There is nothing like Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City. Growing up in the local vicinity of New York City my entire life I have heard crazy stories about drunken arrests, violent actions, lewd behavior. Everything you could expect out a melting pot of diverse cultures and race, getting inebriated and celebrating the evolved commercialized holiday. My open-minded majority generation, ranging from less ignorant elites and yuppies, to our urban culture low class, welfare income patrons are no different on Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City. Being a part of new waves of thoughts; my aged group members of society have no real foundation of what Saint Patrick’s Day is, and just assume its intentions are just to give us reason to display public intoxication.
This is where my observations lead me to what Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City really demonstrates. With forgetting my premeditated ideas that were imposed on me, watching my older sibling and her friends rant and rave about this experience. I made my own memories my first experience into this chaotic day.
I woke up and started to party very early the morning of Saint Patrick’s Day 2010. Irish Car bombs, Guinness Drafts, Shamrock lens sunglasses and sporting so much green clothing that if I were Lou Ferrigno people would think I was in Hulk form all day. But my gaudy apparel was the causal if not under dressed for this day in the City.
It didn’t matter what your color your skin was, didn’t matter where you came from or whom you are with. There was no difference in anyone, the streets flooded in this green wave. Kind of like a forest; you wouldn’t generalize the entire forest by singletree; it would just be a forest. That’s when my realization hit. On Saint Patrick’s Day in the hub of differences, everyone was the same. Traditionally this is the day of the Irish and meaningful to their ancestral roots. But in modern times, I’m not Irish; my friends aren’t Irish, yet there’s no other place we would be. At the time all of us were underage, white suburban kids from New Jersey. Getting a drink in a bar locally, would be impossible, the city had more leniency but still difficult unless it is Saint Patrick’s Day.
