Living in NYC, you can get used to the same-old, same-old despite the millions of things to do here. Our NYC Lifestyle Contributor Robyn is here to show you some of the really cool happenings going on in the city that may not be on Your radar. This time around she became a mermaid. YES, a mermaid. In Coney Island. And she had the time of her life. Check out her recap (some pics may be NSFW–not safe for work).

Not only living, but existing, thriving, surviving, and attempting to date can take one through some odd adventures in New York City. The other day I took the ladies of Brown Girl Burlesque up on a free open offer to join them and march during the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.

The Mermaid Parade takes places every June near the summer solstice. Though it’s a family event, the parade also has similarities to the craziness of Mardi Gras. Extravagant costumes, plenty of pasties, and loud music turn this into a yearly must attend.

But what does one wear to a mermaid parade?

Seeing as though I plan on being the future president of the PTA, I had my doubts about donning pasties, but what else was I gonna wear? Three days prior I battled sweltering heat and 400 people in musical chairs, so I only had the evening before to shop and figure it out. Avoiding the torrential down pours, I slipped into Patricia Field first. An aggressively tiny dog barked at me, and it’s owner told it to leave me alone. I barely looked up at the feeble voice to smile back, when I noticed her red hair, lawd, Patricia Field has just greeted me in her own store. I didn’t have a fan moment, too much to do. I searched through the goods, wrecklessly eyeballing more pasties. I snuck out with nothing. I headed up to Union Square to Halloween Adventure, and it all came together.

The morning of I put my two-year-old natural hair into a fro, threw my costume into my backpack, and headed to Coney Island. When I arrived on the scene, costumed marchers were everywhere trying to get ready while the most aggressive photographers were swarming and invading everyone’s space. But eventually after I got changed into my costume and met up with my brown mermaid pals, we happily obliged to the paparazzi’s pic requests.

We danced, put on tons of SPF, drank, and continued to pose for more photos. Finally, the parade began. Under the hot sun, we marched, we cheered, we stayed hydrated, and we posed for more photos. I’m thinking once we were done the main parade route, it was over. Not at all, as I was warned. We had to hit the boardwalk and show it all off again. Then it was over. We hugged and said our goodbyes. I never thought I could have such a blast with a group of women I had never met before. Mermaid Parade = time of my life!

About Robyn Webb

In 11th grade, when it was time to register for the following year's senior classes, Robyn D. Webb knew that Honor's English was a joke, and that she should be granted entry into Gifted and Talented / Advanced Placement English for her final year of high school, in Baltimore. She was, but proceeded to pursue a career in Fashion. Throughout, she has continued to use writing as a vehicle to 'decompress', sort through emotional highs and lows, and usual bouts of venting. Currently, Robyn is thriving in New York City, designing in the world of fashion, and looking to finally tap her skill of writing. Check out her blog at robyninrealtime.tumblr.com.

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