Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Happy Thanksgiving! Today was so fun. We got to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...for the second time! We got up around 4:00 am, left the apartment around 5:30 am and headed into Manhattan by subway. The train into Manhattan from Queens was not that full. But the closer we got to the parade, the more crowded the subways became. 

At one point during our journey, we ended up on a platform with hundreds of girls dressed in bright green and pink spandex. We assumed that they were going to be in the parade. We later learned that they were the Spirit of America Dance Group. They were from all over the country and had practice the routine at their separate locations. The just kept coming, and coming onto the platform. The entire subway platform (ten subway cars long) was packed full of them. It was ridiculous and hilarious. I took a video of Brian's reaction to the situation. It's not that great, because we were sandwiched at the front of the platform, but it kind of shows what was going on. The leaders of the group were yelling that they were all going to get on one train, no matter how tightly packed they needed to be. I just imagined our faces pressed up against the glass of the subway car amid a sea of pink tulle and green sequins. Luckily, the next train was fairly full, so Brian and I were able to get on it without our friends.

After a few transfers and lots of waiting for the subway cars, we finally made it to our destination around 7:00 am. We ended up on the southwest corner of 70th and Central Park West. The parade started at 77th street, so we were near the beginning.  Although the sun was shining, it was a bit chilly. Luckily, we learned from our frozen limbs last year, and piled on extra layers. The beautiful fall leaves on the trees in Central Park across the street provided a great background for the parade. Our view of the parade was awesome. So much better than last year. We were only a few feet away from the curb, instead of on the other side of Columbus Circle.

We had to stand in place for two hours waiting for the parade to start. Tons of people kept pushing past us during this time. There were a group of people that pushed by us six or seven times looking for some guy named Gary. It was so funny. Every ten minutes or so, they would walk back by in alternating directions shouting "Gary, Gary, where are you?" We were all wondering if Gary actually existed or if it was just a ploy to push their way to a better spot at the front. After awhile the crowd around us started shouting Gary's name with them. Finally, some old guy at the front stood up and started waving his hands. Someone in the crowd remarked that maybe Gary needed a hearing aid. It was really funny.

For the most part everyone we encountered was nice and happy. There were lots of "Happy Thanksgivings" being wished. However, there were a few people on the other end of the spectrum. We heard some grumbling, and "get out of the way's" as well. There was this one lady that kept trying to push in between Brian and I. The first time she just said that she needed to get one shot with her camera, so we let her in. But then she didn't move. She just kept taking shots. It was funny. Finally Brian was able to wedge his way back into his original spot. By the end of the parade she had weaseled her way up to the front a few feet away from us, using the same story of just needing one picture. Hahaha

The parade was fabulous. The balloons were so big, floating right over us. Some of the balloons were dirty, and a little frayed at the seams. Snoopy in particular. It was so cool to be that close to them and be able to see the details. The Pikachu balloon had flashing lights in its cheeks. Brian's favorite balloons were Spider-man and Snoopy. I loved Snoopy and Kermit. I also loved the Tom Turkey float. That was my most favorite thing in the parade. I have always loved that float, since I first saw the parade when I was five. It was surreal to see it that up close.

The marching bands were pretty awesome. They looked like they were freezing, with their red, frostbitten cheeks. Their uniforms were fun and their marching formation impeccable. The music was fun to listen to as well.

We got to see lots of celebrities/musicians in the parade. However, the only name that we recognized was Neal Diamond. He was way before our time, but he was the only one that we knew of. We must really be out of it. Hahaha We waved at him and he waved back. I had to get pictures of him for my Mom.

I took so many pictures and had such a hard time choosing which ones to put on the blog. So I made a slideshow of the best ones. Just click on the slideshow to see bigger versions of any picture.

After the parade, we made our way home. Although the subways were super packed, it didn't take us that long. It was such a fun day. Now that we've seen the parade up close, we can check it off our NYC bucket list. If we are still here next year, I think we'll skip it. It is so fun, but exhausting having to get up so early and fight our way to a good spot. But who knows, maybe next year will come around and we'll be eager to go again. We'll definitely go if any of our family is in town. This is something that I would love to take our families too.

I love Thanksgiving. It is one of my most favorite holidays. Brian and I have much to be thankful for this year. Loving family and friends. Good jobs with great opportunities for Brian. The Lord watching over us and helping us to be safe and successful in New York City. A clean, warm apartment. The gospel. The list goes on and on. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with loved ones!