My husband and I went to the "crossroads of the world', Time Square in Manhattan, on Thursday to watch the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! We arrived around 7 AM, and already the streets were lined with people trying to find a good spot to watch the parade that would begin at 9 AM. It would begin at 77th Street and Central Park West, and culminate at Macy's at Herald Square on 34th Street and 7 th Avenue. A short film clip about the parade's cherished tradition can be seen at this link. (All photos will enlarge when clicked on once and then again when they open on a new page)
It was definitely an exciting moment for us when the beginning of the parade appeared where we were standing at around 9:30 AM. We had not been to the parade in many years as usually I am at home cooking the holiday meal. We celebrated our Thanksgiving dinner earlier on Saturday this year, as our daughter was traveling to spend the holiday with her brother and his family in Colorado.
The Peanuts cartoon character Snoopy was the first balloon to pass by and big cheers rose up from the crowd for him. It's such a thrill to see these giant balloons pass overhead!
You can see the joy on the face of this four year old boy and his dad as they watched the parade go by! I can't wait till my grandsons will be old enough to see the parade with us someday in the future.
Thanksgiving and the autumn season were well represented.
The current Sesame Street cast was on this float.
It was followed by a new balloon for 2010 --The Wimpy Kid, based on the books "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
There were lots and lots of pink in the parade so I immediately thought of Beverly's blog How Sweet The Sound, Pink Saturday event!
More pink!
Green was well represented as Kermit the Frog balloon passed by.
A vintage 1902 Big Apple horse and carriage
As you can see it takes quite a few handlers to control the strings to the balloons. If there are high winds the decision may be made not to fly the balloons at all for safety sake. Luckily the weather on the day of this year's parade was in the forties, overcast but without wind.
SpongeBob seemed to be a big favorite with the children in the crowd.
There were lots of patriotic floats and balloons
A steamboat and it's captain...
...the ever popular Mickey Mouse passed by.
The USA Pizza Team! They were a team composed of pizzaiolos from around the nation whose skills range from baking to dough stretching to individual and group dough acrobatics.
Horton balloon from the Dr. Seuss children's book "Horton Hears a Who!"
Miss USA, Rima Fakih, wearing the white coat, was on this float.
Ahoy, pirates on the horizon!
The Oneida Indian Nation was represented by this float.
There were many, many floats in the parade as you can see by this photo mosaic!
There are an estimated 8,000 people that participate in the parade... marchers, band members, balloon handlers, celebrities on the floats, clowns, etc. The parade is watched by crowds of 2-3.5 million spectators, and another 50 million watch the parade on TV.
There were many wonderful balloons!
The 60 dancing penguins was a big crowd favorite as they were very exuberant and fun to watch! Not all the passing performance groups do anything but march by along the route until they reach the VIP grandstands at Herald Square, where they put on the performance that you see on TV. The Rockettes do not even march in the parade! So it's fun when a group does stop and do something for the crowds along the way like the penguins did.
This group of dancing cowboys and girls also put on a little acrobatic performance!
As you can see by the balloons in this mosaic the star of the parade was approaching! The girl balloon in the upper left corner is Virginia O' Hanlon with the letter she wrote to the New York Sun Newspaper's editor in 1897 asking if there really is a Santa Claus. You can read his famous and endearing answer here.
Yes! The big moment has arrived!
It's Santa Claus on his sled pulled by eight reindeers!
Santa said "Ho Ho Ho! "
Merry Christmas to all!
And to all a good night!
As the last balloons continued down 7th Avenue the parade was over and very quickly everyone went on their way to continue celebrating Thanksgiving 2010. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!
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86 comments:
WOW!! OH WOW!!! Pat, that must be the most thrilling experience to be there in person.....and so close to the action!!! As you know, we were watching the parade on TV. The Grand Girl loves it and the little Gr.Boy watched it a bit, too. I recall watching it when I was little...in black and white it was still wonderful!!!
Thank you for sharing all of these wonderful photos!!
Happy TGiving weekend and a terrific Pink Sat!!! L, dana
Wow, great pictures. I was able to watch a little on TV with my mom.
These are great photos Pat! How lucky you are to have been there in person. I DVR'd both CBS and NBC for the parade and watched both but was disappointed in CBS's coverage just plugging their shows mostly barely showing the floats and/or balloons. I liked NBC because they did a fantastic job on showing both the parade and the shows in front of Macy's.
I have always dreamed of going to the parade. What a thrilling experience. I missed some of the parade on T.V. and Colorado was represented by the Legacy High school band from Broomfield, CO. I love Snoopy and I always love a good Smurf. My oldest daughter Noelle still has her complete Smurf collection of little Smurfs. Pat, you tell a terrific story. Blessings to you and yours. Anne
Great coverage of the parade Pat! I'm glad you made the most of not cooking yesterday.
: )
Happy belated thanksgiving to you and yours.
What a thrill! I adore NYC and would love to see this in person!
Wow! You saw the parade in person, and were right at the start! Did you know where it was going to start? I didn't see it on T.V., but now I've seen it all from you! These pictures rock!! I love the penguins, the mast on the pirate ship is so pretty, the great pink collage and marching band collage, and the wonderful steamboat and cool turkey. You got it ALL!
Hi Pat, Thank-you so much for sharing Your parade experience! I was able to see Macys 84 Thanksgiving Parade after all, thanks to Your wonderful pics! I had been sad thinking I had missed seeing the parade on TV, being at work yesterday here in Winnipeg.
One year I hope to see it in person... so far I have been able to visit New York in Feb. and in Oct. A girlfriend and I hope to visit in June next year...
Margaret from B.C.
Oh Pat...this was a wonderful post. You showed all sorts of floats and groups that we never saw on the TV. Well done! I loved the penguins. So fun.
How fun! I wanted to watch it this year on tv. It's something I always do, however, for the first time I can remember I missed the whole thing :( SO I was happy to see it on here.
What setting do you take your photos on? Do you use the auto or change the settings? Your colors are so bright, do you adjust them on the computer before you put them on your blog?
What a great experience and so close too. Your photos are great, they really impart the excitement and grandeur of the day.
I saw a bit of the parade on TV...and wondered if maybe you would be there. I rather thought you would be at home cooking! So how nice to see you were able to be there...and give us such good coverage! Good job.
like every year there has been a perfect organization to spend a day of celebration !!!!!
Looks like you had a wonderful place to see it. I'd like to do that someday. I tried to watch it on television but they spend so much time with the latest Hollywood talent, the floats were hardly ever seen. I gave up. Love your photos of it, though!
I can always depend on you for the things that I love!..watched on TV,but I was so glad to see you blogn' about the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC,city that I love.Thanks for sharing once again I felt as if I could have been standing there enjoying right along with you.
-Jo
-LazyonLoblolly
Pat,
I think that the Macy's Parade gets better every year. I watched it on TV while I made our Thanksgiving Dinner. Your photographs are gorgeous, and what fun to have been there in person. This year you had wonderful weather. I especially love the photos that you got of Santa. My favorite movie is Miracle on 34th street the remake, and this year's Santa looked just like the one in the movie.
As always your posts are a piece of art.
Karen
Well Pat as I was watching on TV I said to HH, I bet Pat my blogging pal is there. I could just see you and the Mister right there and I was right. We had a band from Louisville Ky. there. Your photos are perfect of course. Thanks for the show.I didn't had to cook, just made one dish, as we went to #1 daughter's house.
QMM
Awwwww!! Yay!! Sesame Street!!! LOL!! I love it! My goodness - it's worth getting there at 7 am to get the best views!! It's great though that the big balloons are big and held up so high so all could see!! I think it's so magical and sweet!!! Awww and one day Pat you'll be able to bring your adorable grandsons to see this magic too!! How fabulous!!
I do like that the penguins too their time to entertain the crowds - they must have been such fun to watch!
And yay for Father Christmas and his reindeer!! Now that really says that Christmas is well and truly here!! What a fantastic way to usher in the festive season!
Thank you so much for sharing these fabulous pics - they're just lovely, thank you!
Take care
x
Such great photos and I adore the Sesame Street float.
WOW! How cool! I try to watch the parade on TV, but hate the commercials and I run back and forth from the kitchen to catch the balloons. I LOVE the balloons! Looks like your Thanksgiving was lots of fun! Welcome Santa! :D :D :D
Hi Pat - When I saw a short clip of the parade on the news I just knew you would be filling us in on all the details, so I've got a big smile on my face this morning. I would have especially enjoyed the dancing penguins. Your photos put us right there and the last picture of the policeman as the crowds disperse is great. The next thing I can't wait to see is the beautiful department store windows. I know that will be on your Christmas photo expedition list! Thanks so much for connecting us with the wonder of New York!
What a great post, Pat. Your photos are awesome. I only saw half of it on tv this year, but enjoyed every minute of it. I remember going to the parade in Detroit when I was younger. It's such a thrill to be right there when the action is going on.
What a fun place to be on Thanksgiving!
That looked wonderful. I did mine on the parade too but I wasn't up there for this one. Mine was probably the 30th year. I felt like I was back there your photo's are so great. Thanks so much for taking me along with you. I gave a link to a few people that commented on the Parade so they could see your fabulous post. Take care.
I watched the parade off and on all morning and I also taped it, in case I wanted to watch it again. Your pictures were wonderful, as always. I have the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on my bucket list. Would love to come sometime and see it in person. Glad you had a wonderful day. Love & blessings from NC!
Looks like a grand time at the Parade, never went, but enjoyed your visit :) Snoopy and Kermit are my faves! Spiderman is pretty cool, too!
I totally love that last shot, everything goes back to city normal after the last marcher goes by!
What a nice post to read with my morning oatmeal. I do remember when the Rockettes did perform and I always thought they must be freezing. I (naturally) used to look forward to a cast of a musical comedy or two performing. Of course, it would depend on the type of musicals that opened. And when I briefly lived in the West 80's - I remember going to watch the balloons being blown up the night before on Central Park West- until it became an "event." I love the new balloons - it is such fun! Hope your weekend has been grand.
Pat! I thought about you all Thanksgiving morning. I know you told me that you were hoping to go to the parade, I kept hoping that you went and that you would be sharing your experience with us.
You did not disappoint. Your pictures are amazing. Thank you for giving us a person-on-the-street view. I'm going to send my readers over to experience this post.
Happy Holidays! La
FABULOUS!!!!! What a fantastic job you did for all of us who could not be there at the parade...your photos were magical! Thanks so much, Pat! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Wow Pat, I never realised it was such a big parade!! Thank you for being there for us bloggers who are so far away who would probably not get a chance to visit. The photographs are wonderful and I really felt that I was there with you. Many thanks, Jackie in Surrey, UK.
You are such good New Yorkers! I've lived here since the mid-80s and still haven't gone to this parade. My Brooklyn-born husband went as a child and thinks that was enough.
Wonderful pictures, as always!
I watched it on TV, and I miss the old days when the floats used to go down the street upright. Shrek and Uncle Sam are the most obvious examples this year of how they position them now. I understand this is for safety reasons, and some of the new floats such as Kung Fu Panda are designed to compensate for this.
WONDERFUL,Pat
as good as being there!
That was so cool Pat, thanks for sharing:@)
That was better than watching it on TV. It seems all they show are the acts from the shows! I have never been. Never figured out how to cook dinner for 25 and go to the parade too!
Awesome post and photos, Pat! Being Canadian, Thursday was just a typical Thursday for me, so I taped the parade on our PVR while I was at work and watched it at home later. I imagine it would have been awesome to be there in person to see the parade and experience the energy and excitement!!
I didn't have time to watch it so I'm so glad you provided the recap! Great photos, as always!
What a MASSIVE parade! The colours are fantastic, great shots Pat!
what an incredible day you must have had!! Thank you for sharing your day and all of those wonderful images with us!
cheers
Dennis
Pat,
I love to read your posts!! It is on my list that I made when I was 18 years old to attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I have 15 things on this list and have done all except: go to the parade and go to Eurpoe. I WILL be going in the next couple of years and I know who to contact so I can make sure to be in the right place because your photos are amazing. I hope that you have had a great holiday weekend....did you do the Black Friday thing?
I was there too! In spirit anyway as I watched on the kitchen TV. I always watch the Macy's Thanksgivng Day Parade instead of the Houston one, but don't tell anyone. Enjoyed your pictures and comments.
Hey Pat:
My little daughter was on the Marion Carol float with my Mom as chaperone...I couldn't get a good pic of them on it, turn to your blog and there they are! How fantastic is that? I was watching the parade from the 34th Street grandsatnds as a guest of my Macys aunt... you and I were so close to each other! Wish I'd known, we could've met on a corner!! :0)
Pat, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the fabulous pictures of the parade! Made me feel like a kid again.
Pat, thank you so much for sharing. We are from Oneida County, so it was wonderful to see the Iroquois nation represented. Also, the pizza team, Rome, New York (our home town) is the land of Italians and so little "press" is given to that group of immigrants. My husband's family is Italian...3 generations in USA only. And, finally, a comment on your bio...when we took our son to NYC at 5, he said, "we can't leave now. I want to see everything in New York!"
Happy Pink Saturday from California which doesn't begin with a "V", lucky me!!!
Hi Pat....thanks for the great pictures...I was in the kitchen cooking and didn't get to see but few minutes of the parade....They had some really great floats this year...Miss B would have loved Kung Fu Panda....I think we will have to bring her next year...she should be old enough to brave the crowds..but you looked like you had a great spot for picture taking....Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful....Sue
wow...your pictures are awesome!
i like the new Wimpy Kid balloon
he looks so sweet.
i'm glad you got to see so up close
and personal...and there he is...
the star of the show SANTA!!!
i enjoyed this post
thanks PAT !!!
~victoria~
Great photos. Must be exiting!
The Bavarian Christmas linky party is now open-won’t you come and join us at http://dobermans-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2010/11/1st-christmas-linky-party-at-dobermans.html
Loved the parade seen through your camera...missed it Thursday so happy to see it here! It appears to be the usual fantastic event...the abundance of color is always exciting...thanks for sharing!!!
Pat, it looks like a perfect day! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous photos of this NY tradition. We always enjoy watching it on TV, but I've never been there for the real deal.
Mr. S has always wanted to go to this parade. It must be absolutely fantastic in person! I really enjoyed this Pat, because I didn't get to see any of the parade on tv this year. :-) Wonderful!
~ Sue
Pat, awesome. I have never been to New York much less seen the parade but as a child it was tradition on our tv in southern CA to watch as we prepared our turkey dinner! great photos my friend!
Barb
Wow! There's nothing like having one's own, personal parade commentator! Thanks you, Pat - that was fantastic!
I haven't watched that parade on tv since I was a child, but we watched it this year! My husband had friends who performed on tv before the parade started. We thought the performance would be where the parade attendees could see it, but it wasn't. They're a Beatle tribute band, so they performed on a roof top some where to recreate the "Get Back" performance done back in the 1969 (I guess). We enjoyed watching the parade afterward! I bet it's so neat to see the balloons in person!
Hi Pat! This post is fabulous!! But you arrived at 7:00 am... No, Thanks... ;))
The old Thebes (Ouaset, The Powerful) is on Blogtrotter Two waiting for you!! Enjoy and have a great Sunday and week ahead!
Delightful! I think Santa looked right at you, Pat! That's got to mean something good.
We had actually thought for two seconds and a half that we might be there to see it ourselves. Ahhh, well, this was almost as good, perhaps better!
Pat, these photos are incredibly delightful! It must be amazing to live so close to events such as this. Thank you for the time you put into taking all these pictures and then sharing them with us. I know it can be time consuming to process and post that many pictures. And we are the lucky recipients! Thank you!
Did u read my heart and mind, i have been rambling about the Parade for days now and its so exciting to see this post!
I feel like i went there, almost!
Thannxx a ton for so wonderful a walk in the most awaited parade of the year!!
Oh bdw, where's Santa?
Thannxx a ton for all ur votes again and love and support!
ho...ho ho.....where are u Santa?
I wanna meet u too:-)
Wonderful pics! My kiddos watched it on tv while I was cooking in the kitchen:) I'd love to see it in person sometime!
You are so lucky to have been there!
Wow!!Wow!!Woweeee!!! I watched a bit of the parade on TV, but it doesn't come close to Your Parade of Photos. Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous collection of photos. I enjoyed the Parade so much!
You know this is one of the traditions we have here. But we sit in our kitchen with coffee/tea and watch the parade. How wonderful for you to be able to go to the parade. the colors this year were so wonderfully vibrant. We did enjoy it. Thank you for sharing your pictures! Cathy
What a wonderful parade, must so fun to attend. Take care:)
You have captured so many fabulous shots of the parade. I love the big balloons and all the colourful floats. Pure magic.
What a thrill! From Snoopy to SpongBob. Thanks for showing us.
Such fun!! I thought of you again and again while watching the parade on television!
By the way, congrats on the publication of your article on Eataly!!
Nice photos. You looked like you really go close to the action.
How great to see this famous parade...such great pictures.. You put a lot of work into this post and I so enjoyed looking at it.
What fun!! I always watch it on TV...it must be a thrill in person!
Pat!
You know how jealous I have ALWAYS been of you living so near my mecca! :)
Your shots and mosaics are wonderful!
Thanks for sharing.
Claudia
Wow, your parade photos are awesome. it was like being there. I watched some on TV while I was preparing my dinner. Thanks for sharing.
Pat, your post is awesome. We recorded the parade because I was knee deep in preparing for 25 loved family members for Thanksgiving. Lots of company in our home, in our cabin and yep, even the RV for 4 days. Whew, I finally watched the parade on Saturday night. I am so wanting to see the parade in person one day. Your photos and text really told the parade story so well. Good job and I KNOW how much work you put into this post. Thank you for sharing such an awesome parade with us.
Warm hugs,
Jeanne
WOW..... how exciting!!! It's very crowded and colorful and joyous and....well everything else! It must be very amazing to be there at least once!
I was so looking forward to this post Pat. I got a real kick out of your teaser photos on FB. Great photos, and it looks like everyone had a wonderful time. Loved this! Kat
Your pictures were awesome. I enjoyed them more than the actual parade.
By the way, I love the name of your blog.
Teresa
Oh WOW, Pat.... Thanks for showing us the 'real thing'.... We watched it on TV --but saw very little of the parade since they talk to celebrities constantly and/or are showing the dancers/singers.... I hate the way they show it on TV these days... We truly don't get to see the REAL THING.
I loved seeing your photos... Maybe one of these years, we'll get to see it in person also. You got some fabulous pictures.
Thanks again.
Hugs,
Betsy
I am tickled you were there Pat and that you shared all these wonderful photos with us! It is on my bucket list, to see one in person. I have watched them every year as long as I can remember...
Thank you for giving me this sweet peek through your lens!
Love,
Sue
What a thrill to be there for such a wonderful parade! I know you must have been in awe of every site! I'm so glad you take such great photos and share them with us! Hugs sweet friend! You really outdid yourself this time! ♥
So relieved to see that those are penguin dancers! For a minute there I thought they were wearing those Snuggie things!
There was a holiday flotilla here and I saw the lines of traffic and did a U-turn. Glad you stuck with it--your parade is fabulous!
All I can say is WOW! and it looks like I am not the first to say it! You certainly had a perfect spot for viewing and photographing the parade...and I read newpaper stories about how difficult it was to get close to the parade this year...What a wonderful job you did!
Each of your photos are bursts of fun colors! Your parade of photos gives me some perspective on just how very large this parade is ...Thanks for sharing it with us Pat!
Super fun! I saw most from my couch, but I'd love to see it in person one day. I had my husband promise to take me. Who knows when though lol Thanks for taking us along.
Oh I am speechless. Such a fantastic parade och your photos are GREAT! Stunning.
Pat, somehow I must have been busy and missed this post. Wow and double wow. You've captured it beautifully. The antique carriage was my favorite.
We've been to the parade only once, when we lived in the Poconos. My husband's father lived in the city and we came to his apartment for Thanksgiving.
I was in management for a Federated store for many years. All of them, except for Bloomingdales, are called Macys now. The parade always made me feel proud, even though I didn't work for Macys per se in NY.
I was thinking that you arms must have been exhausted from snapping so many pictures.
Your post is very professional (as always). You covered it much better than all the hype and chatter from the networks.
Sam
I love the Macy's Parade, and I can only imagine what a thrill it must be to be there.
My grandson loves The Wimpy Kid, but my favorite is always Santa. Save the best for last.
I knew I could count on your wonderful talent to show me the parade up close! You have better coverage then the television. Honestly, your photos are incredible. I feel like I have been standing right next to you the entire time.
I'm sorry I'm so late to your post but I have been bogged down with work. I haven't posted anything new on my blog in a couple of weeks.
Thank you again for letting me travel to the parade with you. Your pictures are amazing...as always!!!
Great post Pat and terrific pictures too. You made me feel like I was really there. I once covered the parade when I was a reporter in NYC but it would be more fun to just sit (or stand) and watch it.
That was gorgeous Pat. Right from the little things like the man dressed as a flan to the big Santa float.
I caught part of the Columbus Day parade when I was in NY- so much fun.
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