Miracle on 34th Street

I woke up at 6 a.m. after three hours of sleep to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. You'd think after looking outside and seeing that it was pouring out, I would have gone back to bed. But no, the night before I had found out that Julie Andrews, Brian D'Arcy James, John Tartaglia, and Miley Cyrus were going to be among the performers.

I arrived at 7 a.m. and sadly, there was no room left near the performance area, so I settled for a spot in front of Macy's on 34th street close to 7th Ave. next to a lovely family from Ohio. They were very kind and even though they got there before me, they made room for me in the front so I would be able to see. They made the two hour wait in the chilly rain go by much quicker. What I love about the parade is that it brings out the best in people. Usually crowded New York streets have the opposite effect, but it's been my experience in the two years I've gone to the parade that people are just happy and excited. Maybe it's because of the audience is mostly made up of tourists.

I give the NYPD, the Macy's staff, and everybody involved in the parade credit for keeping everything so organized despite the weather problems. The balloons made it all the way to the end. All the entertainers, even those in the skimpiest of outfits kept smiling and shouting, "Happy Thanksgiving," despite the fact that they were obviously freezing and uncomfortable.

It was disappointing not to be able to see the performances. Seeing a celebrity wave as they pass by on a float is kind of silly. It would be nice if they could perform throughout the route so all the spectators could enjoy the music.

But I can't complain too much. The experience was a nice (albeit wet) way to usher in the holiday season (although malls across the country did that months ago). For anyone who has avoided the parade in the past due to fear of crowds, it's really not so bad. I didn't have any trouble hopping on the subway afterwards.