This story was reported by Peter Abramowicz, Angelica Berry, Kerri Byam, Jessica Durham, Antanina Kapchonava, Charmaine Nero, David St. Jacques, Harry C. Shuluk, Decorte Snipes and Cheydel Williamson. It was written by Antanina Kapchonava.
A blizzard of colorful confetti fell from the Big Blue sky as hundreds of thousands of New York Giants fans crowded lower Broadway on Tuesday to celebrate their team’s 21-17 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
Jubilant New Yorkers started arriving in Battery Park as early as 5 a.m. to see the ticker-tape parade take off. By the parade’s start at 11 a.m., streets were packed with fans chanting “Go Giants” and straining to see their air jordan 6 favorite players as they made their way up lower Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes.”
“I live for this. I called out of work and got here at 9:30,” added Joseph Stokes, 24, a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College. “I’m definitely not commuting back to Jersey tonight. Whoo! Go Giants!”
“I am excited to see Brandon Jacobs,” said Nick DeLuca, 18, of Staten Island, adding that “also there’s pretty ladies.”
Mother Nature seemed to be in sync with the celebration. Sunny weather drew a massive crowd of spectators wearing Giants jerseys and championship hats; some had faces painted blue and white, with color-coordinated clothing.
“It’s a Giants thing,” said Julius Madera, 21, of the Bronx, adding that his jersey got him together with fans he didn’t know just because they were wearing similar gear. They were hoping to have a glimpse of their team together. “They should let everyone crowd up to the barricades.”
Many people had to experience the excitement from a block or two away, since police barricaded streets when crowds grew large on Broadway. Some fans entertained themselves by throwing toilet paper rolls high into the air; others tossed paper from upper floors of adjoining office buildings. Children perched upon their parents’ shoulders laughed at it in enjoyment.
“I wasn’t too upset, “ said Christopher Duncan, 23, of Flatbush, Brooklyn, who had to view from a distance. “I wanted to be around everybody who supports the Giants.”
People greeted each other and chanted together, enjoying Sunday’s epic victory of the Super Bowl champions. Local amateur break dance groups, ballet dancers, and drum bands captivated the audiences with their music and quick moves.
“Everyone has come together for the Giants,” said Grace Tan, 23, a computer technician for Geek Squad who lives on the Lower East Side. “We’re like at a family reunion. The day even seems brighter.”
Visitors enjoyed it, too.
“My boyfriend and I actually just got into LaGuardia a few hours ago for a short visit. Even at the airport, people were screaming ‘Go Giants!’” said Kim Tran, 23, of Wicker Park, Chicago. “We couldn’t resist but come down and join all 30 trillion of these Giants fans.”
Vincent Faust, 28, a personal trainer from Baltimore, rode Megabus to the city to honor his favorite team. A former New Yorker, he was wearing a Victor Cruz jersey.
“I came to support my city, my team. They earned it,” Faust said. “Eli [Manning] came back the second time and defeated the biggest quarterback in the league. I had faith when everyone else didn’t. They’re no longer underdogs.”
But Faust was not the only one who had faith.
“We brought the trophy right where it belongs, to New York,” Giants Coach Tom Coughlin announced in front of the 500 lucky fans who won lottery tickets to the ceremony at City Hall Plaza. “Keep things alive! air jordan 7 All things are possible to those who believe . . . We always believed, we always knew we would get here.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who promised after the victory Sunday that he’d give the Giants “a parade to remember,” hosted the key-giving ceremony. He declared New York City “The Big Blue Apple” and thanked all fans for their support.
“We are here today because the Giants believed in each other, and you believed in them,” Bloomberg said before presenting the team with keys to the city.
Giants co-owner Steve Tisch joked that he hadn’t “asked the mayor yet, but [they] should do this every Tuesday.”
But while the crowd laughed and applauded, some employees from local office buildings didn’t find the joke as funny.
“I hate it, hate the loudness!” said Volha Sushko, 27, an office manager at a law firm on Broadway. “I got here fine because I got here before 9 a.m.”
“I [had to] come in before 8:30 a.m. in anticipation of the mess during the parade,” said Arun Nanda, 49, president of a consulting company on Broadway. “It is crazy out there from what I experienced four years ago.”
Construction workers on William Street said that barricades helped the City Department of Parks and Recreation quickly clean the streets after the festivity.
And there was a lot to clean up – at around 12:30 p.m. sanitation workers started removing litter, paper, and beer bottles left behind by the spectators. An hour later, most of Broadway was cleared of trash, and lower Manhattan resumed its everyday busy tempo.
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