City Views, Country Dreams

Happy Thanksgiving from New York.

The above photo was taken last weekend on a walk across Central Park.  The weather was warm, only a heavy sweater and scarf were required.  I kept hoping to see some brilliant autumn leaves, but think that I missed prime leaf time.  However, my photo does somehow remind me of colors from a Pissaro painting.


Now, on to today, a cold day when down-filled coat, gloves, scarf and hat are required for anyone who got up early enough to walk over to Central Park West to see a bit of the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsored by Macy's, the big department store.


No matter how hard I try to have an early enough start, I never quite get to the parade in time to actually get close enough to see floats featuring minor celebrities or marching bands. I do however manage to see lots of balloons.  Some are part of the parade and some are for sale to parade viewers.  


I am not sure why the Sanitation Department truck was parked on West 72nd Street.

There were several other large delivery trucks along this block, and their cargo contained bundles of hundreds of green balloons, each printed with information promoting an upcoming revival of the Peter Pan stage show.  I thought this balloon giveaway was a clever promotion, but wonder what the folks selling balloons thought.

The young lady on the cell phone in the following photo was selling cotton candy and this spun sugar bouquet found purchasers as the minutes passed by.

Dora and Sponge Bob were popular balloons for sale.  The Sabrett umbrella in the background is above a stand selling big (possibly stale) pretzels and hot dogs.  Remember this was around 9 o'clock a.m.

I found a spot adjacent to the Dakota apartment building and took this photo to show you the sunny, clear blue sky.  It was chilly, but not too windy.

The parade began just about five blocks north of where we were patiently waiting.  The little  girl in pink had a great view, courtesy of her father's strong arms.  They were from across the Atlantic.

This little fellow, with his animal design hat pulled low over his own eyes, slept for the first 45 minutes of the parade.

The shadows cast by the buildings and the sharpish sunlight did not grant me ideal photography conditions.  I did not take too many pictures of the giant balloons.  This one is the Pillsbury Dough Boy, a character that first appeared in television commercials decades ago.  I think it's funny that he is still a crowd pleaser.

I certainly do not think it at all odd that the famous beagle Snoopy still can wow a crowd.

I think that he deserves more than one photo.

See you again next year, Snoopy!

I wonder how many of the family groups watching the parade were going to follow Ronald McDonald to find a snack to keep them energized before they sat down to a traditional turkey dinner?

Here's another little cutie wearing a wonderful, warm hat.

After about an hour of parade watching, I realized that I was beginning to feel a bit cold, and so after witnessing Spider Man's arrival and departure, I made my own way back home to warm up with some hot chocolate.

Since that delicious hot chocolate, I've been dedicating myself to some intense Santa's workshop activities.  I love painting my Christmas cards and making gifts, but realize today that I am way, way behind my usual production schedule.


I hope that you all will have enjoyed this little peek at a New York City tradition and again wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.