Unfurling The Gates

On Saturday, February 12, 2005, I left the East Village just before 7:30am to participate in the official unfurling of The Gates in Central Park. Over 1,000 people assembled in the meadow, not far from the southwest corner of the park. At 8:30am, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg joined the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude for the unfurling of the very first gate.

	Arriving at Central Park near the southwest corner of the park.		Fourteen feet from the ground, you can see how the flag is wound tightly around the horizontal beam.
	Gates from a distance, 30 minutes prior to the unfurling.		Christo and Jeanne-Claude arrive for the unfurling. Note the similarity of her hair to the gate to the right. See the video!
	A large crowd gathers, staying warm with hot chocolate and donuts. See the video!		A view of the crowd just to the left of where I was standing.
	Even the kids were being fairly patient.		The first gates are unfurled just after 8:30am. See the video!
	One by one, the gates are unfurled.		Two gates with the skyline in the background.
	All the gates to my left are now open. See the video!		They almost look like an orange centipede. Watch the crowd cheer Christo.
	About 50 yards to the right of my original spot, so I can see more unfurling. See the video!		A pug gets a unique view of the unfurling.
	Mayor Bloomberg joins the crowd. See the video!		Taking questions from reporters. See the video!
	Mayor Bloomberg answers more questions. Note my iPod recording his comments in the foreground. You can actually see my face in the iPod's reflection.