Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Tips
Recommendations for street level viewing of the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC
Oct 18, 2006
Thanksgiving is North America's busiest travel holiday, as disparate family groups fly, drive, or travel by rail to meet up with their larger family groups for a hearty turkey dinner. One activity that many Americans (with their families or not) enjoy, is watching the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Thanksgiving Day Parade Route
The parade starts at 77th St and Central Park West, at the American Museum of Natural History. It marches south on CPW to Columbus Circle, and follows the circle to Broadway. The parade then marches south, along Broadway. and ends at 34th St and 7th Ave. This is right past Macy's Herald Square, by the way.
Recommendations for Pedestrians
- If your schedule allows, try to catch the balloons being blown up the night before Thanksgiving, and the pre-parade rehearsal - also on Wednesday evening. Both are right by the American Museum of Natural History, where the parade commences the next morning.
- Get there early. I mean it; this is a big event, appealing not just to New Yorkers but many tourists as well. People start lining the streets as early as 6:30 AM, when it's still dark and cold. The parade itself starts at 9:00 AM, and ends around noon.
- Speaking of cold, New York City is lovely in late Fall: It's crisp and clear, usually, with a nip in the air. Bundle up if you're going to be outside for the parade. I've seen people sharing blankets on particularly cold years.
- If you're traveling with young children, prepare to have them hoisted up on your shoulders as the parade goes by. Unless you're lucky enough to be in the front row, they won't be able to see anything. As a matter of fact, if you have a step stool that travels well, consider bringing it for yourself as well.
- With children or not, try not to drink too much liquid (milk for them, coffee for you). There are no public bathrooms along the parade route, and you can't "save your spot" to use a nearby restaurant's bathroom. Your spot - especially if it's a good one - will get instantly reabsorbed by the massive NYC-style crowd.
- Where I've stood to watch the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade is between 66th and 70th St., and CPW. The crowds are intense no matter where you go, but this area at least allows you to be near the relatively open space of Tavern on the Green and Central Park. Also, this is early enough in the parade route that the marchers and balloon handlers are at the peak of their energy and excitement - which the audience sees and appreciates.
- Where I'd rather poke out my eyes than stand, is on or near 34th and 7th, where the parade terminates. Even the least crowd-phobic New Yorker would feel uncomfortably smushed here. Besides being the end of the parade route, this part of NYC has PATH and Penn Station train hubs, and busy subway stations. The chaos of the parade, parade viewers, mere passers-by and mass transit users all milling around this point cannot be exaggerated.
After a few hours standing in the chilly Fall air, won't it be nice to come home to some hot apple cider and your family'sThanksgiving feast? Travel safely, enjoy your loved ones, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Related, on Suite 101:
Worst Thanksgiving Dessert Blog
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