Day 51 Sunday May 1, 2005
Fort Lee NJ to Central Park NY
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| Day 51 Sunday May 1, 2005 Fort Lee NJ to Central Park NY |
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After an evening of tears and inspiration at the talk given by the Hibakusha and the Mayor of Hiroshima, We where ready for the walk across the Hudson River into New York City.
The day was rainy and gray and the rain-washed all the color out into a dreamlike haze. We walked the George Washington Bridge across the mighty Hudson as the Metropolis loomed in the distance. I stopped half way to take in the view and offer a prayer to the river, once so clean and mighty but now reduced to a brown sludge drain. Sadly it's a sight I am all too familiar with both here and in Australia, probably all over the world. After we crossed the bridge we entered the city, The Big Apple. If this place is an apple then it must be rotten to the core. The illusion of wealth and prosperity is built as usual on the millions of people who live in poverty... Babylon Pearly Towers exist on a fragile peace. Still it was exciting to have our destination so close and well within reach. The City was surprisingly quiet, not the crazy hustle and bustle I was expecting, but it is early on a Sunday Morning and people are probably still asleep. It felt as if we where some invading army, an army without weapons... Babylon was ours for a brief moment. As we got closer to the U.N. our energy increased, as our voices rose in a chorus of Drumming and chanting. Our numbers had swelled into a roving choir, we where so loud that the drumming was setting of car alarms as we passed... electronic bleeps and sirens countered our choir. We walked into a huge crowd at the U.N. in our little world you sometimes forget there are other people. But we where walking to join the May Day march from the U.N. to Central park. It was awesome and a bit scary to be amongst so many people again. The official count for the day was about 45 thousand people, all with one cry... peace and an end to Nuclear weapons. There where people of all ages, religions and nationalities, all walking in unison. People where free to express themselves, as performers dressed as George Bush entertained everyone, banners, flags and placards rose above the rally and competed for space amongst the skyscrapers. We arrived in Central Park like a human river, flooding the space for the gathering. There was a huge stage with music and talks all day and many stalls with information. The day was great and all of us where tired so we went to our stay place in uptown New York, the Community Church who would host us for the next few days. It was a shock to see our dwelling as it was in a rich part of town just near Park Avenue... Babylon sometimes puts on a good show! From The belly of the beast, Bilbo |
Day 52 Nuclear Time-Line |
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