Today, dozens of balloons will be inflated for Macy's 85th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade starts on Central Park West at West 77th Street and travels south. Then, it swings a left to go east onto Central Park South and then turns to head down Seventh and Sixth Avenues, hitting 42nd Street along the way and ending on 34th Street by the department store. The festivities begin at 9 a.m., mere hours after today's balloon inflation fun. more ›

A couple of days ago Google unveiled their Beta version of a new Maps interface, which provides bike route recommendations across America. It's a vast undertaking, with a lot of nuances to factor in, but that didn't stop the Post from saddling up to nitpick Google to the max. (If we didn't know better, we'd think the Post has some sort of ax to grind with Google.) One day after it was launched, a reporter for the tabloid pedaled around and took Google to task for several shortcomings around NYC, such as: more ›

Website Ride the City debuted in 2008, integrating Google maps with data about ideal cycling routes. The site enables users to map a bike ride along as many bike paths as possible, or take their chances with the "fastest," most direct route. Tomorrow the site will launch a new version, which will now maintain elevation data for every city and show riders how much climbing to expect from any given route. Ride the City will also allow visitors to create a user profile and save their favorite routes. more ›

Now that Halloween is out of the way, it's time to talk turkey. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is just around the corner, and it's getting a new route this year. As previously mentioned, the route will no longer go down Broadway after Columbus Circle and will instead had down 7th Avenue and then 6th Avenue towards Macy's. One reason is the new pedestrian plazas in Times Square while another is the fact that 6th and 7th Avenues are wider than Broadway. As previously mentioned, the route will no longer go down Broadway after Columbus Circle and will instead had down 7th Avenue and then 6th Avenue towards Macy's. more ›

Looks like lovely weather for the kick-off to the second annual Summer Streets tomorrow! Starting at 7 a.m., the city will temporarily close Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, displacing motor vehicles and welcoming pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, skateboarders and other non-combustion engine participants. Penny farthing, anyone? more ›

Streetsblog points out a handy new website called Ride the City that’s beta testing a version of Google Maps integrated with ideal cycling routes. The New York City site lets users plan a bicycle commute from point A to point B in any borough, choosing between the “safest” route along as many bike lanes and greenways as possible, and the “fastest” route which lets you plot the most direct course by bike. All known bike shops along the route also come up on the map. more ›