Thursday, November 24, 2011

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.





25 comments:

  1. Thank you for taking the time to give us a view of the wonderful parade, the pictures are great!

    I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday.

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  2. I did enjoy your tour of your city Frances, as I always do, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving day too.
    Ah hot chocolate---I love it but I am not allowed it until after my op. unfortunately.......
    Thanks again for your words and pictures.

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  3. I look forward to your Thanksgiving Parade photos every year Frances! Thank you for your faithfulness in posting! There's something almost mythical about the thought of strolling through NYC in a woolly sweater and a scarf - something very 'Love Story' and I often think of that movie when I read your posts - strange, as I don't think it took place in NYC at all.
    Good luck with the card-painting and gift making!

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  4. Happy thanks giving. Just to let you know we have moved back to the old Coo today. Thought you might like to pop in some time.

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  5. HAPPY THANKsGIVING!!
    and thank you for the super photos
    of the parade.
    Hope your workshopping went wonderfully well.
    Hoping to see you very soon.
    lots of love from me and Buster.

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  6. Hi, Frances.
    Hope you are well. I love your pictures; autumn is such a beautiful season with the many varied colours.

    A very happy Thanks Giving to you, hope you had a lovely day yesterday.

    CJ xx

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  7. Love that Snoopy balloon. "It was a dark and stormy night......" But I feel it needs a kennel underneath it. Thank you Frances for this entertaining glimpse of New York. I do hope you enjoyed your hot chocolate.

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  8. What a little sweetie wearing the fairisle hat...it made me think of my daughter when she was little!
    I did enjoy your tour Frances.

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  9. Thank you Frances. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

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  10. Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your Thanksgiving post, and your two previous Halloween posts. And, as a beagle owner, I agree - you can't go wrong with Snoopy!

    I'm a bit late, but do hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    Hugs, Carol

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  11. Ooh, thank you, Frances. I've been hoping that you would share a taste of the Thanksgiving Celebrations. I loved that shot of the sky from the Dakota building especially. And a Happy (if belated) Thanksgiving to you too. Cx

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  12. Hi Frances,
    Happy belated Thanksgiving!
    Always nice to see your fun photographs of the parade in NYC. It is still very mild over here in London. I think we should be grateful - this time last year we had lots of snow!
    Have a lovely weekend!
    xoxo Ingrid

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  13. It strikes me as a little strange to have large inflatable cartoon and commercial characters floating above a Thanksgiving parade. I could understand if they were turkeys or pies!

    Thank you for braving the cold on our behalf and taking lovely photos to show us. Hope you suffered no ill-effects and enjoyed the parade and glimpses of other happy parade goers.

    Hot chocolate, hm, now there's a thought.

    It's the first Sunday in Advent today and I shall light a candle this afternoon; perhaps a cup of hot chocolate would be a splendid accompaniment?

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  14. There seems to be always something to celebrate in NYC. Those huge floating figures look rather surreal like something Magritte might have dreamt up.

    My favourite days are sweaters but no coats days made even more lovely when the sky is blue and the air is crisp. I hope you have many more before the winter sets in.

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  15. I used to love Snoopy when I was young! Looks to be quite an amazing parade.

    Pomona x

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  16. Hi Frances,

    I thought you would already have snow in NY, but I was wrong :-)!

    The parade looks wonderful! Hope you will show us some photo's of Christmas in NY too. I would lOVE it!

    Happy new week,

    Madelief x

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  17. How wonderful - a real chance to see a celebration I've never really encountered! Thanks also for your comment on my Advent post - glad you liked the Food Processor story!

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  18. Well I don't know what happened there, I just left a long comment, and google has been playing up, so I'll leave a quick comment again.
    Lovely post frances, the balloons are fabulous, what a fun parade. Good luck with all your Christmas preparations! Love Vanessa xxx

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  19. Quel joli défilé! du rêve dans les airs pour que les enfants fassent de beaux rêves...

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  20. Hi Frances - I do love that first photo of the park. Interesting that despite your early snow storm, you're having the same mild autumn that we are in London. It just doesn't feel Christmassy yet! Love that giant Snoopy and your account of the parade - your New York tours are always so enticing and give such a vivid feel to life in your city - thank you for another truly enjoyable post!

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  21. Dear Frances,

    What wonderful photo's you have kindly shared with us, I so love seeing all those splendid parades in fabulous NYC on your posts.

    Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday Frances.

    Snoopy is what I bought for my son many years ago when he was small, still have it after 40 years.!

    xx

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  22. I don't think I've ever been!
    Dreadful I know..
    The thought of the crowds is daunting for me..
    I would love a Sabrette umbrella!
    Thanks for sharing

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  23. Thank you for the tour! I am enjoying my visit to New York city!

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  24. Hi, I read your thoughtful comment on Pondside's site and liked it - then I saw that you have two egg-cups on your photos at the right that I own too - and when I saw your lovely photographs on your interesting post, it was decided: I'll follow you!

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