch of parade route used to honor this city‘s latest champion. Lower Broadway doesn’t have room for everybody, so tens of thousands of Giants fans celebrating Sunday’s Super Bowl win spilled over into side streets, plazas and parks.
I ended up in Foley Square with a pretty good view.
I took the E train to World Trade and arrived at about 10:15 AM. At that time, police had sealed off all access points to the east, forcing a somewhat anxious crowd up Church all the way to Franklin Street.
It was 50 and sunny. A perfect day for a parade.
When I got bottled up in a big, penned-in crowd at Leonard and Lafayette, I nearly gave up and went home. I sat down on a bench and regrouped for a few minutes. I decided to walk further east and then circle back to Centre and Worth. That was a good move.
The floats carrying players and coaches first appeared at Foley Square at about 11:30 AM. They were turning right off Worth onto Lafayette for the final stretch of parade route terminating at City Hall.
Foley Square was wall to wall people. Many people climbed trees, lamp-posts and assorted other elevated perches to get a look.
From where I was, I could make out the faces of Eli, Brandon and Victor when they passed by. The Lombardi trophy was held high in the right hand of New York‘s governor. It sparkled in the sun and generated booming cheers. The trophy. Not the governor. The Mayor stood to the Governor’s right. On that same float, Eli grinned and waved. It was aw-shucks by #10 all the way.
I’d have preferred to be situated in the heart of the Canyon of Heroes, but it was pretty dramatic to see the floats turn onto Lafayette. Each was met with thundering roars that bounced around all that marble and granite unique to that part of town.
A good number of people in the crowd appeared intoxicated. The party must have started early. Some drank from plastic cups. A big brawl broke out near me a little after 12. Two groups of young men took a good minute’s worth of swings at each other and then scattered when cops in helmets rushed in.
When it was all over, I walked uptown to Prince Street. Just about every bar I passed had a line full of Giants fans waiting to get in. It’s a good thing lower Manhattan gets taken over like this only once every few years.
I got home in time to see television coverage of the day’s second Giants celebration. New Jersey doesn’t want to feel left out, so the team did a little on-field pep rally at the Meadowlands.
Speaking to 30-thousand or so at the home field they share with the Jets, Justin Tuck took a dig at Gang Green. “You could be sure who’s house (The Meadowlands) this is,” said Tuck. The comment appeared to bring a groan from Manning.
-One point of clarification on the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting discussed here a few days ago. In his Monday internet column, NFL writer Peter King said it’s against Hall policy for individual voters to divulge how they voted – or to reveal substantive information about what’s said about candidates during balloting. Within those confines, King made it clear he wants Bill Parcells in the Hall. He cited the Tuna’s “lightning rod” persona as a possible barrier for those who blocked his entry. Said King: “I’m one of 44 (voters on the committee). I can argue a man’s case strenuously, but the room is a democracy.”