Famous Puerto Ricans Show Their Roots
Who doesn't love a parade? In New York City, parade season kicked off over a month ago with Israeli Day, but that pomp and circumstance paled next to yesterday's Puerto Rican Day Parade. The annual procession crept up Fifth Avenue from 44th to 86th Street, the anticipation of which caused entire subway cars to shout, "Boricua!" (That's what the original inhabitants of the island, the Taino Indians, called themselves.) Ricky Martin (San Juan-born!) presided over the parade as its king and helped NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (not Puerto Rican) kick it off at 44th Street. Jennifer Lopez (of Puerto Rican heritage, but born in the Bronx) and husband Marc Anthony (also a Boricua born in New York) rode on a float promoting their new movie, "El Cantante," about his compatriot, singer Hector Lavoe.
Stay tuned later this summer for the Gay Pride Parade, Brooklyn Independence Day Parade (who knew they were independent?) and the African-American Day Parade. You never know who you might see -- and let's face it, everyone enjoys a parade except out-of-towners trying to drive along its route.
Related Stories:
· Parades Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Just Jared]
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