Results tagged “macysthanksgivingdayparade”

                  

The day was clear and perfect for watching giant balloons and floats meander down from the Upper West Side to Herald Square during the 83rd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, the parade's new route took the procession down Sixth and Seventh Avenues instead of Broadway (the route is now slightly longer) and millions lined the streets for the festivities.

                     

In spite of the dreary weather, thousands of New Yorkers flocked to the Upper West Side to see balloons get inflated for today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here are just some photographs of the pre-parade excitement—that Spider-Man balloon looks pretty awesome.

This year will be the first year the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade doesn't head down Broadway for its Herald Square finale outside Macy's. Instead, the procession of balloons, floats and performers will head down Seventh and Sixth Avenues, partially due to the new pedestrian plazas in Times Square and partially because 7th and 6th Avenues are wider (in 2005, some parade watchers were struck by M&M balloons!).

It's that time again—time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And one of the fun traditions to watching the balloons being blown up the night before. This year's Thanksgiving parade balloon inflation begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., with the entrance at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue. It does get very crowded, so be patient!

There appears to be serious consideration being given to rerouting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so that the glowing neon spectrum of Times Square would be replaced by the yawning canyon of white-collar drudgery that defines Sixth Avenue. The Department of Transportation confirmed yesterday's reports that the parade may call off its right turn off Columbus Circle onto Broadway and continue over to the Avenue of Americas.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade might be taking a dramatic turn next year...down Sixth Avenue. For the first time in the parade's 84-year history, the city is considering redirecting it past Broadway and over to Sixth when it arrives at Columbus Circle. The mayor says that the Department of Transportation said a working group has been assembled to discuss the matter and it will be making recommendations soon.

Some people were scratching their heads when Macy's announced that one of three new Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons would be a giant Smurf--especially since the popular 80's Saturday morning cartoon hasn't aired in almost 20 years. Though a press release said that Macy's was "thrilled to help the Smurfs celebrate their 50th anniversary," it might have something more to do with the live-action Alvin & the Chipmunks-style movie treatment being given to the Smurfs for the next holiday season. But which Smurf was that balloon today supposed to be? During CBS's parade coverage, speculation ran towards it being Baby Smurf, but where's Baby's onesie? Despite a resemblance to both, he's a little too on-the-go to be either Lazy or Dreamy Smurf. Could it be Jokey Smurf--running from his latest prank? It's just not right about referring to it simply as "Smurf"--the poor little guys are already Communist enough.

Tomorrow is the day before Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which means it's the day to see the parade balloons get inflated! The parade blow-up action is along 77th Street and 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, around the American of Natural History, starting at around 3PM and ending at 10PM. The crowds can be very intense, so be patient.

The Post finds out that if sold, the inflated balloon of artist Jeff Koons' Rabbit, which made its debut appearance in the 81st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, would go for $5 million. The balloon isn't for sale, but the parade is so happy with the balloon that it's interested in ideas from other artists. Um, formaldehyde Damien shark, anyone? Or how about a Takashi Murakami Mr. Pointy balloon? Dan Flavin light balloon?...

Two men walking along the East 79th transverse near Fifth Avenue were robbed at gunpoint by four men around 7:15PM on Wednesday night. The victims, ages 34 and 38, gave up their wallets and a cellphone for the robbers, who are described as young "black males between 18 and 20" years old" who "fled in the direction of the Great Lawn." The 34-year-old victim spoke to the Daily News and explained he and his partner...

Yesterday's lovely weather made the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a big crowd pleaser. An estimated 3.5 million spectators watched as giant balloons, floats, and hundreds of parade performers sauntered from 77th and Central Park West to Herald Square. Some people waited since 4AM in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite performers, who included Dolly Parton, Wynonna, the cast of Legally Blonde, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Good Charlotte, Menudo (really!), the Rockettes...

Starting in the afternoon, the masses traveled to the Upper West Side yesterday to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get inflated on West 77th and West 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. By 6PM, crowds were penned in for blocks - it took us about 30-40 minutes of shuffling and snaking around before we could get close to any balloons. We suspect the Broadway stagehands' strike as well as...

Another gloomy day today. A bit of fog this morning may delay flights out of town. You may also have weather-caused delays if you're going to northern New England (ice and snow), Chicago-Detroit-Milwaukee (rain) and the front range of the Rockies from Denver northward (snow). If you're staying in town you can expect cloudy skies and mild temperatures with a high in the mid-50s. It won't cool off much tonight, making for a comfortable...

Tomorrow is one of our favorite days of the year: The annual Thanksgiving Eve inflation of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons!

Green M&Ms have held this mythic place in many people's candy-eating consciences, whether due to fables, Van Halen's concert riders or advertising. And now green M&M's will be associated with a very real place in New York - Central Park. Tomorrow, M&M's World Store in Times Square will start selling a special new color, Central Park Green, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Central Park Conservancy. These M&M's have a mottled...

Yesterday's 80th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went off smoothly, if very wet. The big balloons were kept low to the ground, due to concerns about the high winds, and basically stayed out of trouble, though, according to the NY Times, a Humpty Dumpty balloon "somersaulted" as one point and a Garfield balloon handler slipped during a gust.

With weather advisories in effect, warning of storms and winds, city officials are contemplating what to do with Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. From the NY Times:

The poor weather and heightened oversight could ground some or all of the 13 big balloons — 1 fewer than last year — that are set to fly today, starting at 9 a.m. In the best case, they could be flown so low as to practically be floats. In the worst case, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg warned, the hapless helium-filled creatures could be pulled onto side streets and summarily deflated.

Continue reading "Will the Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Fly?"

Get ready for some helium action! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons will be blown up tomorrow at 3PM on the Upper West Side. The blow-up is basically all around the American Museum of Natural History - along at 77th and 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus. There may be a helium shortage (who knew?), but planners know and have taken that into account. Just be sure to bundle up.

A look at some noteworthy programs this week:

The History Channel is creating a wild, NYC-centric float for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to its press release:

Designed to mirror a child's tin wind-up toy, The History Channel float will feature a giant replica of New York City's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building. In addition, the float will reveal through its wind-up motion, iconic dates, celebrations and locations, tracing the history of New York City. Through the artistry of the Macy's Parade Studio team, the float will feature landmark events throughout history from the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty to Babe Ruth's defining moments at Yankee Stadium, to the world-famous World War II "Kiss" in Times Square, all helping to bring history to life.

Oh, Bloomie, Bloomie, Bloomie. Mayor Mike shot an arrow at State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer yesterday on his weekly WABC radio address. After Spitzer has moved to slow/stop/co-opt a number of his and Pataki's larger projects (read: The city's planned purchase of the West Side Rail Yards from the MTA and Moynihan Station) Bloomberg made it very clear that he thinks Spitzer needs to just let elected officials do their job:

"The tendency when you're near the end of an administration [is] to say, 'Oh, let's postpone everything for the next administration, so the next administration gets a chance to weigh in.' "

Continue reading "Bloomie to Spitzer: Let Us Do Our Jobs"

Maybe Gothamist has Thanksgiving on the brain, what with yesterday's Pikachu balloon test, and our overall love of the holiday (we love turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie and...). But how could we not post about some great photographs from a 1930s Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Reader Jon sent us a link to a Swaptorium post describing a trove of photographs found in a small Texas town. Swaptorium writes, "The marquee on the movie theater is showing Divorce in the Family with Jackie Cooper which would date the photos to around 1932."

Strong winds caused the M &M's balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to hit a street lamp whose light fell onto two spectators. The light, at 43rd Street and Times Square, dropped 30 feet onto a pair of sisters - and as you can see in the photo of the light, those suckers are big. The NY Times reports that 11 year old Sarah Chamberlain "had a chipped tooth and was cut in the back of the head" (now there are 9 stitches); her 26 year old sister Mary, who was in a wheelchair, had a CAT scan. Their father, Stephen Chamberlain, said, "It was a freak accident. We're very lucky. We're counting our blessings. Sarah's main concern was that she didn't see Santa Claus after the parade - so Macy's sent Santa to the hospital." Not only did Santa visit Sarah, but Mayor Bloomberg as well! The Mayor promised to form a task force to look into the accident, just as Mayor Giulliani did when the Cat in the Hat balloon hit a streetlamp that fell on top of a woman who then went into a coma. At any rate, Stephen Chamberlain said they would visit the parade next year; we imagine that Macy's will be offering them prime seats, as well as a settlement.

With his new Humpty Dumpty balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NY Times has three great video pieces with sculptor Tom Otterness. One is naturally about having a balloon in the parade, and another is about his themes as an artist. But the best one is about his wonderful subway installations at the West 14th Street A/C/E and L station: Otterness discusses the statue that's in the stairwell (see the screengrab at left) being touched by straphanders for good luck.

Ooh: Sculptor Tom Otterness has a helium balloon in tomorrow's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - a balloon of Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty seems like a perfect subject for Otterness, whose round figures do seem eggish. You can see the balloons for the parade being blown up on the Upper West Side, at West 77th and West 81st Streets and Central Park West (near the Museum of Natural History), from 3PM-10PM today. [Gothamist went two years ago, and we saw a nutty balloon orgy.] Today's Times also looks at the training baloon handlers are getting this year. Those who fail to remember history...blah blah blah. We can recall all the changes that Macy's made a year after the injury of a spectator in 1997, but it looks like those changes are history.

Only five days left until Turkey day! And you know what that means... Time to start to figure out exactly what you are going to do on the worst travel day of the year (assuming that, like us, you don't already know). Most of our friends are planning to do the standard "sleep late, go to the parents house, eat too much turkey, drink too much wine, pass out, wake up, eat leftovers" routine but what other options are there?

Kermit the Frog visited our fair city this past weekend, and did many typical New York things: He visited the Empire State Building, took a taxi, sat in a tree, and rode the subway. Our only questions are "Did the subways seem safer than the swamp?" and "Where was the pig?" At any rate, this visit was more G-rated than the steamy pre-Thanksgiving night canoodling Kermit the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon engaged in, back in 2003. [Via College Humor, via cityrag]

Yesterday, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went off without a hitch. Spongebob Squarepants, Pikachu, Super Grover, and more friends were guided down Manhattan to Herald Square, accompanied by clowns, marching bands, floats, and other performers. In fact, many people were caught with their coats tied around their waists, what with 64 degree weather. And the lovely weather is credited for making sure 2.5 million people turned out for the parade! The NY Times noted that children would scream the names of balloons to get their attention - funny thing, it's what Gothamist did, except from our living room. The NY Post says that Mayor Bloomberg was "ecstatic" and that his favorite balloon in Charlie Brown. Hmm, that says a lot.

Gothamist wishes all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are thankful for quite a few things - funny pictures of Mayor Bloomberg, a really good sandwich, passing Law & Order on-the-street sets, secret music shows, people who let us pet their dogs. Most of all, we're happy we've made many so many friends, new and old, that we've made through the site (new contributors, readers) who teach us new things and encourage us to learn more. Now, onto sneaking bites of stuffing!