When the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus comes to town every March, the big-toppers forego arrival by train and walk the animals in through the tunnel and across 34th Street to Madison Square Garden. The surreal annual late-night sight of circus elephants marching into Manhattan via the Queens Midtown Tunnel stops traffic. Literally.

Trailing behind the 14 elephants are a few camels and arabian show ponies, but the main attraction is the majestic pachyderms, which seem unfazed by the excited masses. And while there's no petting of the animals, it's a realÑand bizarreÑthrill to run alongside elephants in midtown Manhattan, in the middle of the night.

A longtime tradition, the elephants' arrival is heralded by throngs of new yorkers and area residents, and (unsurprisingly) animal-rights protesters. Moving west across the island toward Madison Square Garden, the crowd grows in size as passersby join the spectacle and police struggle to keep people and their pets away from the circus animals.

(thanks, Mom!)
: )

Lori; my only friend, crazy enough

The Parade

Back to life in New York.

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© 2001 Bonnie L. Hammer. All rights reserved.