Big Apple Blonde

Int'l Pillow Fight Day NYC 2010

I survived International Pillow Fight Day 2010 with only a couple of bruises. The day started with a two hour train ride to the city. Which, on Easter weekend is the same as joining the circus for a couple of hours… The only way to survive was to bring a flask. Which left my hubby and I good and saucy for our city adventure. We arrived in Manhattan two hours ahead of the fight, so we walked over to Irving Place, a quiet enclave just off of Union Square, and found a delicious sushi place to pass the time. Around 2.30PM we joined the park dwellers and basked in the sun for a bit waiting for the festivities to kick off. A few park peeps were carrying pillows or suspiciously big bags and the police were out in full force setting up fences on the south side of the park. But otherwise all seemed quiet. Like a peaceful Saturday in the park. That was about to change. Come 2.45PM the fenced off part of the park had corralled hundreds of people, all carrying pillows or stuffed bunnies and eagerly counting down to kick-off. Some shouted out threats, like “I’ve filled [my pillow] with baby powder!” We gingerly joined the crowd but stayed close to the fence so my camera would remain safe. 3PM sharp mayhem ensured. Pillows were swinging, feathers were flying, people were running for the fences to escape. We snapped pictures, laughed, and tried to shield ourselves from the pillows. Who knew they could be such powerful weapons? By 3.15PM fun turned into frenzy as the crowd seemed to swell and numerous pillow players tried to escape. They pushed towards the fences and soon we found ourselves in peril of getting crushed against the fence. We jumped to the other side, took one last look at the pillow people still standing and took off. It was insane, it was hilarious. It was totally worth the bruises.

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