This Floridian's Thanksgiving in NYC

This year my husband and I traveled to New York City mostly at my request to fulfill my long time desire to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  Before leaving, we made a couple of dinner reservations, reserved seats for the Broadway play Cabaret, and reserved a time to visit the planetarium show at the Natural History Museum.  We felt smugly prepared for our three day visit.  But as the poet says, . . . "The best-laid schemes of mice and men 
go often astray" (minus the R. Burns Scottish dialect). 

The parade was an enormous disappointment.  We didn't see it.  After a hurried breakfast, we rushed to the parade route only to find all intersections leading to it blocked by police barricades.  We could see the parade passing by two long blocks away, but greatly blocked by the backs of other spectators.  The police said there was some "activity down there."  We knew he was referring to the rumor of Ferguson protests during the parade.  We did not see any protests, but there had been some earlier and were some after Thanksgiving.  I have to admit, I was so disappointed I cried, but so did a lot of little children.  

Police erect barricades to streets leading to parade.

The crowds rushed from intersection to intersection

but all routes to the parade were blocked.

We did save the day a little by walking to Bryant Park where a Christmas village selling Christmas wares, much like Christmas in some European towns, was set up.

                                      The Bryant Park Christmas village,

                                      selling Christmas goods from around the world 

                                       

                                       

Bryant Park ice-skating.  There was

a glass enclosed restaurant overlooking

the rink.  We enjoyed a very expensive

lunch there.

The planetarium in the Natural History Museum was a favorite visit.  The theme was the origin of our universe including the Big Bang.  The stars and planets flew across the ceiling and were spectacular. Include it in your next visit to NYC.  

We enjoyed the play Cabaret tremendously.  It featured Alan Cumming, who absolutely made the play. Emma Stone was energetic female lead.  An interesting aspect is that the musical is acted in The Roundabout Theater, which used to be the famous Studio 54 of 70's disco craze.  I don't know if it was an original, but there is a disco ball in the ceiling which was used in one scene.  

We stopped by to see the Rockefeller Center

Christmas tree.  It was still being decorated and

was surrounded by scaffolding.  It is enormous!

Part of one day, we walked around in China Town and Little Italy.  Both were jammed with tourists and sightseers.  They had wonderful restaurants and sidewalk wares.  

                                             Little Italy is ready for Christmas.  

We did enjoy our hotel, The Distrikt. On 40th Street, it is right in the middle of everything.  It was a comfortable retreat after a day of walking. Overall, we had a fabulous trip.  We wore our puffy coats, gloves, hats, long-underwear, and sweaters that we usually take to the mountains.  Everyone on the street looked like clones dressed very similarly in black coats, hats, boots. As Floridians we were cold, well, freezing, but other tourists looked a little frozen too.  All in all, it was a most unusual Thanksgiving for us. When we got off the plane in Jacksonville, my husband said, " This feels like the Caribbean."

                                               Here we are dressed in our warmest.

                                               (That grimace on my face may be 

                                                from the pinch of new boots.  Never

                                               wear new boots when you plan to walk

                                               miles every day.)