Tag Archives: NYC

West Indian Day Parade: When Glitter Takes Over Brooklyn!

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Truly Julie spreading her wings at the West Indian Parade.

Every year, I mark Labor Day with…well…labor. News is a 24-7 operation so if a holiday falls on my M-F work schedule…I’m on. Yes, that’s even on Christmas. While I may grunt a bit going in when everyone else sleeps in..today, it was a labor of love. I went live out of the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, which is certainly a feast for the eyes. It’s the largest parade in NYC, boasting upwards of 3 million participants. Vendors serving coconut bread, oxtail, goat curry, etc. line the streets, as parade-goers in elaborate yet quite revealing costumes gyrate to the steel drums.
Costume designer Pat Nurse was kind enough to provide me with a lovely African Queen costume for this morning’s live remote. She brought a team of kids, sparkling in glitter, to showcase all her beautiful work. The theme of this costume below is the Egyptian pyramids. Capturing my every move…cameraman Al Daughtry (click here for our behind-the-scenes footage, complete with my infamous dolphin/sea otter/squirrel giggle: Julie’s moves), and truck engineer Dan Tagarelli. These two guys always make my work seem like a day at the….parade!





 

 

My office away from the office: the live truck.

The US Open: Where New York Serves Up an Ace

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Truly Julie taking in the fine game of tennis at the US Open.

Every late August into September, you start to see an increase of prepster crowds roaming the streets of New York. Just droves of folks wearing collared T-shirts with enormous Polo logos visible from space. Ah…the US Open is here. What a gem of an event for New York. It attracts about 30,000 people to the USTA Tennis Center DAILY over a span of 2 weeks, and conveniently brings this historic sport from 16th century France to my concrete jungle. Tennis was, from the get-go, a highly fashionable sport of kings and noblemen…and on Saturday, September 3rd, I had the pleasure of watching the #1 ranked player in the world, Novak Djokovic, command this ‘Jeu de paumme’, with true royal flair. Check out how far he bends his back when he serves. No wonder he serves bullets! The Serbian crushed his Russian adversary, Nikolay Davydenko, with little effort and showed the crowd why he’s currently the favorite to win it all. The Billie Jean King Tennis Center also showed off its A-game with a slew of A-listers, delicious eateries…and courtside cocktails. The “Signature US Open Cocktail” (Grey Goose, Chambord and lemonade garnished with melon balls) was the perfect refreshment for spectators. Since it wasn’t a Federer game, there were no Anna Wintour or Gavin Rossdale sightings, but just 50 yards away, I did spot Olivia Palermo (here with me in the Good Day New York studio) and Carson Kressley mingling with a dozen other people in their luxury box. I also caught the tail end of the Ana Ivanovic vs Sloane Stephens match.
Most of the crowd cheered for 18-year-old Stephens (upper court), who is viewed as the next big hope for US women’s tennis, but in the end, Serbia’s Ivanovic took the cake. With Djokovic and Ivanovic it seems Serbia is pumping out the strongest players of the moment…but as to who hosts the best tournament? USA all the way…NYC all you can see! What other destination can serve up the thrills of Manhattan while being a 25-minute subway ride away from this international sport packed with the world’s best players?!
When Djokovic won his match, he danced for the crowd. Scoreboard for Djokovic vs NYC: Love – Love.