Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Balloon Inflation 2016
I've seen the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person two-and-a-half times now, and this will be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving spent in the city (we visited a year before I moved and caught half of the parade). The parade will always feel nostalgic and so very New York to me—we watched it every year while I was living in Ohio, and finally seeing it in person was a life highlight. I'm definitely not done seeing it in person, but this year I decided to brave the balloon inflation instead.
Every year the balloons are inflated the night before the parade, in the streets bordering the American Museum of Natural History. The inflation starts at 3pm and viewing ends at 10pm—the later you go, the more inflated the balloons will be. I arrived at the beginning of the (incredibly long) line at around 4:30pm, and the balloons were entirely inflated when I reached them around 6pm. I was expecting and dreading a large (child-full) crowd, but I was prepared and stayed pretty zen as strollers nipped my heels.
Once we actually arrived at the balloons, however, the crowd loosened a bit and the views were incredible. I tried not to smile too outrageously—I was by myself—but I couldn't help but be giddy seeing the balloons so closely. The best views of the balloons can be had in the parade, of course, but most were repeats that I had already seen in previous years. It's also fascinating to catch a glimpse into the inner-workings of such a large event, and there were tons of workers in jumpsuits inflating, securing and keeping watch over the balloons.
I think I'm a little too old-fashioned (and maybe just too old) to care much about the new(er) character balloons—Trolls, Thomas the Tank Engine, Paddington Bear, Pikachu, The Elf on a Shelf, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Scrat from Ice Age—but the classic Macy's balloons—stars, pumpkins, elves, the hippo and the Harolds (policeman and fireman)—really feel like Thanksgiving to me. Seeing the balloons did make me a little bit sad that I won't be seeing the parade this year, but then I saw a man in a turkey hat taking a selfie in front of an elf balloon and realized just how thankful I am for this city and this life.