Prabhupada took his massage, prasadam and rest half an hour earlier than usual, so he was ready to go when the car arrived at 3:00 p.m. to take him to the parade. As the car moved down 7th Avenue across the intersections we could see the chariots making their way down 5th Avenue. The parade was so long that the lead cart, Lord Jagannatha’s, and the third one, Lord Balarama’s, crossed two different junctions simultaneously, both surrounded by huge crowds of devotees and onlookers.

Our car pulled up at the Empire State Building, on 34th Street and 5th Avenue, where Prabhupada waited the arrival of the chariots. We looked back up 5th Avenue to see the incredible spectacle of three brightly festooned rathas, their multicolored canopies reaching high into the air, majestically gliding down the man-made concrete canyon with an entourage stretching back for blocks. Six hundred devotees chanted and danced in multiple kirtana parties, in front and on all sides, glorifying the Lord of the universe. Many thousands of onlookers lined the sidewalks, including a large turnout from the Indian community. Prabhupada said it was a long-cherished dream come true.

From Hari Sauri Prabhu’s Transcendental Diary