Coney Island Baby

We had a family outing to Coney Island Saturday for the Mermaid Parade, an annual rite of summer in which hundreds of costumed New Yorkers show some skin (often in great abundance -- Jen coined the term "Flabulous" for the occasion) to mark the official opening of the beach season. After meandering down the boardwalk and up Surf Avenue again, everyone accompanies King Neptune and Queen Mermaid back to the sea. Good clean pagan fun.

Well, pretty dirty, actually, but hey, it's a carnie thing. We dressed modestly for the occasion:


It was Oscar's first sight of the ocean, and Jen waded in with him in a secular baptism of sorts (not to worry -- no dunking). He was pretty casual about it all.

He and Jen went as themselves, while I donned blue face paint and fake seaweed, since I was in the actual parade. But next year, who knows? I saw some kids little older than Oscar fully outfitted as pint-sized pirates, mer-folk and other sea creatures.

We should have worn rain slickers. King Neptune held the raindrops at bay until his return to the sea, but the minute he crossed the shoreline, the skies opened up, and Jen, Rox and I were soaked to the bone. Oscar stayed perfectly dry, thanks to the plastic coverall Jen got for his stroller. Mercifully, we happened upon our friend Alan, who gave us a lift back to Manhattan.