That was then. This is now.
I just left an EPIC comment over at Properly Salted (new blooooog) and what the hell — might as well just recount it here.
Last year the Fremont Solstice Parade was the highlight of my year — fabulous day, great company, excellent seats front and center near the parade’s beginning. It was really the first time I felt truly like moving to Seattle was EXACTLY the right choice. So you can see why I made plans to go this year with friends, including leaving two hours early to allow ourselves time to drive to Ballard, bus it to Fremont, take up our curb residence, etc.
As Hemingway once said, the road to hell is paved with unbought stuffed dogs. Here’s the comment I left at Properly Salted (who incidentally was obviously better situated at the parade than I):
I am so annoyed by this year’s parade. First, my crazy family was in town so half of them refused to go (nekkid people!!! no!!!) So there was this complete cluster-eff of trying to figure out how to get six people to Ballard where they would not be sullied. Then when we left at 10, we got caught in INSANITY of traffic as the Alaskan Viaduct was closed down for the damn Race for the Cure. Took us an hour to get from West Seattle to Western Ave.
By the time we got to my friend’s house, it was too late to catch the bus from Ballard to Fremont, so we had more c-f-ness while we figured out who was going to drive where. So we finally made it to Fremont, parked illegally (and got a ticket, of course — I know we suck but we were really just over the edge of one of those “do not park north of here” things but I don’t blame them). Then we got there SO late we couldn’t get a good spot to watch, and we were at the tail end so half the bikers must have dropped out much earlier. So we saw a lot of milling about but not much activity on that end. And a few things over the tops of heads. But not much.
Such a disappointment compared to my front-row seats of last year.
*cries*…
(Management acknowledges that all families are crazy, includes herself in that equation, and recognizes that moms did not want to take teenage boys. Got it.)
Thanks for the mention, Mary! I completely agree with you too- the Solstice Parade is a fabulous Seattle icon and not to be missed.
Of course the sensible thing to do would have been to call on lovely friends who live very close to the parade and leave your car in their driveway. Thereby ensuring a grandstand view of all the penises gliding past in glorious technicolor…