Last year I marched, but this year I was just a spectator. After the rigors of family travel in August and September, on top of a really rough first trimester, I just didn't have the energy, when October rolled around, to deal with coordinating a costume. I'm kind of sorry, but there's always next year.

Having learned from the Pride Parade that the beginning of a parade route is much less crowded than the end, we met up with vatavian and museumfreak on the slope in front of the loft apartments on Euclid Avenue, and watched the merriment go by. The parade was smaller this year than usual; a lot of major L5P businesses were absent (notably the Vortex and Junkman's Daughter, which practically IS Little Five Points all by itself). And the businesses that did show lost a lot of coolness points by driving random trucks full of unthemed costumed folks down the street.

Chantelle's krewe, the Grateful Gluttons made their usual spectacular showing, with a circus sideshow themed float. I knew it was them as soon as I saw them coming, because it was, frankly, the only really impressive thing in the whole parade.

Pictures here!