grand floral walk
the walk was HUGELY fun times and I was pretty surprised at how easily I walked it -- I was in the first twenty or so yards of the group the entire way -- but basically I got home, laid down for a minute and set the alarm so I'd get up at four, and uh, just woke up. =w=
Not sure on the exact numbers there but last year there was about 2500 people and I suspect there were as many this year. It was a long, snakey line. We started up at NW 2nd and Flanders, which I would have been that much less uncertain about finding if they had just said 'by the Chinese garden' but whatever. We walked across the Steel Bridge and lined up by the Rose Quarter, which was about an hour of literally standing and waiting, although good people watching time. By the way, the entire time people were getting set up it was totally overcast and rather chilly and literally five minutes before we all started off at nine thirty it cleared up miraculously and we all ended up baking gently afterward as we watched the parade. Pretty good walking weather, though, it was in the seventies I think the entire route. I stayed MOSTLY unsunburnt but I got a little on my neck and face, not too bad.
The walk took the exact route of the parade, so we actually marched through Memorial Colosseum, which was pretty awesome, through a goodish bit of Inner SE, thence over Burnside Bridge and then through downtown proper and ended up more - or - less triumphantly at 12TH and Taylor, where they had a millionity chairs and I dove for one in the front row. Took about an hour for the parade to get to us, though, during which time I Knit in Public because it's Knit in Public Day and got to row ... five? seven? of Annis. Watched most of it but not all of it because the tail end had some sort of technical difficulty? which the details I'm vague on but it was almost two and I was pretty hot by that time, so I wandered over to Knit/Purl to say hi, and then i got some pulled pork stew at the som tum gai cart. And thence to bed!
It was a good day!
There were some crazy costumes but I think I was most impressed by the queen who apparently managed to walk it in a floor length evening gown AND those clear plastic two-inch-heeled sandals. I had to give them props for that one, I would have killed myself by mile two.
Not sure on the exact numbers there but last year there was about 2500 people and I suspect there were as many this year. It was a long, snakey line. We started up at NW 2nd and Flanders, which I would have been that much less uncertain about finding if they had just said 'by the Chinese garden' but whatever. We walked across the Steel Bridge and lined up by the Rose Quarter, which was about an hour of literally standing and waiting, although good people watching time. By the way, the entire time people were getting set up it was totally overcast and rather chilly and literally five minutes before we all started off at nine thirty it cleared up miraculously and we all ended up baking gently afterward as we watched the parade. Pretty good walking weather, though, it was in the seventies I think the entire route. I stayed MOSTLY unsunburnt but I got a little on my neck and face, not too bad.
The walk took the exact route of the parade, so we actually marched through Memorial Colosseum, which was pretty awesome, through a goodish bit of Inner SE, thence over Burnside Bridge and then through downtown proper and ended up more - or - less triumphantly at 12TH and Taylor, where they had a millionity chairs and I dove for one in the front row. Took about an hour for the parade to get to us, though, during which time I Knit in Public because it's Knit in Public Day and got to row ... five? seven? of Annis. Watched most of it but not all of it because the tail end had some sort of technical difficulty? which the details I'm vague on but it was almost two and I was pretty hot by that time, so I wandered over to Knit/Purl to say hi, and then i got some pulled pork stew at the som tum gai cart. And thence to bed!
It was a good day!
There were some crazy costumes but I think I was most impressed by the queen who apparently managed to walk it in a floor length evening gown AND those clear plastic two-inch-heeled sandals. I had to give them props for that one, I would have killed myself by mile two.