Nina, Pinto, Santa, Maria

So, like, a way long time ago, like 1942 or something, a guy got kicked out of Italy cuz he kept talking crazy global-rounding like theory and all, but then some religious fanatical Queen in Madrid gave him some money, and he bought 4 things but had to put them on a boat to New York cuz they wouldn't all fit in the overhead bins. When he got to Central Park, everyone liked what he brought so much they gave him a traffic circle and a shopping mall and put up 4 pillars in the traffic circle in honor of his contributions to like, culture or something.

Then they made school kids sing about Nina, Pinto, Santa and Maria.

      

       

Top photo of Columbus Circle Monument reflected in Time Warner Center by me; the rest copied from the interwebs

SantaCon

Posted by David


One of the keys to living in New York is riding the waves of serendipity. Often it is all about being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time but don't find out until later ("What? Madonna and Cher had a cat fight in front of the Marriott Marquis yesterday? But I was in Times Square yesterday! How did I miss that?") Other times you are in the right place but at the wrong time ("May I take your order? By the way, if you'd been here an hour earlier you'd have seen the Obamas feeding each other creme brulee.")

But sometimes you nail it, and then New York unfolds its magic for you.

I was just finishing my workout at the gym (I'm gay and this is NYC, so it's the law) when my phone buzzed and a friend's text announced: "I'm at SantaCon! Where are you?"

OMG! I'd seen people earlier in the day wandering about in Santa and other related holiday costumes and knew something was up.


Even while I was heading to the gym, I saw groups in Xmas regalia marching past. Yet I couldn't put two and two together.


But as luck would have it, SantaCon was convening at Washington Square Park, a mere ten minute walk from my gym. So I threw on my clothes, grabbed my camera, (which I had brought along because it was 12 of 12 day. More serendipity), and dashed and danced and pranced over to the park.


More photos and video after the jump!