Giants Parade 2012: Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Giants Make Their Way Through Canyon of Heroes

With the dramatic victory of the New England Patriots during the 2012 Super Bowl at Indianapolis, the New York Giants continued their celebrations in Manhattan through the Canyon of Heroes.

The Canyon of Heroes, the southernmost blocks of Broadway, is a path taken by military heroes, explorers, world leaders, adventurers, religious leaders and other sports champions. For almost a century, it has become the designated parade for victors of one kind of another. In the 1880s, the ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes started as a celebration of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, but the custom did not fully take off until the end of World War I, when Gen. John J. Pershing marched with his soldiers.

And the Giants had their turn once again to march through the bustling streets of adoring fans. This is the fourth sports parade the city has held since 2000.

Danny from Garden City, Long Island, is a retired New York City police officer. He is a die-hard New York fan. Today marked his fifth ticker-tape parade in Manhattan. Danny brought his family with him as he admired the atmosphere the parade brought to the city.

It brings everyone together, he said. It is the same feeling after 9/11. Danny said it brought unity and a feeling of camaraderie among all New Yorkers.

Crowds lined Broadway, the Canyon of Heroes, as they anxiously awaited the New York Giants to ride by on their floats.

Bob White from New Jersey left his home around 6 a.m. to stand at the corner of Broadway and Chambers Street. He said it was a great feeling to see the city so immersed in a team and see so many come out. He came with his whole family as they waited for the Giants to make their way down the Canyon of Heroes.

How often do you get see this? he said. We may never see it again.

Confetti began to litter the streets and paper began to fly through the air as fans hung out the side of nearby apartments and offices.

Most of this paper is going to end up in Hoboken, joked White.

In order to bide their time, the crowd began throwing toilet paper and footballs across Broadway at each other as they cheered for the chanted Let's Go Giants and occasionally cheered for their favorite players.

However, the crowd became somewhat rambunctious. They began to insult someone who hung a green Jets sign from a nearby building. Another fan threw a half-full water bottle across the street, nearly hitting a man in the face. Crowds on both side of the street began chanting A------! A------! A------! A sanitation worker almost got hit in the face with toilet paper.

The crowd eventually settled down as they took notice the parade was about to begin. As the first police motorcycles drove down Broadway, the crowd erupted in a ferocious roar. The civil service bands began marching with their flags and playing their bag pipes.

Then, the first floats began making their way down the streets.

As Victor Cruz's float made its way through, fans began chanting Cruuuuuuz! in the typical fanfare cheer. Eli Manning's float made its way by and fans chanted MVP! MVP! Lawrence Tynes was seen sitting on the side of his float, pointing at the crowd as he drove by.

The Giants continued on to the key ceremony in City Hall Park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had honored the championship team by awarding each player a Key to the City.