Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: 2013
I have watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV every single year for as far back as I can remember. When I still lived at home, my dad and I would argue about whether the Macy's logo in Herald Square was a huge carpet or actually painted on the street (painted, I found out later). As I got older I would flip through the Black Friday ads, clipping out things I wanted and taping them to form elaborate Christmas lists, but always with the parade playing in the background.
Last year, I found a great deal on the Ace Hotel for Thanksgiving weekend — in March — and booked it without thinking. Like novices, we arrived at the parade much too late to get a good spot, but it was still a thrill to see the balloons in person. This year, however, I live fairly close to the start of the parade and I was determined to get a better spot. I knew it would be cold, but I was most worried that the windy conditions would ground the balloons. Luckily, that didn't happen, although they did fly at half their normal height, with some even struggling to stay off the ground.
We got to Central Park West and 71st at 6am, by which time all of the front row spots had already been taken. There was a lot of shuffling and activity on 71st street, however, and by the time the actual parade started we were able to squeeze our way to the front row. You can definitely still have a good time at the parade from farther back in the crowd, but I was so grateful that we were in front. Not only because the balloons were flying low this year, but because last year I missed the street-level portion of the parade entirely. While the balloons are obviously the stars of the show, the bands, performers, floats, clowns and stilt-walkers are really fun to watch up close.
A few times during the duration of the parade, parents and even one particularly pushy cop tried to get me to give up my front row spot for tiny children, which, at the risk of sounding yet again like a terrible old hag, really made me mad. Not only had I waited for three + hours in the freezing cold (thereby, earning my spot), but when did we become a society of adults expected at all times to bow down to children? It's bad enough that they want my subway seats, but I wasn't giving up my spot, one that I waited essentially 28 years to get, for a kid so small they won't even remember the parade. If you want to take your small child to the parade, please plan accordingly — get there early to save a spot (bring the kids later if you have to), put them on your shoulders (although I don't advocate this for the poor people stuck behind you), or get in with a Macy's employee for tickets to the grandstands. DON'T arrive after the parade already starts and attempt to shove your way in front of people who actually follow the rules and have been waiting patiently for their coveted spots.
END RANT.
Rude parents aside (and these are everywhere, it's not a New York thing, trust me), it was a total defining life moment to see the parade in person. I actually teared up at one point, thinking of all the people watching the parade, wishing they were able to see it up close. I spent 27 years as one of those people, and now I live just a few subway stops away. If the weather had been warmer it would have been no problem to take a couple chairs and camp out a few hours earlier to ensure we had a great spot. I probably won't fight the crowds every year, but I'll definitely be back, especially now that I know how it all works.
Next year I think I'll make the balloon inflation a priority — I skipped it this year due to crappy weather and some urgent baking deadlines — but I can't imagine any better way to start my Thanksgiving day than by seeing Richard Simmons dancing in a striped suit while riding on a turtle.