I Ain't Jokin Bout Hoboken

Hoboken, NJ.  According to Wikipedia Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region. Hoboken is also the location of the first recorded baseball game in the United States, and of the Stevens Institute of Technology, one of the oldest technological universities in the United States.  Nifty information.. But I'm sure baseball wasn't the first thing that came to your mind when I said Hoboken...  You probably thought something like "Hoboken?! What the heck's in Hoboken?!"
Well, not much my friends.  It's really a bunch of residential neighborhoods, condominiums and an array of bars and restaurants.  It's really a little charming..but on one day a year (at least only one day that I'm aware of thus far), the town goes completely bonkers for a 24 hour period in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. 
At 10am Saturday morning I found myself headed for Hoboken.  With 3 others I boarded the train in Westport.  Or should I say, barely jumped on the train at the last minute as our last friend arrived just in the nick of time. It was a drizzly grey morning in Connecticut, I wasn't sure what lay ahead of me..all I knew was we were going to Hoboken and we were in for a party..
Next thing I discover, the word Hoboken is the 3rd most trending word on Twitter.  Oh boy..yes was in for quite the festival..  The 4 of us arrived in New York, took a quick walk (I put on my "City Walk" as I've come to call it when I'm in New York..being there just makes me walk faster..or everyone walks faster) over to the subway and headed with the hords of young people to the merriment that awaited our 40 minute subway ride. 

I quickly realized I was not properly decked out even with my Guinness beads and off green torquoise tank top...This really WAS St. Patricks day..just 2 weeks early.
Never did I expect to see anything so crazy.  The entire city, literally the ENTIRE city was out celebrating.  We arrived shortly after noon and the streets were already filled with a mix of families awaiting the parade and those who were either crowding into the closest bar or already catching their first sobering slice of pizza on the sidewalk.

There were people with hats!

And a parade!

But luckily we steared clear of this craze for the most part.  Happily a back yard awaited us with sun for us to bask in and beer for us to cheer with.  Yes it was the first time since I've moved here that my arms saw sunlight or soaked vitamin D.   Very happy indeed :)

And while my camera died I could not continue to capture the day as it progressed that was okay.  We ended up jolly and hungry and ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple again at a little after 8.  Ate some tasty shrimp at The Ginger Man and after 9 or 10 hours I finally cracked my celebratory Guinness on the train ride home.  Suffice it to say..then on Sunday they had their day of rest.