25th Annual Mermaid Parade

Today the Farmboyz and I schlepped out to Coney Island for the gayest not-really-gay event in NYC, the 25th Annual Mermaid Parade, the first time any of us had attended. The day started a little bit chilly with the giant clock (see below) facing Central Park reading 57 degrees. In June. But by the time we reached the beach, the temp was a pleasant 73 and we exited the D train to find the barricades across Surf Avenue had just been raised, giving us an immediate front row place (facing Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs) from which to watch the parade, a lucky thing too, because within 15 minutes the crowd was 15-deep behind us.

This year King Neptune was played by one of the Mythbusters dudes, a joke on the rumor that this will be the final Mermaid Parade due to the impending demolition of Astroland, which as of last week appears to have been given a one-year reprieve. Over a couple of hours we viewed topless mermaids, buttless mermen, and more than a few mertrannies. Very Mardi Gras At-The-Beach - I even caught a strand of beads. The highlight was the We Like Dick contingent (bottom right), headed by some guy named Dick. Really. We packed it in before the parade finished, mindful of tomorrow's much longer event.