I was there for part of it: so large, we stood in our little holding pens for nearly two hours before stepping off, and a lot of people took much longer to get started.The organizers are saying 300,000, and I can't imagine how anyone counted, because while the main march was forty or fifty across, there were also tons of people just walking along on the sidewalk, heading home, or deciding to go rogue, or whatever. It was a very quiet, low-key event, albeit with some singing from older folkies ("Down by the Riverside") and cheers from others. The moment of silence for people who have suffered from extreme weather was nice, although I didn't know till later what we were doing: arms up, holding hands, and a wonderful preternatural silence of the thousands. Wow. Groups I wandered among included Westchester to Stop Climate change, and the Clearwater group along with a prominent band of vegans blaming animal farming for CO 2-- there was a big black and white inflatable cow carrying their message. Lots of families and strollers, some with dogs instead of babies. A terrific teen age drum corps, lots of banners, professional and homemade. A soft message, but a heck of a lot of human beings willing to embrace it.
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