Thursday, November 25, 2010

At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

We woke up this morning at the crack of dawn... not to put the turkey in the oven, but to drive into New York City for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! Yay!

Wearing hats, scarves and gloves, we packed our cameras, a thermos of hot chocolate and a step ladder, then headed into the city. This is the second time we've gone to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade in person. Several years ago we went with friends of ours who go every year and at that time, we arrived to our viewing spot along Central Park West over an hour before the parade started. We had stood about in the cold for awhile that time, but we were practically right at the curb with a fantastic view of everything. This year, we got into the city closer to 9 am, which is when the parade starts, so we had a difficult time getting close to curb of the parade route due to the crowds. We ended up on 59th St. near the parade route along 7th Ave. and it was packed with people. This is where the step ladder came in. We propped the step ladder on the sidewalk and had the girls take turns standing on it so they could see over the crowd for a better view of the parade. We could still see the balloons when standing on the sidewalk, but from the step ladder, the girls could see the marching bands and floats, too.


My husband with our girls standing on the step ladder..
A head above the rest!
Oldest on step ladder--see how high she is?
 I and youngest in front of her.



Hello Kitty! ^_^
Mickey Mouse 

Kung Fu Panda
Horton from "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss
Me and my youngest 

My husband and me
What a fun time! If you ever have the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in the New York area, I highly recommend that you make the effort to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. There's something so special about it from the sounds of the marching bands and the occasional siren in the background, the smells of roasting nuts and pretzels from food carts and of course the amazing sights of the parade itself. Watching those over sized balloons float down the city streets between skyscrapers is truly a sight to behold. The traffic afterwards not so much. But hey... more family time, right? ;)

When we got home we had som pie. Before our Thanksgiving dinner! That was fun.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving!

18 comments:

  1. How festive and exciting! :) The stepladder was a VERY GOOD idea! It was very cold, eh? :)

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  2. How fun! It looks like you guys had a great time!

    Out here on the west coast, we do the Rose Parade. I loved camping out overnight beforehand. So fun. I hope my kids will get over to see it live one day.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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  3. LOL! I would have told you, you needed to be there before 7am to get a prime spot.

    I've done the parade and you are so right, there's nothing like being there in person. I never thought about bring a step ladder. If I ever do the parade again, I will.

    Glad you guys had a good time!

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  4. Great pics! makes me miss the city! Some day...

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  5. Oh, what fun! Thanks for sharing the awesome photos. Looks like you guys had a great time. Your girl is so pretty!

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  6. That looks like such a fun time! Thanks so much!! It was great to see your family having such a terrific time! What a way to spend the day!

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  7. Sounds like y'all had a good time! And what a smart idea, bringing the step-ladder! And pie before dinner sounds fine to me. *g*

    Hope you're having a fantastic weekend!

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  8. What fun!! My daughter and I watched the parade this year on television and she absolutely loved it. She kept jumping up and down, yelling about all of the balloons. It was fun to watch :)

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  9. I hope those of you who celebrate had a wonderful Thanksgiving. :)

    Jace... It was chilly (40 F/5 C) but we were bundled up and had sips of hot cocoa to warm us. It also helped that it wasn't windy or raining. The rain and sleet came later on our drive home. Phew!

    Lori... Ooo the Rose Parade! That would be great to see in person, too! Does it smell really wonderful?

    Dru... LOL! I know!!! We knew better, too, from the time we went early all those years ago, but I don't think I realized then how thick the crowds were behind us. Now I know. :)

    Michelle ... I know how much you love NYC. You definitely need to make the point of being here for Thanksgiving one year. Finn would LOVE the parade... as would you, of course. :)

    Carolyn... Thanks! Glad you like the photos. :)

    Gina... We did have a fun morning. I want to do it again next year. :)

    Brandy ... The step ladder was crucial this year given our just-on-time arrival and the crowds.

    Pie anytime sounds pretty good, doesn't it? ;)

    Samantha... The parade was great fun! Kids of all ages love parades, but it is especially cute to see the little ones get so excited. :)

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  10. Happy Thanksgiving, Christine! Sounds like you had an awesome time and it was so clever to bring a stepladder!!

    Love the last picture of you two together. You are so cute :P

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  11. Oh how exciting!!! I've never seen the Macy's Parade but I know how huge it is. Have a great weekend!

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  12. Christine!!! How exciting for you and your family. Although it appeared to be freezing cold, you all seemed to have that sparkle of fun in your eyes.

    I'm totally envious.

    love
    Nancy

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  13. You guys have the best family times ever! *sighing with deep (but good natured) envy)

    Belated happy Thanksgiving wishes!







    PS You and your husband make a truly gorgeous couple

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  14. What a great way to start the holidays! Looks like a lot of fun. :)

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  15. What a beautiful family!!

    You know, I live in NYC. Have for most of my life and I've never ever been to the parade! Can you believe it?! It looks like such a great time, too. I'm glad you all had a great time :)

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  16. Looks like you had a lot of fun!! :-)

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  17. All I know about the Macy's parade is from Friends...what does that say about me? *grin*

    And OMG Christine your face - you look so lean! Out of interest, do you notice your weight loss when you look in the mirror?

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  18. nath...
    It was a great time. The stepladder was our friend's idea when we went with them to the parade several years ago. I'm so glad we remembered to bring it this year!

    Aw, thanks. I think husband and I look cute together, too. :P

    Zee..
    Hope you had a lovely weekend, too! :)

    Nancy...
    (((( hugs )))) How ARE You!? I miss you, my dear.
    It was pretty chilly... I have to admit that I was just starting to feel a bit uncomfortably cold ... and then the parade was over. Phew. LOL!

    azteclady...
    Aw, thanks. We do try to have quality fun around here and make the most of our time together.

    I hope you and yours had a lovely Thanksgiving, too and thanks for the compliments. xo

    Leslie...
    It was fun! Hope you had a nice holiday weekend, too! :)

    Barbara...
    Thanks!
    You know.. isn't that always the case that the locals fail to take advantage of all the really cool stuff right in our own backyards? I have lived within 25 miles of NYC my entire life and never saw the Statue of Liberty in person (which is closer to the NJ side of the river) until I was in my 20s. Crazy. You should go to the parade one of these years. The kids would love it.

    Tracy...
    We loved the parade. Already planning next year..

    orannia...
    LOL! I don't think I've seen that episode, but that's funny!

    I absolutely notice my weight loss when I look in the mirror. Both at home and at the gym. I still take a double take and think "Is that me?" but I am learning to "own" it. It is so... what's the word I'm looking for ... liberating? to have shed 35 lbs. It's like I have a new body... not only do I feel so much better and confident about how I look, but it feels physically better to be leaner. Thanks for noticing. :)

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