March Madness
An insider's guide to seeing New York's Thanksgiving extravaganza -- the right way.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006; Page D02
Sorry, your TV is too small. No high-def, wide-screen mammoth of a television can do justice to a 48-foot Garfield, the smell of hot pretzels or the shower of confetti that rains down on America's most famous parade. You have not really seen the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade until you've stood in the cold, shoulder to elbow with millions of others on Manhattan's West Side.
"Come to New York, experience it for yourself, and you will never want to watch the parade on TV again," says Robert M. Grippo. He should know; in addition to writing a history of the parade, he's one of its clowns (this year marks his sixth time).
  About 2 million people came to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade last year. Fans say being there is better than TV. (Stephen Chernin - Getty Images) |
If you haven't seen the parade in person, now would be a fine time to go: On Nov. 23 it celebrates its 80th anniversary.
This year, some 800 clowns; the Harlem Globetrotters; Snoopy and other helium heroes; a dozen marching bands and 8,000 to 10,000 others will cartwheel, float and cymbal-clash their way for 2 1/2 miles along Central Park West and down Broadway.
Here, we offer parade-viewing tips from Grippo and other experts.
* On the Wednesday before, the balloons go from flat to fabulous outside the American Museum of Natural History (between 3 and 10 p.m.). Go to West 79th Street and Columbus Avenue; from there you can see the helium do its work at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue and at West 81st Street and Central Park West. Between 3 and 5 p.m. you can meet costumed characters and take home balloons (little ones).
* Parade bands start rehearsing about 2 a.m. Thursday in Herald Square; they hustle into formation between West 86th and 77th streets and Central Park West by 7 a.m.
* Unless you have friends in high places on Central Park West or Broadway, you'll be lining the street. The parade officially starts at 9 a.m. Macy's suggests that spectators show up by 7 a.m., but by 6 a.m. people start lining Central Park West (mostly on the west side of the street, as much of the park side is filled with VIP bleachers) and Broadway (on both sides, from Columbus Circle down to 38th Street). Note: Parade officials say police -- hoping to avoid a repeat of injuries from wayward balloons in 2005 and 1997-- will be pushing back the crowds at Times Square a bit this year, leaving room for about 1,500 fewer spectators there.
* Historically, it's a cold day: Wear layers and bring a thermos -- but know that your curbside spot will disappear if you go on a (fruitless) search for a bathroom on the parade route. (Your closest bet just may be Central Park; see a map of park restrooms at http:/
* Before tripping over their big shoes en route, the red-of-nose will congregate at what Grippo calls "Clown Corner," 77th Street and Central Park West.
* To catch the baton twirlers and balloon wranglers at their freshest, stake out a spot on Central Park West around 70th Street, just a few blocks south of the parade's kickoff.
* The parade goes right by the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, a mixed-use complex that includes food venues, good for post-parade snacks and luxe Thanksgiving menus (at Cafe Grey, meals, parade viewing and a magic show can be yours for a mere $500; http:/
* If you absolutely must be at the finale (which is expected around noon), head for the south side of West 34th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue; no hoi polloi are allowed in front of Macy's on Broadway because of the telecast.
* Drivers might consider parking at the Metropark train station in Iselin, N.J. ($5 for 24 hours) and taking NJ Transit -- which will run on a Sunday schedule -- into New York's Penn Station (about 50 minutes; tickets are $7.25). Amtrak from Washington's Union Station starts at about $111 for Wednesday or $90 for the 3:15 a.m. Thanksgiving day train, arriving well before the parade begins. (Book now; several are already sold out.) Penn Station is mere blocks from the parade's super-crowded ending point. If you're smart, you'll hop the 1, 2, 3, A or C subway lines for points north along the route.
For parade info: 212-494-4495, http:/
