The New York Times - October 16, 2005
Damien Cave

Indeed they were - for a cause. Carrying signs calling for an end to AIDS, more than 500 activists strolled and shouted their way under the Hudson River in what organizers described as the start of a new national movement to eradicate the virus worldwide.

It took nearly an hour for the crowd to move through, and many of the marchers planned to stay on long past the tunnel's western terminus in Weehawken, N.J.

Their destination was Washington, where - after three weeks of walking - they plan to meet other marchers from across the country for rallies throughout the nation's capital on Nov. 5-8.

"It gives us a chance to spread the word in all kinds of cities and towns along the way," said Charles King, president of Housing Works, an AIDS support group in New York that helped organize the march.

Using the Lincoln Tunnel, he added, "was something dramatic to signify the importance of ending the epidemic."

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, private use of the Hudson tunnels is rare. A Special Olympics run through a tube of the Lincoln Tunnel takes place every April, on a Sunday morning. At the Holland, an annual motorcycle ride called Gooche's Garlic Run chugs through every June.

Both events started nearly two decades ago, said Tiffany Townsend, an agency spokeswoman, and there has not been much demand for other forms of noncommuter use, even though there is no charge for access.

As for the experience, the marchers offered mixed reviews. Some found the passage pleasant and vital to the cause.

"It's a landmark, like the Brooklyn Bridge," said Camila Gelpi, 30, a director of education for Citywide, an AIDS program in the South Bronx. "Using the tunnel just for AIDS for a couple of hours - it's a statement, a huge one."

A few people admired the lack of a scent, as air was pumped through overhead vents, and the tunnel's acoustics. One activist with a cow bell seemed to benefit the most, as his hammered sounds filled the entire tube, syncopating chants like "Money for AIDS, not for war."

Up at the front of the line, a police escort's lights flashed nightclub-like colors onto the ceiling.

One man wore a foot-high hat of red and yellow condom packages.

If not for the serious cause, the scene might have been mistaken for a walking rave in search of a D.J.

Not that everyone was enthusiastic about the idea of walking through a tube typically crossed by car in a few minutes. An 11-year-old from Manhattan, Melissa Pacheco, holding hands with her mother, Lenor Rivera, seemed to speak for many when she said, "It feels fun but weird."

And for some, the newly blue skies of New Jersey could not arrive soon enough. By the end of their 1.5-mile walk, Tracy Vumpus and Tanya Walker were ready for some fresh air and a bathroom, preferably one with a mirror.

"Does anyone in here have makeup powder?" shouted Ms. Vumpus, 39, a senior case manager at Housing Works, as she neared the exit. "We need it."

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