“Jesus Christ”, hat number Four awoke shouting. She had been sleeping, fell asleep on hat number Five’s shoulder, since she was awake all last night. It was Impossible to get any sleep on the subway platforms, with so many visitors in Manhattan for the big occasion.

The group was called the Five Hats, by passersby. They met about once a week, on the New York Waterfront, and needed the hats for various reasons during the year, Sun, Glare, Cold, Wind, Heat. They always had one of their seasonal hats on, straw, ear muffed, hooded, business man’s or bag lady type.

It was hot, humid, and breezy, typical 4th of July day on the Hudson.
The hats of the day, today, were straw, canvas, baseball, sailor, and a bag lady whatever.

Since the Waterfront was their focus, they usually sat on one of the long benches, in the waterfront park behind the statue of liberty, on the Jersey City side of the Hudson. Passersby would see the back of their heads, not the faces.

Sometimes they sat on the ruins of the Westside Highway. It gave them a view of the Hudson and the New Jersey waterfront, including the front of the Lady of the Harbor, the Colgate building, and Ellis Island. The views were commanding.

Other meeting places were the porches on some of the bars on Tribeca’s streets., The Staten Island Ferry, The 36th floor corner balcony overlooking the Hudson, The courtyard concrete benches at the World Trade Center.

The attraction to them was the waterfront, the piers, the eternal strength of the water.

They were a dissimilar group, some of them didn’t even like each other, however, the waterfront was a strong melding factor.

The other melding factor, even though they were not aware of it, was the power and strength they felt in their occupations. Each had a sense of doing something they liked, although they all felt a desire to do something more, accomplish more,. not knowing what or realizing this vague feeling.

They had different drives that kept them going. An example might be ; The exhilaration of crossing Broadway on a cold windy day, tossing a set of sheets on a hotel bed faster than any other chambermaid, shouting move it, move it, move it, to the ambulance drivers, when the ambulances backed up at the emergency entrance at Bellevue Hospital. The sense of belonging in a high rise office building, being a part of a large organization, and fitting in

Other feelings were, the ability to steer a tugboat, making a ship run on a shoestring where others gave up. One of the hat’s drive was the remembrance of stripping on stage with the drum roll, being admired for her body. Later in life , booking talent on stage, road shows, parties, and carnivals..

With all these feelings they still wanted more and did not know what it was. This added a sense of frustration and longing for the unknown at this time in their lives, most of the five had conceded their desires to others in their lives , not having the opportunity, putting out the fires first.

This is what makes a big city possible, the lives and feelings of people just like the five hats.

This day was different from their usual peaceful get together. It was July 4th 1976, The Bi -Centennial Celebration. The large ships were in the harbor, as well as the tugs, the fireboats with their sprays of water, the large sailing ships from different countries, and the yachts and small ships of anyone who could fit in the harbor.

One of the contrasts in front of them was an old rotting tug, half submerged in the river, with an old red coca cola tub rusting on the deck, and the rear of the lady of the harbor, with confetti, torn newspapers floating in the air from both New York City, Jersey City, and Hoboken. Much like the blend of the 5 hats themselves.

It was a good example of what drew them to the waterfront, like their lives, floating up and down, a lot of noise and confusion, feeling the power of the Hudson on display.

Added to the visual scene was the high heeled silver sandal poking out from the long, dirty, bedraggled skirt of Hat no. 4, the Bag Lady.