Tartan? What's that?

This past week I was reading my Time Out NYC magazine (thanks for the subscription, Mom and Dad!) and saw something about New York Tartan Week, ending with a parade up 6th Avenue. I had no clue what "tartan" meant but I love parades so I decided to check into it.

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colors, AKA plaid. So from what I gathered it's the pattern on the kilts of Scotland. The more I looked into it, I found out New York Tartan Week is celebrating Scottish heritage, ending with the parade. Saturday rolled around and up to the parade I went. The F train (my train line) runs right up 6th Avenue so I got off at Rockefeller Center and the parade was RIGHT THERE. I got a front row spot. Sweet!


As I'm sure you can imagine, there were lots brightly colored kilts, bagpipes and drums, and Highland dancers. Several clans were also represented with members marching behind their banners in their family patterned kilts: The MacClarens, The Boyles, The Guthries, The MacLeods, The Curries, The Gordons and The MacDuffs, just to name a few. Some other very cool marchers: the West Highland Terriers (Westies) and Scottish Terriers club. Over 100 dogs marching in kilts and vests. So cute, they were a big hit with the crowd.







There were lots of people handing out the Flag of Scotland to parade goers to wave and I was handed one so that was cool. One group in the parade was handing out Scottish Shortbread (in sealed packages, of course) and I grabbed two packs of those.... I hadn't eaten yet that day so I was really hungry!



On the way home I decided to get off the train at West 4th Street (the West Village) and walk home because it was such a gorgeous day out. May have been our first really beautiful day of spring! All the basketball courts outside the station were full of games and bystandards, Washington Square Park was jumping with crowds of people watching the street performers, NYU campus tours walking around, people having lunch at sidewalk cafes and loads of people just enjoying the day out for a stoll. The sun was reflecting of the buildings just perfectly. In that moment I just felt so in love with the city and so lucky that I live here.