Thanksgiving in New York City!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Big Apple! I will get back to writing about my trip to Tampa - but since I’m here in New York for the Thanksgiving weekend I wanted to go ahead and update the blog with the fun I’m having here. Not only is it Thanksgiving weekend - but Tom’s birthday! So when he invited me to come spend it here I jumped at the chance. Bonus - Anna’s mom is here too! I’ve been to NYC over Christmas but this is my first time for Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you - but when I think of Thanksgiving AND NYC - I think of the Macy’s Day Parade! One of my favorite movies is “Miracle on 34th Street.” The original - with Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood. When I suggested it to Tom he told me repeatedly that New Yorkers NEVER go to the parade - only for tourists. Well that did not deter me for a second - because after all - I am a tourist! And then when Anna’s mom Kim also begged to attend Tom and Anna pretty much knew it was a done deal - so the parade was added to the agenda of fun things. And it turned out to be a blast!!!  

4 happy parade goers at Rockefeller Center! 

We lucked out on the weather - sunny and crisp - perfect to put you in the mood to see Santa! We had to start out early - Tom and I left Brooklyn at 6:30 AM and headed to Manhattan to meet Anna and Kim in the West Village. A quick stop to pick up coffee and delicious breakfast treats at Amy’s before heading to the parade.

Amy knows how to bake!! Lots of great choices even on Thanksgiving! 

Anna’s office overlooks Radio City Music Hall so we took the subway there and were able to stay warm and toasty in her office overlooking the parade route and enjoy our breakfast while waiting for the parade to work it’s way to us. Once we heard the first band we headed down to the street and managed to work our way up to the front railing and have a perfect view of the parade! It was awesome! Floats, bands, celebrities and the huge balloons!! We saw Jimmy Fallon, Flo Rider, Nick Lachey, Miss America and more - some of who I had no idea who they were but people cheered loudly for them. I was impressed with the civil atmosphere filled with nice people and families out enjoying a wonderful event. 

Jimmy Fallon bottom middle - he was having a great time!  

There was a beautiful float with you guessed it - SANTA - to end the parade! 

After the parade we headed back up to Anna’s office to warm up and let the crowd clear out before we headed back to the West Village. Bucket list item for me - check!! 

We watched a little bit of football and relaxed and then headed to our dinner reservation at Little Owl close to where Anna lives. In order to get in for Thanksgiving we had to make a reservation exactly one month in advance at 9 AM. It has been touted as one of the best places in NYC for Thanksgiving and we were successful in getting a spot. The chef is Joey Campanaro and he is amazing! It’s a tiny place - has seating for about 30 people. The Thanksgiving menu gives each person a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert - with shared sides. There are 5 or 6 choices in each category. 

My dinner companions and my meal! All were excellent! Risotto to start followed by turkey with stuffing and cranberries. Shared sides of brussel sprouts, green beans, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. I selected pumpkin pie panna cotta for dessert.   

It was a wonderful day and I have so much to be thankful for! Now we are officially into the holiday season. Wishing each of you many blessings and joys!