Photos 08 Jun 2008 09:33 am
PhotoSunday – Big Apple B.B.Q.
- There’s always a surprise at Madison Square Park when you walk through it in the early morning. On Thursday, I’d seen a bunch of tractors and large vehicles, basically immobile at 7am. Not much else
On Friday, Tents had been built all over the park. Many of them. I took some photos to chronicle whatever was coming.
These little tents meant and event of some sort was to take place this coming weekend.
I saw no signs throughout the park to advertise what it was that’d be coming._
The tents circled all around the large lawn._
The sculptures – some of them – had fences constructed around them.
I snapped my photos and continued on through and off to work._
I returned Saturday to see that work had been done on the tents.
Signs had been attached to show that things would be sold.
Other signs asked people to watch what they did with the food._
There weren’t a lot of people in the tents, working on them.
Everything had been prepared by 7am.
I asked a sweeper near the dog-walk what was happening. She told me that “The Big Apple Bar B-Q would take place Saturday and Sunday.
I decided to return to see.
Saturday night presented a completely different picture.
Throngs of people greeted us at 5pm. 26th Street (the back of the park where
we entered) was almost unmoveable. Crowds were lining up to buy BBQ.
The circular reflecting ponds was less busy but still crowded, and the
oval lawn was filled with people picnicking.
The gated sculptures were just part of the background.
I don’t think too many people were giving these objects much mind.
The back 1/4 of the park was jammed to the point of uncomfortable.
This is where they were selling beer, and alcohol couldn’t be removed from this area.
There was also a bandshell erected with loud music. Oddly the music
was louder back on 26th Street than it was here, at 23rd Street.
Getting out of this area was all we wanted. It was too crowded.
It was also gated and near impossible to find an exit once we were in.
Finally out of it, we found a lot of people cueing up to buy pulled pork.
They’d set up some picnic tables where people ate the hard won meal.
Leaving we saw several blocks of trucks supplying ice and other materials for the event.
We headed for the not-too-far-away Rodeo Bar. They served BBQ food, but we weren’t hungry. A beer sounded good though. Since the temperature was in the 90′s, being outdoors was more of a trial than necessary. The air conditioned bar was a pleasant respite.
on 10 Jun 2008 at 11:58 am 1.Tom Stathes said …
Looks like it was a fun event. I was there with a friend last Thursday as we were snapping pics of one of the Bray Studios locations; one of the buildings facing the park on E26th street. This would have been their location as late as 1921 but I’m not sure for how long previously…pictures to be posted soon.