Halloween is just a few days away. This is one of the holidays that when It happens I miss home the most.My first year here I was real homesick on Halloween. NYC has a Halloween parade like none other in the world. I have fond memories of this parade. One of my first photo assaignments I got was to shoot this parade my freshmen year of college. Several years later I have a fond memory of shooting it for Neil Landstrum who wanted pictures of droogs and storm troopers. What he ever used those pics for I have no idea? Anyone can join the parade you just go to the start of it. One year Jim and I didn't have costumes or we made them on the way to the parade I wore a Yankee hat had a camera and a gas mask he wore a military jacket and when people asked what we were we told them that we were a U.N. exploratory committee. I think I was Hans Blix that year. I just dressed real conservatively.
We walked most of the parade backwards taking turns being the lookout for each other so we would not run into people. A few years later Jim ,me and Hugh entered the parade as a bike gang we all met at the start with our bicycles and rode the parade then locked them up somewhere and went to a party. It was rather annoying riding the parade route so we decided we should not do bikes again. Since I have been to Germany the Halloween parties have increased more and more. When I talk to people who moved here 5 or 6 years ago they tell me how it was not a big holiday when they first got here and every year it is getting bigger and bigger. Further Americanization of our global economy. I got to give it to the Germans though the day after Halloween is a holiday so you can go out and party and the next day sleep all day.
One year when I was messing with this girl I cannot admit to messing with cause her boyfriend might get mad ( otherwise I would include a link to her site) She brought me to a real wild party at the tribeca Grand hotel. There were topless dancers and I do not think they were hired to be topless dancers they were just chicks on liquor who decided to go topless . And there was a huge crowd. We danced and drank and it was packed and we got there at 2;30 A.M.! I ended up getting home at 4 a.m. and going to work the next day at 8.A.M. I was not a happy camper. That is why it is good to have the day after haloween off.