This stroll wasn’t for the birds.
Ridgites partied at the first Third Avenue Summer Stroll of the year on July 13, swaying to the sounds of the summer performed by various bands dotted along the avenue and supporting local merchants by popping in at stores and eateries. One Ridgite who has attended the event religiously for the past four years brought his pet birds along to enjoy the stroll in the summer air.
“I took them for a walk to get some air — people walk their dogs, I walk my parrots,” said Pete Murphy of his parrots, Pedro and Catalina. “I trimmed the feathers so they can’t fly away.”
Murphy’s parrot pals were the perfect wingmen, greeting attractive passersby with complementary phrases such as “hello, gorgeous” and “hello, beautiful” as he strolled up from 68th to 80th streets to enjoy the event. But many Ridgites were too engrossed in the tunes of local musicians to pay the provocative parrots any mind, Murphy said.
“It was very loud with the band, most people couldn’t hear them, but the ones who could hear them were amazed,” he said.
Upcoming Third Avenue Summer Strolls are set for July 20, Aug. 3, and Aug. 10.
