Columbus Day Parade in NYC

We went into the City this morning for Columbus Day Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Carrie-In-The-City sings at SP and Columbus Day is a big Italian holiday in NY and I have a vowel at the end of my name which qualifies me to celebrate). After Mass we watched the parade for a few minutes and then stopped in some pub for a drink.....um, I mean lunch. While we were in there, there were all these guys in red shirts drinking and partying and getting ready to walk in the parade.

So of course we start talking and drinking with them and we had on red shirts too and all of a sudden we're all best friends and they want us to walk with them in the parade. They're from some Italian club from Carbondale and Scranton, PA, and they came over on a bus to be in the parade. Sooooo we end up not just walking, but carrying the banner up 5th Ave doing the whole parade thing. We're waving to the crowd, hanging out, getting our pics taken, etc. It was FANTASTIC!!! We are totally famous in Carbondale and Scranton now!