Day1 - No one gets between me and my mummer…

Except maybe the cold and the rain.

Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008: Philly: Mummers Day Parade.

I awoke from my lovely, Hooegarden induced slumber to my friend John farting loudly. The room smelled like Taco and Beer. It was like college all over again.

After showers, Troy and I walked to the parking garage to get our camera charger and stopped at Starbucks on the way back to get a muffin and some juice. We laid witness to a great exchange between a woman who was too privileged for her own good and a man who was defending his local barista. I would get into it, but I've seen assholes before so it's nothing new. It was nice theatrics for the morning.

We went to a bar called "The Good Dog" on 16th, I think. I was a little sleepy eyed, but it was somewhere close to there downtown.

I got a Chicken choirizo sausage quesadilla with potatoes and some kind on non-existent cheese. It was ok, but nothing to right home about. I'll only say that it kind of tasted like home fries on a tortilla.

While we were there, we watched some of the parade on tv. It was mostly the Comics, which are entertaining, but they really lake the choreography that the Strings have and are mostly just people doing the mummer walk with umbrellas.

After lunch we went further down town to Broad and Washington. We met up with the Fancies. I think that they are kind of boring because they just look pretty. 

In life, I only find things interesting if I don't think that I can do them. That goes for food, art, you name it. I could never make something like this:

This man was gorgeous:

I thought this guy looked like Hitler. John said Charlie Chapman. I guess I have been a bummer lately.

I'm sure he hates Peacocks now and probably doesn't like NBC for that matter.

Here is another float of a chicken. I was mesmerized by this point.

This guy looked so sad. We called him the sad mummer. A broken ox. Mind you, it was around noon, the day after NYE, and cold. I'm sure this dude didn't sleep much. He had to haul this thing all along Broad, probably 20 blocks. Just so Uncle Vinny could use it at the judging area on the other side of City Hall. He looked so sad.

He probably hates peacocks now.

Finally we got to see some of the strings. But by the time they started to make it up the street, it was 4, and getting cold. I'm sure that beer and tacos were affected everyone as well. I know it did a number on me.

These are the Strings that we did get to see. Strings are a combo of the Comics (skits, hahaha), and the Fancies (pure glitter and feathers + DJ's). They do little skits while playing strings, horns and percussion.

3 - Greater Overbrook

4 - Durning
5 - Irish American
6 - Avalon

I wanted to see the Polish Americans, since I have seen them before and they are my favorites. They were #7 on the list and at 5:00, 6 blocks away. We decided to make a break for it and head back to Kelly's apt and try to get out of town. I wanted to hit Ikea on the way home and home was 3 hours away.

I think that this is Greater Overbrook. They did a wizard of OZ type thing. They were really very good. There club must have a lot of money because the production values were so high.

I think this was Durning. They were so awesome and they really made my day - I just would have liked to get closer. All the men were dressed up like little old ladies and were carrying little purses. I almost cried when I saw them.

Keep in mind when watching that these dudes are plumbers, mechanics… working class dudes. Stick around for minute 2:30. And know that in person, they are so much better.

These are the Irish Americans. Their production values weren't great actually, but the little old men were so cute. 

The final results are here. I wish that we could have seen more, but I am so happy I went. There is always next year. And youtube.

One more thing. On the way home, we stopped at a rest stop on 76 and I got a Green Tea Latte. I was always sure that Tea with milk in it had to be awful. This is quite the opposite and now my favorite thing.