November 24, 2009
Macy's 83rd Thanksgiving Day Parade overview
The 83rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin its new route Thursday at 9 a.m., with 10 marching bands, 24 floats, 800 clowns, the Muppets, and big balloons including Spider-Man, Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, Sailor Mickey Mouse, Abby Cadabby, Buzz Lightyear, Dora the Explorer, Flying Ace Snoopy, Horton, Kermit the Frog, Pikachu, Shrek, Smurf, SpongeBob SquarePants and Supercute Hello Kitty.
Jimmy Fallon, Alan Cumming, Jane Krakowski, Andrea Bocelli, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley, Carly Simon and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba! are among the celebrities scheduled to take part.
Santa will get a new sleigh this year, his first new ride in more than four decades.
 The parade will begin at the same Upper West Side location as in the past — Central Park West at 77th Street — and head south to Columbus Circle. That’s where the route will shift, skipping Broadway and the new pedestrian-friendly Times Square (with its benches and other amenities that aren’t so friendly to mass marching bands and balloon wranglers.)
The parade will turn onto Central Park South, turn south onto 7th Avenue, turn east on 42nd Street, turn south on 6th Avenue, and then turn west on 34th Street to Macy’s where it will end at 34th Street and 6th Avenue.
See the Walking Off the Big Apple blog for a map of the famous buildings and businesses along the new parade route, including the Carnegie Deli and Carnegie Hall.
The parade will also pass Bryant Park, which will keep its ice rink, holiday shops and restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day. Seating at the park’s two-story Celsius restaurant is first-come first-served. Update: Bryant Park officials on Tuesday said the shops will open at noon, Celsius will open for lunch, but parts of the park will be closed during the parade. The Pond will be open regular hours for ice skating.
The Central Park’s Wollman ice rink will also be open for Thanksgiving, along with many museums, restaurants, zoos and other attractions.
The temperature should be in the 48- to 51-degree range for the parade, and winds shouldn’t be a problem, according to the NY1 forecast.
See the NYC.gov list for holiday transit schedules.
On Wednesday, watch the balloon inflation near the American Museum of Natural History. The balloons come to life starting around 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. along 77th and 81st streets just west of Central Park. It’s free and good fun, but the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds start early and strollers are a major nuisance.
The balloon inflation will get its own live soundtrack this year, as the Late Show’s Gospel Choir will sing for free from 2 to 5 p.m. on the steps of the American Museum of Natural History’s newly-renovated monumental arch of the 77th Street porte-cochére.
Picture credit: 2007 parade by Amy Langfield/NewYorkology. New parade route map provided by Macy’s.
Earlier: Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade may skip Times Square
November 24, 2009 7:24 AM in Cheap Stuff, Kids, Midtown, Sightsology, Upper West Side
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