Union Square can't hold even a fraction of those who marched on Sunday, though, and most people dispersed into the city. Many, though, weren't done protesting. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, went to Central Park, preparing to defy the police and fight for their right to use Manhattan's scarce public space. The cops largely left them alone, and a celebratory picnic atmosphere prevailed. Things were more tense in midtown, where a few anarchist groups hoped to harass delegates on their way to and from the free matinee Broadway shows that were a perk from the city.

Some protesters had announced plans to gather on Broadway around 4 p.m., and just before 5, when Bloomberg walked by, it looked like the action was a bust. Soon, though, a defiantly scruffy group marched toward Broadway from 44th Street, carrying a spray-painted banner reading, "U.S. Out of North America," and chanting, "What's the solution? People's Revolution! What's the reaction? Direct Action!"

At first there were only about 30 of them, but as they strode up and down Broadway, others joined, Pied Piper-style, until there were hundreds. After a while, the chants faded. It was hot -- temperatures had been in the high 80s all afternoon, and there was no shade on most of the march -- and people's energy seemed to be flagging. But then, as the anarchists moved south, another group called Queer Fist marched north to join them, shouting, "We're here! We're queer! We're fabulous! Don't fuck with us!" A topless woman and men wearing black wedding veils assembled on 45th Street and started making out, hoping to appall prudish and homophobic Republicans. Unfortunately for them, by the time Queer Fist arrived, the delegates were safely ensconced in theaters presenting the most anodyne entertainment New York has to offer.

As this was going on, cops in riot gear were converging from all over. Some were on foot, some on new scooters and some on horseback. Arrests seemed inevitable.

As the police gathered, Queer Fist moved onto the Times Square traffic island to repeat their kiss-in. But the police herded them off the island and onto a Broadway sidewalk, where they put up a cordon of orange netting and detained everyone inside, including a few journalists and two innocent bystanders who had walked over to see what all the commotion was about. A Swedish television reporter tried to get her camera man out, but a cop said that everyone in the net was under arrest. Moises Saman, an award-winning Newsday photographer, was handcuffed and put into a paddy wagon, even though his press credentials were clearly visible.

Across the street from the corner where the Queer Fist Activists were being held, another group of anarchists converged. At the front, five people held a black banner saying, "Right Wing Scum Your Time Has Come." Again, the police started surrounding them with netting.

Then the Broadway shows started letting out and protesters had a chance to tell at least a few Bush supporters what they thought of them. Jamie Moran, a member of the collective RNCnotwelcome.org, was dressed like a young Republican in khakis and a button-down shirt, so he was able to get somewhat close to the delegates as they left the musical "Aida." Moran shouted, "Your presence here is offensive, no one supports you." The delegates responded, "Four more years," and people screamed back, "Four more days," meaning, Moran said, the delegates were in for four more days of abuse.

As of 11 p.m., about 200 arrests had been reported, including six of legal observers. According to the leftist Web site Indymedia, small demonstrations continued all over the city into the night.

The crackdown may be just beginning. On Sunday, an item in the Drudge Report said that Ashcroft's Justice Department is investigating one of the Web sites that provides protesters with information about Republican delegates. Meanwhile, activists have designated Tuesday as a day of direct action and civil disobedience, suggesting that what happened Sunday on Broadway may be just a tiny taste of what's to come.

The big march is over, but the protests are just starting.

Geraldine Sealey contributed to this story.

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