Happy (belated) Thanksgiving Thursday (Part 1)

What a better way to spend a chilly morning in NYC than to join the many thousands of people and watch the 84th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you are fond of marching bands, baton twirlers, and huge character balloons, then this is the parade for you.

Prior to the parade commencing, John and I had planned to meet a colleague (Roger) who had arrived in NYC from Oz on Wednesday night. Unfortunately this did not eventuate because all roads were blocked off due to the parade. Oh well, best laid plans sometime go astray and I will email Roger later. So folks, let the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade commence. Enjoy!

As always, there were plenty of celebrities featured throughout the event, among which included, the casts of Broadway’s American Idiot, Elf, Memphis and Million Dollar Quartet, the Big Apple Circus, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Jimmy Fallon, Gladys Knight, Miss USA 2010, Joan and Melissa Rivers, Jessica Simpson, Kylie Minogue, and Kanye West.

If you would like to get a chance to see the balloons as they get blown up the afternoon before you can observe their inflation from 3 - 10 p.m. near the American Museum of Natural History, just off Central Park West between 77th St. and 81st St. On balance, if you don’t mind huge crowds and chilly temperatures the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a great cultural experience.

Back soon,
Mark

Wandering Wednesday

Unfortunately our NY Pass expired at midnight last night and despite a mad dash at 11.30 pm to visit the Empire State Building, I was confronted with a ‘closed for maintenance’ sign. Oh well, maybe next time.

We started our day with a walk along 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Plaza and the Plaza Hotel.

5th Avenue has every shop you could ever dream of and if you have the money or a limitless credit card, you may think it’s shopping heaven. All the famous designer shops are there like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Loren, Armani, and of course Tiffany and Co. It's an excellent experience and a must for anyone who visits’s NYC.

John and I then took a detour into Grand Central Terminal (Station). Restored to its old glory this train station is a hub of activity in midtown Manhattan. The building is spectacular on its own, but the waiting room is breathtaking and seeing the arched ceilings covered with constellations is truly impressive.

There is a decent food court on the lower level, as well as public restrooms (always good to know in NYC). The Campbell Apartment on the mezzanine is a classy place to grab a cocktail (apparently). The Grand Central Marketplace is also a great place to grab some gourmet foods for a quick picnic in Bryant Park, just down the street outside of the NYC Public Library. Simply put, the Grand Central Terminal is definitely one of the most architecturally appealing structures in NYC and cannot be missed.

Well, I hope some of you may remember the Seinfeld episode about the soup man and who doesn't like the expression "No soup for you, Next"? This is by far one of my favourite episodes of Seinfeld. For those who cannot remember the episode, the following video clips should help.

This is not the original place where Al Yeganeh started his famous soup business, but it still reminded me of how hard he worked for his soups. Going over ‘The Rules’ many times in my mind, I nervously ordered the crab bisque. I then placed the money on the counter and moved to the extreme left, while John ordered the lobster bisque.

The quality and taste of the soup has the OMG factor. Oh, and they give you bread and a Lindt chocolate, which is a perfect way to end any meal. Al Yaganeh, you are a living legend, and I will heed your rules for the crab bisque I love...Next!

On the way back to our hostel we stopped at Crumbs Cupcake, because there nothing like a late evening treat. These cupcakes are pricy, but well worth it. I ordered a Blackbottom cheesecake brownie which is a brownie cake with cheesecake baked in topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting covered with brownie chunks and vanilla cream cheese drizzle. So, when it comes to a good old-fashioned calorie-packed cupcake, for variety and taste, I say Crumbs takes the cake!

Later that evening I returned to 5th Avenue and Times Square to look at some of the beautiful Christmas displays, whilst John had a quite night in.

Cheers,
Mark