Tag: Holidays

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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I truly believe some of my earliest memories are of watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and waiting to see the Snoopy balloon. My mother would be in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner and I would race in to make her come in and see when Snoopy finally arrived! Because I was not fortunate enough to be born in New York City, I watched it as most people do, on television. When I moved to NYC, the very first Thanksgiving I was lined up early on Central Park West to see the parade, and have seen it most years since then. I thought it might be fun to go into different ways to watch the parade, other than on TV. I was going to get photos this year (2024) but it was raining all morning and I knew the photos would not turn out. However, I have hundreds of photos from previous years, and had fun looking through them.

The parade starts on CPW and W 77th Street, and ends in front of the Macy’s department store, on W 34 between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It heads south along CPW, turns at Columbus Circle for a few blocks along Central Park South, then heads south on Sixth until it turns on 34th Street. The blocks around the end of the parade, where the live performances in front of Macy’s are performed for the television audience and a few lucky people, are not accessible to the public.

So the photos above (from 2024, of Hells Kitchen the musical, and the Rockettes) show the typical TV experience, and also show the parts you cannot see if you decide to watch the parade yourself in the city (Broadway and other live performances). If lucky enough to live in a building with a roof deck, you might be able to see the parade from a distance. The photos below are from the roof of an apartment building on Eighth Avenue and W 53rd Street. It’s fun to see the parade like that (and hey, there’s Snoopy!) but it can be distant.

Midtown along Sixth Avenue can be an easier place to see the parade. There may be lots of people around, but the sidewalks and streets are wide enough that you will see the balloons easily even if you don’t get there early. The photos below are from midtown from a few different years (note that although there is always a Snoopy balloon, it changes out from time to time in terms of the design). The disadvantage to this area is that you may be too far away to really see the floats and clowns, etc., but you won’t need to get there early to be able to see the balloons.

Another way to get up close and personal with the balloons is to go to the balloon inflation the day before Thanksgiving. The official area to walk around where the balloons are being inflated (and held under nets until the next morning) has an entrance at Columbus Avenue and W 72nd Street, and there is airport-style security. The hours are usually 1-6PM and it can get crowded. You can also see some of the balloons and floats, with no waiting and no crowds, from the west side of Central Park. The photos below were taken in the park just off the intersection of CPW and W 81st Street.

An insider tip that I rarely hear people mention is that you can get a surprisingly good view of the balloons (if not the floats) from inside Central Park during the parade, without waiting and with few crowds. The photos below were taken from inside the park on the west side at about W 72nd Street (note the Dakota as a backdrop for some of these). This is a really easy and fun way to see the balloons – and was what I was going to do this year (2024) until the rain descended and I decided TV was fine for this year!

The gold standard of seeing the parade – and the thing I did for years and years when my daughters were young – involves waiting on CPW to get a front row view of the parade. You have to get there early (some people sleep overnight in their spots), weather can be tough (I’ve been there in snow and on years when it was below freezing), but the view is impeccable. You can see everything, and clowns will come right up to you (fun clowns, not scary ones!).

There are always people walking behind any horses in the parade, and everyone along the parade route gives the pooper scooper people a huge round of applause, without fail. It’s always a fun moment.

OK, back to Snoopy. There is simply no view like the one you get on the ground right on CPW. He (like all the other balloons) towers over you. And there is always a float with the other Peanut characters (see below for one year where they had a live beagle with them too!). Snoopy is the balloon character to have been in the most Macy’s parades, so I can’t be the only person obsessed . . .

Here are some more photos of the balloons looming over you if you are standing at the front on Central Park West:

If you are right at the front, you can easily see the performers on the floats. They won’t sing (if they are going to at all) until they get to Macy’s but they will wave and it’s fun to see people. See below from 2007 when Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele were in Spring Awakening on Broadway and on a float, and for Corbin Bleu that same year.

I will say that the BEST way to see the parade is the hardest way – and I have only been fortunate enough to experience it this way once. This way is to have, or know someone with, an apartment with windows facing the parade route. When one of my daughters was in preschool, the grandparents of one of her classmates invited all the families from the class to their apartment on CPW to see the apartment and it was magical. If you have seen the movie Maestro, about Leonard Bernstein, you will have seen the balloons go right past the windows of the Bernstein apartment in the Dakota on Thanksgiving morning, and it is just that amazing to experience (as long as you aren’t having an argument as was happening in that scene). You also get to stay warm, protected from the elements, and eat and go to the bathroom when you need to. My dream is to have such an apartment but it hasn’t happened – yet.

The end of the parade always heralds the beginning of the holiday season, with Santa (yes, the real one, since it’s Macy’s that is in Miracle on 34th Street after all) as the final float. I have blogged before about Santaland at Macy’s, and it opens the day after Thanksgiving so I guess in theory this is the big reveal before he gets to work meeting children at Macy’s.

Other ways to see the parade, that I have not experienced: know someone at Macy’s and get seats on the grandstand (that would be great!) or pay for a hotel room with a view of the parade (expensive to be sure but worth it if you can afford it, I guess).

A few facts about the parade, courtesy of Macy’s, that highlight what a big production this is:

-Years of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – 98 (est. 1924)
-Years on NBC, official national broadcast partner – 72 (since 1952)
-Years of Al Roker as co-host- 30
-Featured character helium balloons – 17
-Heritage and novelty balloons – 15
-Height of tallest balloon – 60 ft (Disney Minnie Mouse by The Walt Disney Company) and Length of longest balloon – 77.5ft (Spider-Man by Marvel)
-Width of widest balloon – 66.5 ft (Gabby by Universal Studios’ Dreamworks Animation)
-Gallons of Paint – 2,000
-Pounds of Glitter – 300
-Pounds of Confetti – 200
-Costumes – 4,500+

Apparently they get to work planning the next year’s parade the day after Thanksgiving – it’s a big production with a standard of excellence, and it shows. I recently also read that the ratings for the Macy’s parade now beat out the Academy Awards, and advertising costs are only slightly less. I’m a fan, and would say that if you are in NYC and get a chance to see it in person (however you choose to do it), take that opportunity! Maybe I’ll wave to you there next year from the windows of my new apartment on Central Park West . . .

Santa Season in NYC

Published on by juliebrannan1 Comment

This time of the year, New York City is filled with holiday decor, the lights driving back the darkness a bit as we head into winter’s solstice. Not all the lights are specifically about Christmas, but images of Santa are plentiful. What if you are interested in seeing – or even meeting – Santa in the city? There are many opportunities, and I will describe a few, leading up to the “Miracle on 34th Street” pinnacle of seeing the “real” Santa at Macy’s Santaland (not for the faint of heart). I will also let you in on a few experiences where Santa is there but not necessarily the main event.

First, a new experience that I tried this year, Santa’s Winter Wonderland at Pier 15 in the South Street Seaport area. This is a fun experience that could work for a family with kids (there is Santa there for a visit with little or no line waiting, hot chocolate, snacks) or adults out for a fun evening (there are specialty cocktails, terrific views, etc).

This is a ticketed event, with timed entry. There is also an option for a sit-down meal at a specific time in an enclosed see-through hut, but I didn’t try that.

For general admission, you get a hot chocolate or hot cider, and a choice of snack (soft pretzel, chocolate chip cookie, or churro), and you can eat outside or in one inside dining area that has open seating (but was a little crowded when I was there).

For parents hoping for a Santa visit, I saw very little waiting time and plenty of interaction. I am sure adults could see Santa as well if they wanted!

The decor was festive, and the views around lower Manhattan, the South Street Seaport, and the Brooklyn Bridge were all terrific. You could purchase a s’mores kit and roast the marshmallows over a fire.

Interestingly, there is a rival Santa experience right next door at Pier 17, Disney’s The Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland! More expensive, but also more elaborate, this experience has a synthetic ice skating rink as one of the possible activities. Santa is also available for a visit and photos, but on specific dates and times, so if that is important be sure to check that out before purchasing timed tickets.

Not all Santa experiences cost money (although many might cost time!). Hudson Yards is decorated fabulously for the holidays and has signs up saying when Santa is available, free of charge. I haven’t been there during those times, but the place where Santa is looks like a lovely photo opportunity. Hudson Yards has also set up “twinkle spots” all over the building for you to set up your phone to get a photo of yourself with all the holiday lights.

Winter Village at Bryant Park has the best holiday market in the world (and I agree with this recent ranking) and Santa is there for free photo opportunities, see his schedule here. Bloomingdale’s also has an opportunity to meet Santa, reservations required, and a $25 booking fee is involved but you get it back in the form of a $25 gift certificate. The time for this has passed this year but if interested in future years the information about booking was here.

Finally the ultimate – visiting the “real” Santa at Santaland at Macy’s. The procedure now is via reservation only, and the reservations open up five days in advance. In my experience, they go very quickly. There is no entering the line without a reservation, but the reservation does not prevent you from waiting on a line. When I went this year, on a Saturday in early December, in the afternoon, we waited 90 minutes to see Santa! Some of the time was spent in the delightfully decorated line inside Santaland, but a fair amount was spent in a line in a hallway that wrapped back behind the entrance to Santaland. When I have gone before on a weekday, the experience has not been this difficult, but of course most people need to work during the week, making the weekends extremely busy.

You have to pack your patience for a wait like that, and it may be difficult to stay off Krampus Court and keep on Nice Street . . . but seeing Santa there is a special experience. Macy’s won’t charge anything unless you choose to purchase their photos (which I recommend, they are terrific photos with very cute digital borders) and you are free to take your own photos too. You will pay with time and effort, but isn’t that often the case with so many things in NYC? I was at Santaland with a child this year, but a few years ago was with another adult (on a weekday, without a huge line! see below for picture) and Santa was just as kind to us as he was around a cute baby. Even as I was walking out this year, having been there mainly to see this baby get first photos with Santa and to take candids, Santa stopped me to ask my name and what I wanted this for Christmas! We are never too old to be reminded of our inner child, in my opinion.

Whether we are going to see Santa this year, or whether we ARE Santa this year, this holiday season reminds us that in the midst of darkness there can be light, that babies and children represent hope, and that opening ourselves up to unlocking our own inner childlike wonder can let a little magic into our everyday experience. Happy holidays to all!

New York City Holiday Markets

Published on by juliebrannan4 Comments

New York City has a different kind of beauty in every season, but it never shines as bright as during the holidays. Many other years I have posted about the yearly holiday decorations (see here and here and here and here for instance!) but this year I wanted to shine a light on the many holiday markets that spring up, roughly from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. While it is very easy to find gifts for your loved ones on Amazon, I guarantee that the array of small vendors with unusual gifts will enable you to find something unique for everyone on your list. And while there is a certain level of comfort in shopping online in your pajamas, shopping in a NYC holiday market is an experience that surrounds your senses with holiday spirit. I can’t loop the jaunty sounds of Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy” theme, or provide the scents of hot cider and spruce candles, but I can show you some of the sights of the markets that brighten the city this time of year.

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Central Park is without a doubt my favorite place in all of New York City (see a few previous love letters here and here and here and here!) and if you are walking out of the park in December toward the southwest corner, you begin to spy the stalls of the small but atmospheric Columbus Circle market.

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Limited by its geography in size, this market is on the smaller side but has lots of interesting options.

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The great thing about these markets is that you don’t go looking for a specific item, but as you browse, something may just catch your eye as a perfect gift for a particular person (a unique and beautiful wine stopper for the oenophile in your life?).

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These ornaments make a terrific souvenir for visitors to the city,  but can also be personalized to give as a gift to the host or hostess of the holiday party you are heading to during this month.

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It’s hard to beat the visual drama of this market, with Central Park on one side and the towers of the Time Warner building rising on the other.

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Another market limited in size by the constraints of its location is the one in Grand Central Terminal.

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This one is just off the 42nd Street side of Grand Central, or if you are inside the main hall, just off that towards 42nd Street.

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If you go to a lot of these markets, you will see a few repeating shops, but surprisingly the vast majority are one-of-a-kind. For example, the Harlem Candle Company, which I love, is only at the Grand Central market. For that matter, they have no storefront, so the only way to smell these candles based on the Harlem Renaissance is to find them at this market (most of the year they are online only).

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Some markets only run for a few weeks, like the market at CityPoint in Brooklyn. The Arctic Adventure popup is throughout the season, but for a few weekends there is also a crafts-based market.

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The market here has some vendors that are Brooklyn-based and only found at this market.

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An indoor market, while less scenic, is certainly potentially more comfortable (I was here on a cold and rainy day!). And if at CityPoint, be sure to head downstairs to the DeKalb Market for lunch or dinner.

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Now we are moving on to one of the larger holiday markets, the one in Union Square.

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Easily accessible from multiple subway lines, this market is worth a few hours of your time, if you can spare it.

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My recommendation for this market, if you can, is to go on a weekday. Seen here, it will still be busy but you will be able to get around without too many crowds.

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Again, this is a place to wander and wait for the right gift to show itself. This stall sells kits for someone to make their own beer, or cheese, or sourdough pretzels.

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At all of the markets, there will be some vendors selling hot cider, or cocoa, or holiday treats to eat.

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I love seeing the Empire State Building off to the north through all the stalls.

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Finally, I come to the Bryant Park Winter Village, perhaps the largest and most elaborate of the markets. There’s an ice skating rink under a large Christmas tree. Skating itself is free although skate rental does involve a cost.

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Just behind the NYPL on Fifth and 42nd Street, blocks from Times Square, this market is a small-scale delight surrounded by the heart of large-scale Manhattan.

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There are some very unusual shops here – this is from a very luxurious resort and spa in Montauk.

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An actual outpost of the Metropolitan museum gift shop – the only one I’ve seen other than the ones in the museums.

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Similarly, to see an outpost of the famous Strand bookstore is a wonderful surprise.

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It’s hard to resist a stop of the Santa Claus Cafe, although at Bryant Park there are multiple options for food and drink, including a bar area to warm up with something alcoholic.

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Imagine, you can even visit the North Pole before taking in a Broadway show a few blocks away!

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As with the Union Square market, going on a weekday, but not during lunch or after work hours, will net the most space to walk around. However, this market is so large and well laid out that even in a crowd it doesn’t seem as overwhelming as the meandering Union Square can.

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Aaah, New York City during the holiday season. In the immortal words of the sign seen at Bryant Park Winter Village, “this place does not suck.” I could not agree more.

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Halloween Townhouses of NYC

Published on by juliebrannan5 Comments

People who don’t live in New York City might wonder how – or even if – NYC children trick or treat. They definitely do; many larger buildings keep a list of people willing to accept trick or treaters, and residents of the building can pick up a list on October 31 so that they and their children don’t knock on the doors of too many empty apartments. In my experience, you can end up with a prodigious amount of candy (and the occasional healthy treat) in a large apartment building – even better if you pair with another family in another building and maximize possibilities in both places. (Insider tip: take the elevator to the top floor and use the stairs to walk down, if you are able – the elevators become very busy on Halloween night.) However, there are places in the city where you can trick or treat in a very traditional, door-to-door manner – primarily the townhouse blocks on the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan, or Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope, Astoria in Queens, etc. In addition, some of these houses go so all-out on decorating that they make the few weeks leading up to Halloween a “treat” to walk past. This October I made a point of stopping to take photos of houses I happened to pass while walking around the Upper East Side. I will start with a few sedately decorated examples, and progress to the truly terrifying. Perhaps one aspect of the legendary toughness of a native New Yorker is having to pass the gauntlet of horror at some of these homes to score a Reese’s Pumpkin!

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This building is keeping it classy. A seasonal display of pumpkins brightens the foyer.

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Friendly jack-o-lanterns accentuate this private garden.

These two townhouses have picked up the fright factor a bit without going too far – a few fluttering ghosts and a welcoming row of skulls let you know this is probably a good place to trick or treat.

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If this one was closer to the door, its scare factor would go up, but as is, it decorates the house nicely without being too terrifying. I like how the ghoul is holding a pumpkin.

This is a selection of decorations that I find to be fairly typical of what you see this time of year, some scary touches and nice additions to any city stroll.

Two views of this townhouse – I love the white pumpkins, ghosts, and seasonal plants leading to a giant inflatable  (but not too scary) Pumpkin King.

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Even though this is a skeleton, the presence of his skeleton doggies brightens up the scene, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this one.

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Similarly, these skeletons have a jaunty, Pirates of the Caribbean vibe . . .

I noticed a theme this year of many townhouses covered with spider webs, often along with the spiders and sometimes also other frightening figures.

Now we are progressing to a higher scare factor: this Dracula actually emerges and returns to his coffin on regular intervals. Note that trick-or-treaters would need to walk right past this to ring the doorbell!

This townhouse really followed through on its zombie theme.

The suit of armor is a unique touch, and pretty creepy.

Not much to say – these are just disturbing.

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This house wins the prize for most terrifying decoration that I happened to pass by this year. I would find it difficult to approach these figures in broad daylight, and can only imagine what it would be like to pass them on Halloween night to ring the doorbell!

On Halloween night, many of these homes will open their doors to reveal mini-haunted houses, and often the residents also dress up. My most vivid Halloween memory as a child is of approaching a house, and being absolutely terrified of the zombie who answered the door. When I ran away rather than take candy, he ran after me offering a bowl of treats – but to my terrified mind, he was simply chasing me! Ah, the joy of being scared, as long as ultimately it is in a safe setting. New York City is such a wonderful place to live, and the dedicated and fortunate owners of these townhouses enrich it with their decorations. There are many advantages to living in a townhouse – outdoor space, not sharing walls or floors/ceilings with neighbors, abundant space – but the ability to express yourself to the community through your decoration is certainly a plus for many.

December in New York City

Published on by juliebrannan3 Comments

Time Warner holiday lights

Throughout history, as the days get shorter and the weather cooler in the Northern Hemisphere, people have steeled themselves against the coming winter by holding festivals of light. From the Pagan Yule celebration of the ancient Germanic people, to Saturnalia celebrated by the Romans, and continuing through today’s celebrations of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Diwali, we try to drive away the dark days ahead with revelry and light. I find that New York City is at its most magical during the month of December, and from the influx of tourists during the last two weeks of the month, many others do as well. For those of us who live in the city, the trick is to see the most popular tourist sites earlier in the month or on an off-day or –time, while appreciating the lights and decorations everywhere in the city, especially primarily residential areas seldom packed with visitors.

One attraction definitely in the category of those you want to try to see early in the season, and not on a weekend, is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Lit this year on December 3rd, and remaining lit until the 31st, these dates bookend perhaps the worst times and places to be during this season, in my opinion – the lighting of the tree attracts tens of thousands of people to a small midtown area, snarling traffic for hours, and of course Times Square on New Year’s Eve is even worse. Seeing the magnificent tree and decorations at Rockefeller Center in the few weeks after the tree lighting is definitely worth it. The tree this year is an 85 foot Norway spruce from Pennsylvania, lit by 45,000 LED lights – the ultimate story of a small town resident hitting the big time in NYC. The presentation of the tree from Fifth Avenue is theatrical perfection; a series of trumpeters framing the tree over the picturesque skating rink and iconic statue of Prometheus.

Saks Fifth Avenue is across from the tree, and has a new “Enchanted Experience” light show this year, which requires 71,000 lights and six 3-D projectors. The show, synched with holiday music, plays several times per hour after dark. Their windows this year celebrate the Art Deco era when Saks was founded, and a display in the store features a tribute to the Rockettes, who can of course be seen in action nearby at Radio City Music Hall (a Deco masterpiece). Saks’ windows this year continue the Art Deco theme, with classic fairy tales told in that style.

A person could spend an entire day viewing all the holiday window displays at department stores around the city, but for the average New Yorker, they are seen in passing while getting from one area to another. Several are worth a stop, though – Barney’s has been “Baz Dazzled” by director Baz Luhrmann (and occasionally has live ice skating in the north window), Bergdorf Goodman has a “Holidays on Ice” theme, Bloomingdale’s shows its brown shopping bags in scenes around the world, and Henri Bendel uses Al Hirschfeld caricatures to create celebrity-focused windows. At Macy’s, after seeing the classic “Yes, Virginia” windows, you can check out the line for Santa Land to see if the wait is not too extreme. Macy’s of course is the setting for the ultimate ironic New York City real estate story, “Miracle on 34th Street,” where a little girl can’t wait to give up her apartment on Central Park West (with a view of the Thanksgiving parade and Central Park) for a house in the suburbs!

One doesn’t have to do all their holiday shopping in these huge department stores, however, since holiday shopping markets pop up all over the city during the month of December. From “Sell by the L” in Bushwick and Artist and Fleas in Williamsburg, to the market in the Bohemian Beer Hall in Astoria and Flea and Food in Long Island City, all boroughs are represented in these unique experiences, featuring locally made and unique products. Some of the best known holiday markets in Manhattan are those in Grand Central Station, Union Square, Columbus Circle, Chelsea Market, and Bryant Park.

If in Bryant Park at night, you have a terrific view of the Empire State Building. I can’t find any information on whether they will do it again this year, but last year leading up to Christmas they had a holiday light show synchronized to music on a local radio station. The skating rink at Bryant Park is my favorite one to actually skate on in the city – in part because it is free (although skate rental is $15) but also because it is generally less crowded than the Rockefeller Center or Central Park rinks.

There are so many opportunities to see something special in December – from the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to seeing the Neapolitan crèche in the Metropolitan Museum, from the Time Warner Center light and music show (Holidays under the Stars) to the lighting of the world’s largest menorah at Grand Army Plaza at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street (while perhaps not the largest, Prospect Park in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza also has quite a large menorah). One of the most elegantly impressive signs of the season is along Park Avenue from 54th to 97th Streets, where 104 fir trees covered in white lights line the malls running through the middle of the avenue. Originally started after World War II to commemorate those who lost their lives in the conflict, they now serve as a symbol for peace, and fit in well with the beautiful quiet residential areas north of 72nd Street.

For all the special things to see, however, my favorite part of this season is experiencing the unexpected decorations near where I live, or in a random neighborhood I am walking through. Walking down East End Avenue on a late night alone and coming across the solitary tree lit in Carl Schurtz Park, or seeing the glowing menorah in someone’s window – those are the moments that remind me what a gift it is to live in this city, which shines so brightly in December that it allows me to shore up my own inner light to defend against the dark and cold winter months.