Brooklyn

We went to Brooklyn today; it was an ideal day for a leisurely stroll over Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was a little bit busy with people walking from Brooklyn into Manhattan (we should have expected this, it being the day after thanksgiving and the first real sunny day we’ve had this week), but it was a great way to see the city skyline in the sunshine.

Brooklyn Bridge from the park

We then walked over to Brooklyn Bridge Park. It’s great place for a hanging out, there’s a small beach and even better there’s a retro carousel, it looks like it’s jumped out of Mary Poppins (it's a refurbished 1920's carousel). I really wanted to have a go, but as we got closer we could see that all adults on the ride had small children with them and I really couldn’t get away with going it alone, without looking a bit simple! So I took some pictures instead...where are your little nieces when you need them!

Jane's Carousel

We then headed up to Prospect Park (Brooklyn’s answer to Central Park) and chilled out in the sunshine with some pizza.

Once you’re in Brooklyn, you definitely get the sense you are out of the hustle and bustle of the big city – the pavements are a lot quieter and it’s far easier to cross roads (you don’t have to make the pesky stop for traffic at the end of each street). The buildings are quite different too; more brownstone buildings with large staircases. I quite liked the vibe and slower pace in Brooklyn, if we had more time, it would be great to stay in Brooklyn for a bit and explore it a bit more; we just did the tip of the iceberg today I think.

Emily

Thanksgiving

Well, we woke up a bit late this morning, so we decided to watch the parade from the comfort of our cosy apartment (it was 4 degrees this morning!); we also realised that over 3.5 million people gathered for the parade and the majority started queuing around 7am.

This year’s parade included 11 marching bands, 800 clowns, 1,600 cheerleaders, dancers and singers, 27 floats and 15 giant balloons!

Don't see that everyday.

Macy’s Parade facts

• Live animals including camels, goats, elephants, and donkeys, were a part of the parade in the first year back in 1924.

• In 1925 and 1926, bears, lions, and tigers were added to the live animals used, but the use of these animals had to be discontinued because they scared children. Ha!

• Most of the clowns in the parade are actually Macy store employees. They have to attend a special Clown University and study the craft of “clowning around” for weeks beforehand.

• Macy's is the world's second largest consumer of helium. The United States government is the first.

After enjoying a semi-traditional thanksgiving dinner, we headed out to Rolf’s in the East Village – a German bar and restaurant, decorated in the most intrusive Christmas decorations all year round!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Emily

 

The night before...Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, which means the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Today we decided to head down to the south west corner of Central Park and join a throng of other folks, to see the balloons being inflated ahead of the parade.

Sonic returns to the parade - last seen in 93'.

Pretty good atmosphere in town, although after walking for around an hour, we decided to give the next avenue of balloons a miss and head home. Picked up some yummy things for a makeshift thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

Oh Yeah! Spongebob bringing up the rear there.

Heading out early tomorrow morning to get a good spot to watch the parade.

Emily