Thanksgiving in New York...2023 Edition
November 10, 2023 12:39 PM Subscribe
There have been may previous questions about things to do in NYC for a 4-day trip to NYC over Thanksgiving, but most are many years old. So hit me with your CURRENT suggestions for NYC fun. We will be a group of two 60-something, active parents and four 20 somethings, with one 18 year old (so bars are out).
We will be staying at an airbnb in NJ and will be using public transportation. We would be interested in seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving parade if it's at all reasonable to do. I understand there's a place to see pre-parade prep the day before. Done that? Worth it? Suggestions for other activities? We will be having Thanksgiving dinner at Hearth thanks to a recent question someone else asked, so anything in that area on Thanksgiving day would be a bonus.
We will be staying at an airbnb in NJ and will be using public transportation. We would be interested in seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving parade if it's at all reasonable to do. I understand there's a place to see pre-parade prep the day before. Done that? Worth it? Suggestions for other activities? We will be having Thanksgiving dinner at Hearth thanks to a recent question someone else asked, so anything in that area on Thanksgiving day would be a bonus.
Best answer: The night-before balloon inflation and float staging area has become a legit event in and of itself in recent years, so it’s a tightly managed experience. Macy’s has a page herewith details, if that helps you decide.
Otherwise, can you say more about the particular interests and or obsessions of your group? Cause sometimes you need a scaffold to build a trip around. For example, I had family in town this past summer and one kid simply had to visit filming locations from Spider-Man movies. Which, in practicality, meant we visited a bunch of outer borough neighborhoods and in the process stumbled on all sorts of delish takeout, cool street art, and junk shop treasures on the way. Another visitor wanted to check off every form of nyc public transit, and I will never forget the late night ferry ride that resulted, the moon rising over the city like a pumpkin.
posted by minervous at 2:22 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Otherwise, can you say more about the particular interests and or obsessions of your group? Cause sometimes you need a scaffold to build a trip around. For example, I had family in town this past summer and one kid simply had to visit filming locations from Spider-Man movies. Which, in practicality, meant we visited a bunch of outer borough neighborhoods and in the process stumbled on all sorts of delish takeout, cool street art, and junk shop treasures on the way. Another visitor wanted to check off every form of nyc public transit, and I will never forget the late night ferry ride that resulted, the moon rising over the city like a pumpkin.
posted by minervous at 2:22 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Definitely wander around the East Village and eat a bunch of tasty food. I loved that part of my trip to NYC when I was in college, and my 60-ish relatives who visited me in NYC a few weeks ago loved the architecture and vibes. That area (and the somewhat bougier West Village around the W 4th St station) both cater to NYU students and are good for cheap good eats.
There’s also a weirdly fancy Starbucks in Meatpacking that is definitely on the “tourist trail” between The Whitney (great modern art museum), Chelsea Market, the Highline (public park built on a former elevated railroad line), and Hudson Yards (fancy mall). All of that together is easily a half day or day of stuff and the Starbucks might scratch a “bar” itch while still being 18-year old friendly (they have espresso martinis and a very wide range of coffee drinks).
posted by A Blue Moon at 2:59 PM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
There’s also a weirdly fancy Starbucks in Meatpacking that is definitely on the “tourist trail” between The Whitney (great modern art museum), Chelsea Market, the Highline (public park built on a former elevated railroad line), and Hudson Yards (fancy mall). All of that together is easily a half day or day of stuff and the Starbucks might scratch a “bar” itch while still being 18-year old friendly (they have espresso martinis and a very wide range of coffee drinks).
posted by A Blue Moon at 2:59 PM on November 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
NY Transit Museum Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal?
posted by eyeball at 8:03 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by eyeball at 8:03 PM on November 10, 2023
If you want a place with a bar atmosphere and coffee cocktails but also non-alcoholic coffee drinks in the Meatpacking I recommend going to Kobrick, not a Starbucks!
The inflation is definitely cooler than the parade. The Union Square holiday market is wonderful, though generally packed. The Museum of the City of New York currently has New York landmarks in gingerbread. If you're willing to go a little off the beaten path one day, the holiday train show at the Bronx Botanical Gardens is a true delight. And the holiday windows are up on Fifth Avenue.
posted by babelfish at 8:12 PM on November 10, 2023
The inflation is definitely cooler than the parade. The Union Square holiday market is wonderful, though generally packed. The Museum of the City of New York currently has New York landmarks in gingerbread. If you're willing to go a little off the beaten path one day, the holiday train show at the Bronx Botanical Gardens is a true delight. And the holiday windows are up on Fifth Avenue.
posted by babelfish at 8:12 PM on November 10, 2023
Also, the balloon inflation event is fun too. I'd say worth it. It's just walking around a giant block looking at huge horizontal balloons under nets, but it's fun.
posted by Miko at 8:35 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by Miko at 8:35 PM on November 10, 2023
re the pre-parade balloon inflation: the move is this-
go to the museum of natural history at like early~midafternoon 3+hours before they close. eat lunch, catch a planetarium show, it might be a special members only day, so you might have to buy a membership but w that big of a group, the price is worth it. Book advance tickets maybe for the last planetarium show, but have a leisurely afternoon at the museum.
Stay til the museum closes, and when you exit you will be right in the middle of the balloons without having waited in line, bc they are getting inflated on the museum grounds and you can see them at eye level, and you can skip the actual parade entirely.
Tenement museum tours are so great, it's down in the historic lower east side, quite near essex market. essex market has a beer garden type thing downstairs that an 18 year old could hang out at that feels/looks classy, and essex market is a neat grocery experience. also if you are doing a lot of walking around, sometimes it's nice to go see a movie! we have a lot of great theaters with all manner of art cinema if you want, but the Regal Essex (in essex market) is the nicest theater with recliners. Angelica east in midtown is also great.
walking around washington square park & thompson's square park will be fun too, and going between them a great way to browse the east & west village. If you are coming in from NJ, you get off around christopher street, which is near washington square park, and then meander over towards thompkins square park which is right near hearth.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:50 PM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
go to the museum of natural history at like early~midafternoon 3+hours before they close. eat lunch, catch a planetarium show, it might be a special members only day, so you might have to buy a membership but w that big of a group, the price is worth it. Book advance tickets maybe for the last planetarium show, but have a leisurely afternoon at the museum.
Stay til the museum closes, and when you exit you will be right in the middle of the balloons without having waited in line, bc they are getting inflated on the museum grounds and you can see them at eye level, and you can skip the actual parade entirely.
Tenement museum tours are so great, it's down in the historic lower east side, quite near essex market. essex market has a beer garden type thing downstairs that an 18 year old could hang out at that feels/looks classy, and essex market is a neat grocery experience. also if you are doing a lot of walking around, sometimes it's nice to go see a movie! we have a lot of great theaters with all manner of art cinema if you want, but the Regal Essex (in essex market) is the nicest theater with recliners. Angelica east in midtown is also great.
walking around washington square park & thompson's square park will be fun too, and going between them a great way to browse the east & west village. If you are coming in from NJ, you get off around christopher street, which is near washington square park, and then meander over towards thompkins square park which is right near hearth.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:50 PM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
for small west side movie theaters with more obscure stuff, have a look at IFC center (quite near west 4th/washington square/christopher street) and the angelika on houston, they might have fun stuff on.
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:59 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:59 PM on November 10, 2023
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It's peak holiday market time
Bryant Park
Union Square
I have a friend who does great food tours if you want to check out some hidden gems in Chinatown.
Parade is fine, and nice to do at least once in a lifetime, if a bit exhausting and chaotic. I wouldn't imagine a bunch of 20 somethings would be that into it, but maybe so?
posted by greta simone at 2:14 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]