Photo: Only in The Village
You can count on seeing interesting people in Washington Square Park. This guy was offering “free hugs” and you would be surprised about the number of people that took him up on his offer.
Photo credit: personal collection
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POSTED IN: Greenwich Village, Photos
7 opinions for Photo: Only in The Village
The Toronto Traveler
May 11, 2008 at 11:52 am
There were people in Toronto doing the same a few weeks ago :) Although they didn’t have on a t-shirt with Tom Cruise an an extremely creepy-looking smile.
Heather
May 11, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I should change the title! I must have missed “International Hug a Stranger Day” on my calendar!
So Justin, did you get a hug? I felt that this guy must be very courageous (or crazy) to stand in the park with this sign, so I had to go in for the hug. Of course, then I double-checked to see that I still had my purse and wallet!
The Toronto Traveler
May 11, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Well I watched for a bit, but I decided against getting a hug just cuz the whole thing seemed very weird. Someone taped it though and it made its way onto YouTube.
Alex-Sirened
May 13, 2008 at 11:52 am
LOL, they do this in Amsterdam too! In fact my wife and I *know* some people that do this! We’re a part of Couch Surfing and although we don’t host much, we go to meet ups and stuff and have made some friends in the Amsterdam couch surfing community.
We however *do not* do the free hugs thing like some members have organized in Amsterdam’s main square, Dam Square. Totally not my thing! :-)
Heather
May 13, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Okay, with the information from Justin and Alex, it’s confirmed– New York isn’t the only place with “crazies” who offer free hugs! I talked to this guy for a minute and he seemed totally normal and was actually really nice.
As I said, I did take advantage of the free hug– hey, we’ll just call it “investigative journalism.” It was nice though I will say the hug lasted perhaps just a few seconds too long!
Maybe this is all we need to make the world a better place… free hugs!
Alex-Sirened
May 17, 2008 at 2:32 pm
hehe, cool, next time I see some of the free hug volunteers I will tell them to keep up the good work!!
A girl who stayed with us from Wisconsin who saw them thought it was a really good idea. At the time I was like ok (in my head thinking not really :))
Alex-Sirened
May 17, 2008 at 2:34 pm
and yes your right, this is something that helps things even just a little bit…certainly more than being a cynical jerk!! ;) hehe
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