Rainbows and Cake

The NYC Pride Parade was this past Sunday. We weren't sure if we were going to go. We knew it was going to be SO hot. We had also just gone to the one in Asbury at the beginning of June, AND walked IN it. We do love the NYC parade but it's way more crowded and difficult to navigate. Asbury is just an easier time.

The route was different this year too. I read that the route changed in preparation for next year's 50th anniversary celebration. It made it REALLY confusing. In one way it was good, because no matter what street we went down in the west village, we were seeing parts of the parade. However, trying to GET anywhere was rough. Streets were closed and you had to show ID to get through. Crossing streets in some places was rough. We were trying to get somewhere to eat and had to just abandon because we didn't see any way of getting around to the place we wanted to go.

We did get parking in a garage and it only cost me twenty five dollars. We parked on 19th St and 10th Ave from 11:15a til around 5p.

When we decided we were done with the Pride festivities, we decided to do a bakery run. That's what E and I do when we go to auditions. We try to find the closest bakery that sounds good. Last city run we ended up lost around Chinatown and found ourselves in Tous Les Jours. It's small, but it was SO good. I got a a clear Solo cup filled with cream puffs and French Macarons. E got a smoothie and cake. Everything was so good, I was dreaming of coming back there. I am not usually in that part of the city though. I looked the bakery up online and saw they have a location on 32nd street, between 5th and 6th Ave. Perfect, I thought. Except we had to walk like fifteen blocks. I still didn't think it would be that bad, but it kind of was that bad. E kept asking- "Are we there yet?" and I wanted to choke him out. I told him to count the numbers as we pass.

We got there and it was SO worth it. SO. WORTH. IT. This location is bigger, with more stuff. They had a cake in the other location, called Strawberry Fantasy or something, not sold by the slice. I got a strawberry cake in this location that I don't think was the same. I do want to get that cake at some point because I NEED to try it. I got some other strawberry whipped cream thing that was amazing. It was sort of like a croissant with whipped cream and strawberries in it and powdered sugar on top. I could've eaten ten of them. That's my kind of dessert. I also had a strawberry creme filled croissant which was different than the one I just described, and that was good too. I just liked the first one better.

B had a blueberry tart and E had French Macarons. Both were happy with their selections. 

http://www.tljus.com/our-story/tous-les-jours/

It was a good day. We walked over six miles. We saw cool floats, gorgeous drag queens, and some boobs with pasties on them. A very nice woman, who lives somewhere in the village we decided to stand, brought her own tall ladder for her sons to stand on. She wanted them to be able to see. Her boys looked to be around E's age. She let E sit atop the ladder for a little too so he could see. He loved that. So I thank you, helpful, kind mom who I didn't catch her name.

Oh, I did try to buy a charging cord for my iPhone at CVS, Rite Aid, and AT&T. All three tried to rob me blind by trying to charge $20-$25! What the hell? I went into a tiny food mart and was able to get one for $10. Still high, but acceptable in a pinch. But really- $25 for a charging cord? Not happening. And I didn't think chain stores like that would be doing that. At my CVS over the bridge in Jersey has them in bins for like $5!

Just by the way- I posted some pics from the day on Facebook, and sadly, got the inevitable questions private messaged to me- "Is your husband or son gay?", "I'm confused, who's gay?" so I feel I have to reiterate that NEITHER ARE GAY. None of us are LGBTQ. But we SUPPORT. It's not any different than supporting immigrants being separated from their kids, prison reform, the environment, etc. I don't need to have gone to prison or have been separated from my child to be able to sympathize or support those who have.

Again, I write this not to distance us from the LGBTQ community, but to explain that you don't have to BE something to SUPPORT something. Going to the Pride marches, parades, and festivities doesn't make you gay. It doesn't make you look gay. It just makes you an ally. Besides being a great cause to be an ally of, Pride events are FUN. Who doesn't like rainbow everything? Rainbows make people happy.

As a parents, it's part of my job to make sure my kid knows & understands diversity. To show him that there are people who are persecuted just for who they are and who they love. It's paramount that he's a good person who supports people who may be hated & discriminated against for their differences. We have to walk the walk though. It's not enough to just tell him. This is the easiest way to get him to understand why we need to show our support. So there you have it. That's why we go.