Halloween in the Village

Halloween has always been one of my all time favorite holidays. The creativity of the costumes. The little kids going door-to-door for treats. Seeing all the neighbors strolling around the neighborhood. It also kicks off the holiday season.

It was quite an event this year. Everyone had a different agenda last night but we always regroup on the stoop for the end of evening festivities. Josh and I started out around 3:30. We did all of Greenwich Avenue. The stores all have candy to give and it is fun to walk around the neighborhood. Josh was James Bonds this year. We came home around 5:30 for a little bit of relaxation. Emily had journeyed off into the East Village to hook up with her group. She was one of the Charlie’s angels and her other 2 angels were in the East Village. Jessica had a group of friends come over until they went to a party, dressed of course, down the street.
Fred manned the stoop giving away treats and listening to music.

Around 6, we hung out on our stoop drinking wine and talking with friends and commenting on the costumes as they walked by. The Greenwich Village Halloween Parade goes by down the street. This year was packed.

Maybe because it was a Sunday but it was very different than last year. People from all over the region had literally migrated to our neighborhood for the night. It was a bit overwhelming. Around 6:30, 3 other adults and me took the kids out to the streets for some more trick-or-treating. Generally, 11th and 12th street between 5/6th are fantastic. The houses are decorated and there are lists given out so u know what house is open. The streets were literally wall to wall people. It was overwhelming. Much too much stimulation. But, what was amazing was the kids were not fazed.

All the adults I was with, including me, were a little freaked by the crowds. The kids were fine. It was truly amazing. These kids are such NYCity kids that they just went on with their business. They are all old enough to walk by themselves, in front of us, not worried if we were there. They are all 8. If anyone else, who had not been raised in the city been there, they would have absolutely flipped. The throngs of people in full on costume was wild. It was like walking in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I give the kids a lot of credit.

We came home, hung out on the stoop and drank more wine. People stopped by. Jessica went up to my sister’s roof with her pals on 6th avenue and got a great look at the parade. Emily went to a party in Chelsea and had a helluva a time getting back across town. She found it frustrating that she couldn’t get home. Jessica’s friend spent the night b/c there was no way she was getting down to the Seaport last night. It was if the city had stopped in our neighborhood b/c there were too many people on the streets.

All and all, quite an event. The most memorable though was the kids and how they were immune to the insanity going on around them. Pretty wild. Josh is already planning next year’s costume.