Thanksgiving Dinner

We took a cab to Brasserie44 for our reservation for Thanksgiving dinner. The cabbie was concerned about getting stuck in that part of town due to the parade, so we agreed to walk the last few blocks. We got to the restaurant at 1:00 - it was beautiful. When we spoke to the maitre'd, he told us they were serving brunch, not the traditional Thanksgiving dinner as advertised. As you can imagine, I was plenty pissed.

Rick stepped right up to the plate, used his blackberry to find the number for Parlor (across the street from the apt, and made us a reservation for 2:00. Parlor was serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in addition to their regular menu. Rick decided to have the 3 course special Thanksgiving meal and I decided to join him. We were not disappointed - it was absolutely amazing.

We started with the roasted sugar squash risotto - I love risotto and I've never made it. This had the squash, just a little firm, in a large dice mixed into the risotto, with roasted pumpkin seeds and freshly grated parmesean cheese on top. Wow. So good. We brought home about half of what was served.

The entree was dark and light turkey (boneless roasted turkey) with baby carrots, green beans, traditional stuffing (yum - no sausage - just like I like it!), whipped potato, sweet potato, cranberry sauce and gravy. Woo! And there was PLENTY of turkey - quite a few sandwiches will be made with mayo that will be feeding us this week!

With both the appetizer and the entree we had a wonderful Mendicino Pinot Noir. It has a big sunflower on the label and I probably wouldn't pick it out from a wine shop just for that reason, but it was amazing - especially with the turkey and stuffing!

For dessert there were 2 options. Rick had the Pumpkin Creme Brulee with almond nugatine ice cream. I had the cranberry pear cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Both were very tasty. Yes, they were not chocolate cream pie, but they were good!

So - if you are considering Thanksgiving dinner, go to Parlor - exactly what you'd expect :)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

We got to the parade route at 8:00 am - a little later than the web sites suggest. Look at all the people on the sidewalks. There was no place for us to stand without being in the way of the one line of people walking by to find their own place. There were benches not too far from the street, and we figured we'd be able to wait in relative comfort yet still see the floats and the balloons.





Rick tried not to smile while he ate an apple fritter from Starbucks.









Woo hoo! It's finally 9:00 am - the parade is starting!

Now that it's all starting Rick's smiling :)

Wow - we need to make friends with these people - an apartment overlooking Central Park West with a balcony .... I bet they were warm and they had mimosas and bloody marys... and turkey and stuffing...

Note to self - when we do come and get here at o-dark-thirty to claim a space on the street, be sure to pick a part of the wall that doesn't have vegetation - people will climb ANYTHING to get a better view.

Oooohhh - it's starting!!!

New Smurf balloon!

Snoopy as the Red Baron!

Hey! That's Dora the Explorer! At the parade she had her own special cheering section :) She brought Map and Backpack too!

She is REALLY BIG!

This is Abbey Kidabra - no idea who she is actually... but the kids seemed to like her :)

Hello kitty!

Ronald McDonald

The very special music balloon

Pikachu!

Buzz Lightyear!

Things I want to be sure to remember the next time I attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade:

1. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE JUST HOW COLD YOU WILL BE SITTING OR STANDING STILL FOR HOURS.

2. Get there early. You can see the floats and balloons while not right on the street, but the handlers and band members are part of the show, and you will miss that if you aren't on the street. Better than nothing if you get there late is to find a high spot on the west side of the park.

3. Do not accept a spot with vegetation above it unless you have to. People will climb EVERYTHING in order to get a better view.

4. Bring breakfast snacks and a coffee thermos. Don't drink too much - if you leave to go to the bathroom you will lose your spot.

5. Bring a wool blanket - if you are lucky enough to get a spot on the park wall, it will add cushion under your butt. If not, it will make you warm when you are freezing.

6. Be sure your camera has fully charged batteries and an empty memory card - you will want to take lots of pictures!

7. Expect and acknowledge that there will be a 2 or 3 or 4 year old experiencing the biggest most horrible temper tantrum you have ever seen. If you are not able to actually see the child, you will wonder whether s/he is being stabbed to death or having their fingernails pulled out one by one.

8. Bring advil for the point where your feet are killing you and prior to when your feet are numb from the cold and standing still.

9. Make friends with those people near you so when you dance to the drum cores and marching bands they don't mind as much when you bump them.

10. Be sure to participate in the traditional Thanksgiving Hot Dog brunch. I like to add ketchup.

For all the things to remember, the biggest one is that the parade it like NOTHING you have seen anywhere else, and it is exciting and joyous! And yes, I am geeky enought that I TiVo the show on TV and then watch it later in the day. That way you get to see the Broadway selections and performers - it is a whole nother perspective which is part of the experience :)

Preview of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Balloons!

Tonight I got out of work early, and even after stopping for fun holiday snacks I got home at 5:20. We left soon after and took a cab to the Museum of Natural History and were very surprised by the mobs of people. We had the cab continue driving to get to the end of the line.

One of the first balloons was the new Buzz Lightyear!

I liked this picture because you can see the tiny tiny lawn tractor in Shrek's had - see it?

Rick agrees to be a good boy if he isn't required to actually attend the parade

Ronald is having a good time hanging out behind Hello Kitty -

yeah, Rick. I really do want you to come with me for the parade...