The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is iconic. The parade is the world’s largest and is famous for kicking off the holiday season. I have watched the parade on tv every year, but since I was not able to go home for Thanksgiving, I wanted to see it live!
I arrived at 7:00AM with my brother and sister. We went to 59th street and scouted out the perfect spot, right in front of a Starbucks. I am from California and not used to the cold, so I immediately reconsidered standing outside for hours. We waited for 2 and ½ hours, my sister insisted we needed to get there by 7:00AM at the latest, but we definitely could have shown up an hour later. We were all shivering and switched off going inside Starbucks to warm up in ten minute intervals. We all, especially me, kept coming back to the question—is this worth it?
When the parade finally started our toes were numb, but we were excited. It was very cool to see everything you have watched on tv right in front of you—the balloons pass right above you and celebrities on floats go by. While watching all of the various elements was fun, I missed watching all the performances, like the Rockettes, that you see on tv. The parade was about two hours long and we all wanted it to move a little quicker. It was hard to enjoy it when we were so cold. When it ended, leaving was chaotic with crowds of people and blocked off areas, but when we escaped the crowds we were ready to go get warm.
Watching the parade live was an amazing experience, but one I would not need to do again. I still am in awe that I live in New York City and can go to these famous events. I am glad I can say that I have seen it in person, but next year I will be watching under a blanket with some hot cocoa.