Halloween In The West Village

Last night we went to see the parade in the West Village. Weird, but we've been here for two and a half years and have yet to see this famous freak-fest. I think we both sort of thought it would be like Burning Man but it couldn't have been further. Yes, lots of interesting costumes. Yes, lots of people on a variety of costumes. But instead of a general love-fest the Village was chock full of rude crowds of visiting suburbanites. Pushing, shoving. Blowing smoke in your face. Rod even got burned with a cigarette as we pushed past the West 4th St subway station. Mayhem. When we finally pulled away from the crowd and meandered down to Schillers on the Lower East Side I was relieved. (I get a little claustrophobic in crowds; subways at rush hour give me the creeps.) And then this morning I listen to NY1 to discover that four people were shot and another one stabbed last night during the festivities. Gang related, but still: how many people could have been injured in the cross-fire? Next year I'll stick to lovely Brooklyn and the parade of kids tottering down leaf-strewn streets.