# When do they march the elephants through the Midtown Tunnel (NYC) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804 "2005-03-03T21:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/1 "2005-03-03T21:35:40Z")
The Ringling Bros. circus is coming to town later this month. Every year, they march the elephants through the Midtown tunnel to get them to Madison Square Garden. Usually, this is done in the middle of the night. It seems that every year I first hear of it after-the-fact. Does anyone know when they will be marching the elephants this year? If possible, I’d like to be there to see this for myself (and maybe get some pictures). Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/2 "2005-03-03T22:56:58Z")
Because it’s tough to make them walk up the stairs in Penn Station. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/3 "2005-03-03T23:00:07Z")
Just spitballing here: maybe call whatever highway dept/street dept. is in charge of the Midtown Tunnel, and ask them when it will be closed? ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/4 "2005-03-03T23:13:56Z")
By the way, Ringling Bros. opens at the Garden on [March 24](http://www.ringling.com/schedule/schedule.aspx?id=93054) this year, so chances are they will walk them through on the night of March 23 (or perhaps 22). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/5 "2005-03-03T23:14:34Z")
I’m hoping I’m wrong, but I smell the aroma of _myth d’urbane_. What’s so difficult about getting an elephant to New York that isn’t difficult about getting an elephant to just about anywhere else? Why march them through a tunnel when you can drive them over a bridge? ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/6 "2005-03-04T00:39:51Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I’m hoping I’m wrong, but I smell the aroma of _myth d’urbane_. What’s so difficult about getting an elephant to New York that isn’t difficult about getting an elephant to just about anywhere else? Why march them through a tunnel when you can drive them over a bridge?[/QUOT The Ringling Bros. Circus utilizes the train yards in New Jersey. Where they stop is evidently near the Midtown Tunnel. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/7 "2005-03-04T02:01:59Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > The Ringling Bros. Circus utilizes the train yards in New Jersey. Where they stop is evidently near the Midtown Tunnel. I’m surprised at you, **ltfire**. The circus parks their trains in Long Island City, across the East River in Queens, not New Jersey. (They’d have to go through the Holland or Lincoln Tunnells from there.) All I can think is you’re still reeling from the World Series. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/8 "2005-03-04T02:20:58Z")
Well, they do it here, in beautiful downtown Columbia. They call it the Elephant Walk. We don’t have any tunnels, but they do walk the elephants around and you can go watch. Certainly not an urban legend, although of course I have no idea if they close an NYC tunnel for the same thing, ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/9 "2005-03-04T02:55:44Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Well, they do it here, in beautiful downtown Columbia. They call it the Elephant Walk. We don’t have any tunnels, but they do walk the elephants around and you can go watch. Certainly not an urban legend, although of course I have no idea if they close an NYC tunnel for the same thing, Do you know when they do that in Columbia? I’m planning a summer visit and it would be really fun to see that! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/10 "2005-03-04T03:38:52Z")
Circus comes in February (I think maybe January this year), sorry ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/11 "2005-03-04T04:48:18Z")
It’s not an urban legend - there’s an article, or at least a picture of it every year in the New York Times. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/12 "2005-03-04T06:26:36Z")
Not an urban myth. [Elephants arriving in NYC](http://www.bluejake.com/archives/2004/03/17/when_the_circus_comes_to_town.php) Sorry, don’t know when happening this year. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/13 "2005-03-04T15:31:14Z")
The 2005 walk starts around 11 pm on [Tuesday March 22](http://www.ringling.com/weekly/). Hey, that’s the last day of my work week, so I might show up. Best place is the Manhattan side of the Queens-Midtown tunnel. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/14 "2005-03-04T16:05:16Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > The 2005 walk starts around 11 pm on [Tuesday March 22](http://www.ringling.com/weekly/). > Hey, that’s the last day of my work week, so I might show up. Best place is the Manhattan side of the Queens-Midtown tunnel. Thank you, **Barbaria**!. I looked on their website but could not find it. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/15 "2005-03-04T19:41:04Z")
I recall, about 25 or 30 years ago, an elephant walk when I was a kid in Tulsa. I’ll never forget sitting on the sidewalk and watching the elephants make their way from the trains, through the streets, to downtown. We couldn’t afford to go to the circus, but I’ll tell you, watching those elephants was probably the next best thing. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/16 "2005-03-04T20:22:41Z")
There are still some traveling circuses that bring their own tents. It’s a blast to watch the elephants pull the ropes that raise the poles under the canvas, but you have to get there early in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-they-march-the-elephants-through-the-midtown-tunnel-nyc/292804/17 "2005-03-04T20:49:37Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > I’m surprised at you, **ltfire**. The circus parks their trains in Long Island City, across the East River in Queens, not New Jersey. (They’d have to go through the Holland or Lincoln Tunnells from there.) > > All I can think is you’re still reeling from the World Series. 😉 Lemme ‘splain… No, wait, I can’t. I’m a :wally Back to the Bronx with me.