[My apologies that this just now getting posted, a month and a half after Thanksgiving.]
Back in November, my wife and I headed south a few hours to New York to celebrate Thanksgiving. We did this a few years ago with my friend Mark. At that time, we were on very limited time frame and budget. This time, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it, so we went down on Wednesday and got a hotel not too far from Time Square (thanks to scoring a great deal on Hotels.com — not a sponsor). It was a nice and relaxing trip, which was definitely needed after the chaos of last year.
One of the main thing we got to do was watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We got up around 5:00 AM and made our way down to the parade route where we parked ourselves on the sidewalk next to nice family from Ohio around 5:45. When the parade finally started, we were treated to lots of excitement and Thanksgiving/Christmas cheer.
Unfortunately, we didn’t know about half of the celebrities on the floats. Ha! Also, it just so happened that many of the performers weren’t singing when they were in front of us. It’s really hard to know to get the perfect spot, because a lot of it is up to random chance on how long and when they choose to sing. It’s all good, though. We’re not celebrity-worshippers, but it is pretty cool to know I was really close to people like McLachlan and Tony Bennett.
The family that sat beside us, as I mentioned earlier, was pretty cool. They drove out with their mother, who was celebrating her 91st birthday by going to the parade for the first time. It was apparently on her bucket list, so she arranged for her kids and grandkids to all go together and celebrate. The kids, especially, were really excited!
I know you all get the chance to see it on TV with a lot better cameras and commentary from the news anchors, but just maybe you’d like a small taste of what it looks like from the sidewalk. You’re in luck, because I filmed a lot of it! And here it is for your viewing pleasure…
Have you ever been to see the parade in person? I’d love to hear about your experience!
Also, for those of you looking to make the trip sometime, make sure to dress warm, get there early, and bring everything you think you will need for the whole morning. This includes blankets, food, drinks, and a portable battery for your phone. Also, make sure to use the restroom before you get settled, and don’t drink too much, because you won’t want to leave and try to find your way back later when the crowds start rolling in.
Steve Cullum 