(credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – The Big Apple was Red, White and Green Monday in celebration of Italian-American culture.
PHOTOS: New York City Columbus Day Parade
WCBS 880′s Rich Lamb Watches Gov. Cuomo March By
And even if they’re not Italian, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly were at the front of the 67th Annual Columbus Day Parade — the world’s largest celebration of Italian-American heritage — that kicked off at 44th Street at around 11:30 a.m.
“Proud to be Italian today — great festival, great heritage,” Frank Giuffrida told CBS 2′s Scott Rapoport.
“The whole world is Italian today — Sicilian, even better,” said one woman.
Led by Grand Marshal Joseph J. Plumeri, a Trenton, N.J., native, the parade honored New York’s Millennium High School, which was established to help rebuild lower Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks.
The philanthropist and business leader said that he felt a special sense of pride on such a special day.
“Columbus was an Italian who founded America and the rest of us followed,” he told Rapoport.
The parade route followed Fifth Avenue to 72nd Street where it wrapped up shortly after 3 p.m.. This year’s parade featured over 35,000 marchers and more than 100 bands and floats.
See Also: CBSNewYork’s Columbus Day Parade Guide
On Sunday, a wreath was placed at Columbus Circle in honor of Christopher Columbus, as well as New York’s uniformed civil servants and immigrants.
28 Comments
there are 7 million mooslime terrorists living in usa. what is done about it?
October 11, 2011 at 5:08 pm
God bless the italiano, America or shall i say Americo after all our name America is an italian map makers name. Christo Columbo deserves better than a mere mention but a full blown holiday and parade nation wide. And to think your blood sucking traitor liberals want to celabrate a Stinking low life muslim trash religious holiday before columbo day, makes me sick to think of it.
October 11, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Gotti was a Italian/American icon for queens we can honor him too but we dont have to be behind what he has done.
October 11, 2011 at 2:29 pm
What about Amerigo Vespucci who was the first to discover America, or the first European anyhow? When I we going to have a parade in honor of him? After all the country was named after Amerigo.
October 11, 2011 at 11:17 am
He was a filthy pirate that with the other pirates who followed him plundered the riches of this continent.
October 11, 2011 at 8:17 am
Columbus discoverd America, if it were not for his voygae, the USA would not of existed. Personally, I rather celebrate Garibaldi, a real italian hero who managed to exterminate the occupiers – turks/muslims – from southern italy and unite the country…. but of course we cant mention that little part of history as it would be politically incorrect to offend the religion of ‘peace’
As for the Native Americans….Too Bad. ths diseases we brought came from Asia via European traders (the plague), so blame the Chinese.
October 10, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Gotti is dead retard. And Columbus DID NOT discover america. he disovered asia, and the carribbean islands READ UP ON THE REAL HISTORY, and diseases did not come from asia MAN YOUR’E STUPID!!! Diseases came from Europe
October 10, 2011 at 7:26 pm
And the WHITE Man brought SMALLPOX and CHICKENPOX, and now, CANCER.
October 10, 2011 at 9:17 pm
White man effin’ rules!
October 11, 2011 at 10:02 am
It was an Italian who led the Voyage, on this day we commemorate not only him, but all Italians and Italian-Americans. We have a rich culture and an amazing history. We as a people reflect on this day of who we are and where we came from.
The Columbus Day Parade, unlike other parades that I wont mention, is a peaceful, joyful day – where families can attend and not be fearful.
May it continue for years to come!! Forza Italia!!!!
October 10, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Exactly. If they hate out parade I wish they would try to shut it down. Would love to see that. There is no – and never will be – any White Guilt coming from this Ginzo, and I am proud to say that.
October 10, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Of course you can’t have white guilt, you’re Italian = not white.
October 11, 2011 at 10:07 am
He went onFOUR VOYAGES, none of which landed on the Americas. The americas were already inhabited and discovered
October 10, 2011 at 7:27 pm
columbus wasn’t the first to disover the Americas, he was the first to actually STAY THERE.
October 10, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Columbus did not discover America!
Columbus is a mass murder!
October 10, 2011 at 4:45 pm
I guess you were there and you really know.
October 11, 2011 at 9:25 am
what about Spain cough cough…. they were spanish boats it was spanish money and the only thing italy had to do with it was having one italian on the ships.. typical italians.
October 10, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Unknown message
October 10, 2011 at 2:34 pm
We have to stop this nonsense about Columbus. The Italians did NOT discover America. There were Natives already living in the USA long before he accidentally landed. The Natives were NOT Europeans. Let’s not brainwash our young children.
October 10, 2011 at 11:56 am
Of course Wimpy, Lets teach this: White people are evil; Blacks were the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews and Vikings; Islam is truly a religion of peace spreading joy and flowers throughout their conquests especially fron the 8th to 14th centuries around the mediterranean.
October 10, 2011 at 7:19 pm
You must be a very angry little man with a very little pecker that has a severe Napolean complex. On top of that, you are one dumb, misinformed moron. Shut up and go fist pump in a corner. You ramble absolute nonsense. Blah, blah, blah…..
October 10, 2011 at 8:16 pm
I go along with that. He landed in the Dominican Republic.
October 11, 2011 at 9:27 am
In honor of this day, I am going to discover something that was already there, claim it, and murder and enslave it’s inhabitants.
October 10, 2011 at 11:43 am
…too bad you cant change history. Too bad you cant do nothing about it or ever will.
October 10, 2011 at 7:15 pm
you cannot change history but for damn sure you can start telling the truth and it’s about time people realize that columbus did nothing great or made no discoveries.
October 10, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Though Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas (having been preceded by the Norse expedition led by Leif Ericson[6]), Columbus’ voyages led to the first lasting European contact with America, inaugurating a period of European exploration and colonization of foreign lands that lasted for several centuries. Thank you.
October 11, 2011 at 1:17 am
Danny you don’t seem to have a problem living where those inhabitants were murdered…if so, maybe you should move somewhere else
October 11, 2011 at 1:13 am
If you feel guilty about living here than move somewhere else
October 11, 2011 at 1:24 am