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Royals Victory Parade
Nov. 4th, 2015 03:05 pmSo yesterday, Kansas City threw a party, and EVERYONE showed up.
the official estimates puts attendance at somewhere between 500,000 and 800,000 people (KC Metro population, which includes the suburbs, is 2,035,166, so maybe 39% of the population? I believe it) -- I could see a steady stream of people walking through my neighborhood for hours before we decided to head out -- around 10:30 for a parade that started at noon. The buses were all rerouted around downtown -- Chad called into work (he would have had to walk about 20 blocks to the rerouted stop, and even then he'd probably have to wait an hour or more -- buses were so full they were refusing new passengers in many cases. Uber was on surge pricing, and there were no cabs to be had). I didn't have to work until later, so I just called and explained I'd probably be late. My bosses didn't care -- business was going to be glacially slow until after the festivities.
We found a spot along the route that wasn't too crowded to see -- we were about three rows back, and there were lots of kids around so we could generally see over them. Pretty much everyone was in a good mood, calmly waiting, periodically throwing out chants of Let's Go, Royals! (clap clap, clappity clap). The cloudy morning gave way to bright sunshine (I got a little sunburned). All around, people were watching through windows, from truck beds, from roofs.
We could hear the crowds further down the route -- a swelling roar as the parade got moving, breaking out again as the players came through. Confetti cannons around the corner sent glittering clouds around the buildings.
It was a pretty simple parade -- a few marching bands from local high schools, a couple of giant baseball balloons. Mostly, it was staff and family and the players themselves, wearing "Thank You Kansas City" shirts and taking selfies for the crowds. The high school girls in front of us made sure to chant for everyone by name, including the second string, the coaches, the support staff.
Everyone was happy. Everyone was cheering. The city was a sea of blue.
I couldn't make the rally at the end of the parade, because I instead made the hike out to the temporary bus layover spot and eventually to work -- the buses were doing their best, but navigating through throngs of fans coming and going made things slow. Even with the uncertainties over bus routes and schedules and long long walks to parking spots, I didn't see anybody who really looked annoyed.
There was still confetti floating serenely through a blue autumn sky -- when it caught the light, it looked like stars.
It was lovely. I'll probably never see the like again.
( pictures from my vantage point )Then I found shots of the rally, and overhead shots of the parade route -- yeah, I don't think that 800,000 estimate is too far off.
( shots from the news )
the official estimates puts attendance at somewhere between 500,000 and 800,000 people (KC Metro population, which includes the suburbs, is 2,035,166, so maybe 39% of the population? I believe it) -- I could see a steady stream of people walking through my neighborhood for hours before we decided to head out -- around 10:30 for a parade that started at noon. The buses were all rerouted around downtown -- Chad called into work (he would have had to walk about 20 blocks to the rerouted stop, and even then he'd probably have to wait an hour or more -- buses were so full they were refusing new passengers in many cases. Uber was on surge pricing, and there were no cabs to be had). I didn't have to work until later, so I just called and explained I'd probably be late. My bosses didn't care -- business was going to be glacially slow until after the festivities.
We found a spot along the route that wasn't too crowded to see -- we were about three rows back, and there were lots of kids around so we could generally see over them. Pretty much everyone was in a good mood, calmly waiting, periodically throwing out chants of Let's Go, Royals! (clap clap, clappity clap). The cloudy morning gave way to bright sunshine (I got a little sunburned). All around, people were watching through windows, from truck beds, from roofs.
We could hear the crowds further down the route -- a swelling roar as the parade got moving, breaking out again as the players came through. Confetti cannons around the corner sent glittering clouds around the buildings.
It was a pretty simple parade -- a few marching bands from local high schools, a couple of giant baseball balloons. Mostly, it was staff and family and the players themselves, wearing "Thank You Kansas City" shirts and taking selfies for the crowds. The high school girls in front of us made sure to chant for everyone by name, including the second string, the coaches, the support staff.
Everyone was happy. Everyone was cheering. The city was a sea of blue.
I couldn't make the rally at the end of the parade, because I instead made the hike out to the temporary bus layover spot and eventually to work -- the buses were doing their best, but navigating through throngs of fans coming and going made things slow. Even with the uncertainties over bus routes and schedules and long long walks to parking spots, I didn't see anybody who really looked annoyed.
There was still confetti floating serenely through a blue autumn sky -- when it caught the light, it looked like stars.
It was lovely. I'll probably never see the like again.
( pictures from my vantage point )Then I found shots of the rally, and overhead shots of the parade route -- yeah, I don't think that 800,000 estimate is too far off.
( shots from the news )
