In Search of a City: The Ottomans Are Coming!
As I glanced out of my office window recently, I saw a very odd-looking band marching down the Broad Street sidewalk. Unable to resist the urge to investigate, I walked over to the Statehouse lawn and discovered a traditional Ottoman Empire military band playing in front of the McKinley Monument.
Downtown is rife with such wonderful distractions, including parades, demonstrations, and impromptu concerts. A couple of years ago, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) put a naked woman inside a cage at Broad and High and drew a large crowd of admiring men, as well as a few women.
At about the same time as PETA made its appearance, a large Eritrean demonstration occurred on High Street in front of the Statehouse. The event drew hundreds of people in flowing, muslin clothes who made passionate pleas for their cause.
Like many things I experience downtown, Mehter, the Turkish band that marched by my window, made me happy to be alive.
