I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was great, MM and I hosted and it was a huge success! I had my hesitations given the size of our kitchen but everything went smoothly and the unseasonably warm weather allowed us to do our Thanksgiving meal outside in our backyard, such a treat!
But before I get to that, let me tell you about the parade! As planned, we went to the blow up party Wednesday night. I had no idea what to expect, I thought you just walk down the street and look at the balloons, but man I was wrong. It’s a huge production with lines wrapping up and down the street before you could enter the blow up area. Fortunately the line moved very quickly so we weren’t waiting long. Once in, you walk 79th and 81st street where the balloons are being prepped. Once blown up, they are kept low to the ground with nets. I thought this was a fun experience but something I only need to experience once. Worth checking out, but I wouldn’t need to stand in those lines again.
Then on Thursday morning I figured I’d avoid the parade and the crowds, but since the parade is literally one avenue away, we decided to take Ollie on a walk in that direction to see what we could see. It was SO fun! Even from far away you’d randomly see these huge balloons floating by. We didn’t go out early so we were behind a bunch of people but even from far back, it’s fun to watch and listen to the marching bands.
After a little time, MM headed home to cook and I took Ollie on a longer walk. We wandered up to the dog park on 81st and stumbled upon the most primo place to watch the parade! Actually it’s the start of the parade, and from where I was standing, you could watch each balloon enter the parade, with an announcer giving the play by play. The area I was in was totally empty and if you are ever contemplating watching the parade, go to this spot!! 81st and Columbus/Central Park West is the place to be. You can get up close and personal to all the balloons you grew up watching on TV. So cool, right? It was so cool, that MM had to leave the cooking behind to join me and Ollie.
[me when I spotted the lineup]
[look at how many people there are just to hold on to snoopy]
[ollie wanted to join the parade, him and snoopy are buds]
I can’t believe I’ve lived in NYC for 8 years and this was the first time I saw the parade, especially considering I live in the neighborhood where it all goes down. If you are a New Yorker who flees the city at Thanksgiving time, I recommend sticking around just once to experience it all.
Next up I’ll fill you in on our Thanksgiving dinner!
