Recent Galleries

Central Park 04/12/08 : a stroll in the park on a saturday afternoon...

Central Park 04/12/08

Tony

a stroll in the park on a saturday afternoon...

Updated: Jun 24, 2008 9:18pm PST

New York City : Photos taken in and around New York City.

New York City

Handy Lukman

Photos taken in and around New York City.

Updated: Jun 23, 2008 3:25pm PST

WATER DROPS - PART 2 - June 22, 2008 :

WATER DROPS - PART 2 - June 22, 2008

Fabio Tuchiya

Updated: Jun 22, 2008 8:02pm PST

Mermaid Parade - 2008 : Coney Island Brooklyn, New York

Mermaid Parade - 2008

MurrayJames

Coney Island Brooklyn, New York

Updated: Jun 22, 2008 5:57pm PST

MERMAID PARADE IN CONEY ISLAND - June 21, 2008 : From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade takes place every year by the sea in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, usually in mid-to-late June. The Parade is a lively and welcoming ocean-themed event, which is open to all comers.

The tradition of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade began in 1983, when the first event of this kind was conceptualized and organized by Dick Zigun, who is sometimes dubbed the "Mayor of Coney Island", and who was the founder of the non-profit arts group Coney Island USA.

The Mermaid Parade is held in celebration of the beginning of the summer season, and so it traditionally takes place on the Saturday closest to the calendar start of of summer, regardless of the weather.

The parade pays homage to the tradition of the Coney Island Mardi Gras parades of the very early 20th century, when Coney Island was at its zenith as the primary amusement destination for the great majority of the inhabitants of New York City. Similar in spirit to the annual Village Halloween Parade, the mermaid parade is the closest thing New York has to a Mardi Gras.

The event sometimes attracts a couple of thousand actual participants, along with hundreds of thousands of spectators, some of whom have traveled to Coney Island's beach primarily to escape the heat which often marks the beginning of summer.

The Mermaid parade is well-known for extraordinary marine costumes, and for the occasional partial nudity. (This is not as surprising as it may sound, because it is legal in New York State for women to be topless in public, as long as this is not part of a business venture.) The parade is however very much a family event; it is quite common for at least one little girl's birthday party to march as part of the parade. There are sections in the parade for vehicles of all kinds, for floats, for groups, and for individuals. Mermaids and sea creatures of every shape and size are represented, and the audience is festive and appreciative.

Each year the Mermaid Parade features a merman and mermaid King and Queen. In 2005 the King was David Johansen (Buster Poindexter) and the Queen was Karmen Guy (Mad Juana). In other years, David Byrne, Queen Latifah, Adam Savage, and Moby have filled the royal seats. The organizers claim to encourage bribery, so that participants have a better chance to win the various costume contests, which are also part of the day's entertainment.

MERMAID PARADE IN CONEY ISLAND - June...

Fabio Tuchiya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Coney Island Mermaid Parade ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 7:35pm PST

The Renegade Craft Fair : The Renegade Craft Fair 6/14

The Renegade Craft Fair

johnfahertyphotography

The Renegade Craft Fair 6/14

Updated: Jun 21, 2008 3:05pm PST

New York City : Around the City

New York City

Fred Miller (Derf)

Around the City

Updated: Jun 12, 2008 5:24pm PST

New York Collection :

New York Collection

zhengxu

Updated: Jun 03, 2008 7:43pm PST

New York City Shots May 2008 : Memorial Day weekend 2008 - A day in NYC for Steve and me. We visited a couple street fairs, ate Falafel for lunch, saw two foreign films, Chinese food in Chinatown for dinner and miles of walking so I could take lots of pictures. We love our time in the city. Here is a taste of our weekend! Please let me know you came by for a visit and leave a comment or just say hello!

New York City Shots May 2008

Hillary Yasmer Shemin

Memorial Day weekend 2008 - A day in NYC for Steve and me. We visited ...

Updated: May 31, 2008 8:19am PST

New York City : New York has always been one of my favorite cities to visit.  It has always been somewhat of a challenge to photograph however.  This gallery represents highlights from several trips, the most recent being April 2001.

New York City

Gary

New York has always been one of my favorite cities to visit. It has a ...

Updated: May 28, 2008 4:26pm PST