We checked into the Marlton Hotel on Friday, and it was a nice day — hazy sun but not too hot — so we wandered over to the park to check out the venue for the wedding on Tuesday. To put it mildly, it was a never-ending scene.
Washington Square has been a place to hang out ever since the beatniks gathered here in the sixties. The lexicon of famous people who have stayed at the Marlton over the years gives you an idea: Jack Kerouac, Maggie Smith, John Barrymore, Julie Andrews, Lenny Bruce, and the list goes on.
An amazing cross-section of less famous and soon-to-be-famous Greenwich Village folk show up at the Square to see and be seen every day. There were six different music sources playing at one time within the range of our hearing. Also, there were dancers, free hugs, street performers, henna art, a few panhandlers, and as wide a range of hair, shoe and clothing styles as you’d ever want to see. There was an amazing lack of coherence in the styles; freedom of expression is the order (or disorder) of the day.
And just for fun, here’s a behind-the-scenes exposé of a great piece of performance art.
First the display:
And the guy sat there, dead still, for about an hour. The only time he would move was to ring his bell when anybody contributed a tip.
A closer look, however, reveals his secret. I noticed him when he arrived because of the interesting way he pushed his bike. Note the small block attached to the front wheel which doesn’t seem to turn. Very suspicious.
Perusal of his performance site shows a manhole cover with two matching square holes for prying up the lid.
A very cool trick, and I heard the bell ring enough times to think he may be doing all right with it.
In total, it’s a non-traditional wedding, and Washington Square Park is traditionally a great place for events of this sort.
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