OMGoodness!
My husband, Cal, came in on Tuesday night. It was sweet to see him. Playing in NYC is more fun with him as my companion.
Yesterday, we learned NOT to go to a grocery store in NYC the day before Thanksgiving. A first and last. It was dangerous. We were bomb-blasted by carts being scurried around by women with panic in their eyes, and men scratching their heads. I thought it was Black Friday at Whole Foods.
The blowing up of the balloons festivities happened Thanksgiving Eve at 79th and Columbus. We were there, a first. It was set up like Disneyland lines. Barricades funneled us into alleyways where we walked up and down, back and forth, around and around. When we finally saw the balloons, I gasp. They were larger than huge, and adorable. By the time we saw them, they were already inflated and anchored to the ground with nets and sandbags.
I don’t know how many people were there, but the hoards were constant from 3:00 until 10:00 p.m. I was most impressed with parents who were there with their small children. I thought, “Now that is true love.” Cal and I were exhausted, and we were only carrying our keys.
Today, Thanksgiving morning, the alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. We found a great spot at 6th and 57th right behind a cheerleading family keeping us clapping and yelling, “N-Y-P-D…and Give me an H…give me an A…give me a P…” I would surely have frozen without their motivation to keep us in the spirit of the day.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a first, was not a disappointment. It was all I imagined. Hundreds of people marched, danced, and even walked the entire route on stilts. Hawaii, especially, had an impressive presence. We were two of 3.5 million people lining the streets of Manhattan.
The NYPD and dump trucks blocking every intersection kept us safe.
Nothing impressed more than the character balloons unless it was my husband standing in one spot, in the cold, with people pushing on him from all sides from 7:00 to 11:30. A near miracle.
I have watched the parade on TV for many years, and it was truly a thrill to see it’s enormity, breathe the air, feel the cold, hear the crowds, all while relishing hot coffee.
Two Months of Firsts – #5
Written on November 24, 2016
Very good writing. So descriptive! I could feel the excitement and the frosty air!
Geri, I’m so glad you could feel it! It was frosty and I was excited:))) Hope you had a great day too!
It must have been amazing to watch the parade in person! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Cal!
Julie, it truly was amazing. I had to keep pinching myself, so to speak, to remind myself I was only feet away from the entire parade – not just watching it on TV, as I have done for years, and wishing I was there.
Wow, you actually saw Macy’s parade. How cool is that. And here we had to watch it on TV. A real first! Have a rest of a great Thanksgiving Day!
Geri, it was a great first. Watching the news this morning was surreal as what they filmed on 5th Ave. and the Parade, we saw in person, as we were THERE…:) I hope you had a really fun day too!