Sunday, March 04, 2007

Pig Parade

I love a parade, but my all-time favorite is San Francisco's Chinese New Year Parade. The combination of marching bands, firecrackers, giant dragons, lion dancers and little kids dressed up in animal costumes cannot be beat.

Plus, more luck! Each year we show up early and touch the 200 foot long Golden Dragon that ends the parade. We know where it waits -- so we head straight for it and give it a pat so we don't have to worry for the rest of the parade if we are going to be able to touch it or not. I'm not sure if this is cheating, but it has worked pretty well for us in the last eight years. I throw in some extra pats for everyone else -- so know that you are getting a little Golden Dragon luck this year.

(pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat)


On Saturday (instead of the usual rain) it was a beautiful warm evening in San Francisco. On one hand this is great parade weather -- on the other, it meant that this year the parade was VERY CROWDED (an estimated 200-300,000 people taking up our sidewalk space!)

I prefer the years when it rains. That way less people come and the kids wearing animal costumes wear funny plastic bag coverings. I am selfish -- I hate crowds, yet love parades. It's kind of a conflict. Um, please rain on my parade.

Here are some pictures of this year's parade -- lots of pigs and no crowds!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I get this. I hate people, but love parades.

Anonymous said...

You and the Chef have such a luscious life, don't you?! May the luck be grand this year!

Anonymous said...

thank you for sharing the pig plethora of good blessings to those of us not able to have our own "pat"

oshareneko said...

aw. I looked at all the photos this time, I feel happy all over again. Did I tell you I about how I found myself inside the lucky dragon this year?