Savannah boasts the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world, according to them. Dublin and New York argue over who is the largest, so Savannah is content to be second. Pam and I weren't going to go, not being all that fond of crowds, but Gene, Bill, and Patty were going, and since we're here...
We took a cab from the marina to within five or six blocks of the parade. That's as close as we could get with all the traffic. As we walked closer we started encountering the crowds. Savannah no longer allows anyone to stake out territory until 6 AM the day of the parade, and I heard it was a stampede for the best spots, which were the parks along the route. What people set up were amazing. Canopies were everywhere, with tables full of food and coolers full of beer. It is perfectly legal to drink in public in Savannah as long as the booze is in a plastic to-go cup. The city no longer allows private porta-johns on city property, so people got around that by putting their porta-johns in the back of pickup trucks. Each was labeled with a big "private!" sign and padlocked. No, I don't know where all the beer swilling people pee'd.
As we all walked through the throngs of people trying to find a place where we could actually see the parade, I was struck by the complete lack of fashion sense of the people of Savannah. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Warning- it was reported that hundreds of thousands of spectators attended to watch 15,000 marchers. I didn't want to leave anyone out. I took a lot of photos.
The temp was approaching 90 degrees, and we had positioned ourselves at the wrong side of the street. We could only see the backsides of the marchers as they passed. Pam and I decided that cold beers and burgers would be better and hied ourselves to a pub where we could watch the parade on TV. After that, we caught a cab back to the marina where we enjoyed happy hour on Drift Away, and I pondered the odd sense of fashion by the people of Savannah.
We took a cab from the marina to within five or six blocks of the parade. That's as close as we could get with all the traffic. As we walked closer we started encountering the crowds. Savannah no longer allows anyone to stake out territory until 6 AM the day of the parade, and I heard it was a stampede for the best spots, which were the parks along the route. What people set up were amazing. Canopies were everywhere, with tables full of food and coolers full of beer. It is perfectly legal to drink in public in Savannah as long as the booze is in a plastic to-go cup. The city no longer allows private porta-johns on city property, so people got around that by putting their porta-johns in the back of pickup trucks. Each was labeled with a big "private!" sign and padlocked. No, I don't know where all the beer swilling people pee'd.
As we all walked through the throngs of people trying to find a place where we could actually see the parade, I was struck by the complete lack of fashion sense of the people of Savannah. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Warning- it was reported that hundreds of thousands of spectators attended to watch 15,000 marchers. I didn't want to leave anyone out. I took a lot of photos.
The temp was approaching 90 degrees, and we had positioned ourselves at the wrong side of the street. We could only see the backsides of the marchers as they passed. Pam and I decided that cold beers and burgers would be better and hied ourselves to a pub where we could watch the parade on TV. After that, we caught a cab back to the marina where we enjoyed happy hour on Drift Away, and I pondered the odd sense of fashion by the people of Savannah.
To bad the girl with the green striped socks has a Backpack on...
ReplyDeleteIf you can't get to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, Boston may be your next best bet!
ReplyDeleteSt. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday in 2012, and the city has festivities planned leading up to and after the holiday. St. Patrick's Day draws more than 500,000 visitors to Boston--a city with a long-standing Irish tradition. Boston held America's first St. Patrick's Day celebration in 1737, and the city still boasts one of the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day parades, plus more Irish pubs than any other place in the USA.
Savannah is known for hosting the second largest parade in the world. However, all that have seen it say it is the grandest in the world! We begin this religious and cultural celebration approximately two weeks prior to the parade. Some of these traditional events include the Investiture of the Grand Marshal, Greening of the Fountain in Forsyth Park, Tara Feis, Celtic Cross Mass and Ceremony, and Sergeant William Jasper Green Ceremony. On the morning of the parade, Mass is held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in historic downtown Savannah. We welcome you to attend any and all of these events and learn about our rich Irish heritage.
Very Nice! The last picture looks like that great Irishman "Paddy O'Furniture". Dont know where his green was though.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots Dave, thanks.
ReplyDelete