Happy Mardi Gras peoples!!

10am - Oxford Street, with a rather tired looking Centrepoint Tower in the background

Preparations are well underway for tonight's Mardi Gras parade which kicks off at 7.45pm. It looks like the weather will be perfect for it too. Barely a cloud in the sky and it was already 26C around 11am.

J and I will be giving this year's parade a skip. Living one street away from the main parade route of Oxford Street, we've decided to avoid the crowds and head over to Newtown for dinner and a movie. Well, that's what we think we might be doing. We'll see.

I do get a little nostalgic this time of year. My parents owned a Chinese restaurant from the late 1960's to the early 90's where Burger King/Hungry Jacks currently resides - on the corner of Oxford and Pelican Streets. So from a very young age, I saw the parade. I remember the crowds, the thumping music, the colourful costumes, and the people who tried to climb onto our awning for a better view.

What was even funnier (well for me anyway), was working as a check-out chick/cashier in my teens at the supermarket at the start of Oxford Street near Hyde Park. I had the morning shift the day after the parade, and I'd never seen so many people come in to buy chewing gum, water and orange juice in their sunglasses and club wear. Now I know why. It makes me chuckle every time I think about that.

On a side note, New York's Gay Pride parade happens around June every year. The great thing about that was it went along 8th Street where we lived, so I had the best view from our kitchen window. Here are some photos from 2003, old photos but still colourful nonetheless.

Happy Mardi Gras!


Gay Pride Parade along 8th Street, New York 2003


8th Street, New York 2003


8th Street, New York 2003