City Hall expects more than 80,000 people to turn out for Pope Francis' procession through Central Park Friday, but exactly zero will be snapping pictures of the occasion with selfie sticks.
Law enforcement officials have banned those handy — if obnoxious — devices at all papal events during the pontiff's three-day visit to New York City. Those lucky enough to snag free tickets to the papal motorcade from the city won't be sneaking their monopods past security.
They'll have to find other ways of taking snapshots of themselves with the pope and his entourage in the background.
We won't rule out the possibility that ticket holders taking their places just after check-in opens at 11 a.m. might get the chance to snap close-up selfies with the Holy Father. Set on reconnecting the Catholic Church with the hoi polloi, Francis has been known to hop off his Popemobile and pose for selfies with the masses.
For those who can't enter the park early (via 72nd, 69th, 66th, or 61st, 62nd and 63rd streets, depending on your assigned "zone") to claim some prime real estate along West Drive, we have a solution.
We've scouted out the spots — the grassy knolls and the rock outcroppings — sure to offer good views of the papal motorcade and good sightlines for capturing a long-distance selfie with the People's Pope.
Click on a point on our map below to see the view from those elevated locations.
