Around Town - Music, Swans and Zombies

There was a lot going on around town yesterday and much of it was FREE FREE FREE. Beth and I set out to experience as much of it as we could fit into an afternoon.

We started at Eathfest, a big festival along the Esplanade. We set up our blanket near the water which was pretty but cold! We were there to hear the BoDeans play, which was towards the beginning of the festival. Getting there early meant that we were there for some of the good freebies that people were handing out. Beth and I each got free herbs and flower plants from Home Depot.

After the festival, we headed to the Public Garden/Common. We saw a swan sitting on her nest near the pond with all the swan boats. I'd seen the boats from afar but yesterday was the first time I was close enough to notice that they are paddle boats! The paddlers must have some massive leg muscles!

The Public Garden is a beautiful and fun place to be on a spring day, but the real reason we were there was to wait for the zombies. Paul and I had seen a zombie parade a few years ago when it was held in Somerville/Cambridge. This year's march went through much busier and posher surroundings.

We caught up with them at the edge of the public garden, which was supposed to have been the end of the route. Plans must have changed because they seemed to be going reverse route, coming from the garden and heading to Newbury Street.

The Zombie March/Parade is an informal event. The marchers pick a place to gather and then walk down the sidewalk together. The result is pretty hilarious. Passersby find themselves mixed in with a group of bloody, groaning, lurching zombies some of which are holding signs with thoughtful comments like "Zombies are people too" and "Brains not Bombs".

For those not familiar with Newbury Street, it is the street in Boston where the Burberry and Chanel types go to shop. After the zombie parade passed Beth and I, we discussed how to get home and decided walking down Newbury Street to the bus would be the best route. Little did we know, we were making a choice that would up the hilarious quotient of our day immensely. Our route home meant that we were walking on the same street as the zombies were. We walked on the opposite side and heard many amusing comments from the confused shoppers on Newbury Street.

Many people noticed the spectacle because of the costumes but the zombies were also chanting as they walked. A common call and response was used:

Lead Zombie: "What do we want?"
Zombie Crowd: "BRAINS!"
Lead Zombie: "When do we want it?"
Zombie Crowd (mixed response): "NOW!" and "BRAINS!"

Beth and I kept pace with the zombies so we heard the reactions all down Newbury Street. The most common response was, "I don't get it." Some people made that comment in disgust while others said it in pure dumbfounded confusion.

Others were more decisive in their reactions. Two girls were discussing it in great detail and quite earnestly trying to decipher the point of it. The conclusion of their discussion was, "Well. I feel like if you are going to protest, you should make your point clearer."

A little girl asked her mom, "Is it halloween?" Her mom had a hard time explaining what was going on.

The zombie parade that Paul and I saw in Somerville was much more of a family affair. We saw kids in stroller whose parents had put them in zombie makeup, senior citizen zombies and full zombie families. This parade was more limited in age, but it definitely made up for it with the route they chose. Newbury Street was left thoroughly baffled with a smattering of mildly amused.