Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2009

My brother and his family flew up from Texas to spend Thanksgiving with us and so we decided that we needed to go up to NYC to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  We knew it would be crazy busy up there but decided we shouldn't pass up the chance, and that even if we had to see it from afar, it'd be ok, because we just wanted to experience being there on Thanksgiving Day.  Little did we know that my husband would end up talking to a guy who had major connections in NYC and that we'd end up being escorted by NYPD policemen through the crowds to the front rows of the parade in Times Square!  What a score!!!!

We can say we were actually in the parade too  :) because we were ushered across the street between the Jimmy Dean sun float and the Spongebob balloon.  That's Katharine McPhee on the top of the float with short blond hair.

Ziggy Marley was on the pirate ship with his daughter.

The Oneida Indian Nation

The kids had great seats!  See the tv camera on the pole there covered in white.  We were directly in front of it.  Did you see us??  We were the ones with black coats on.  Oh, wait, that's what everyone else was wearing as well. :(

the sea of people behind us

Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Billy Currington, country singer

Cheyenne Jackson, actor and singer

Big Apple Circus

Carly Simon with the Care Bears

Tiffany Thornton (purple hat) from Disney's Sonny with a Chance and sitting beside her was Kermit the Frog but you can't see him in the photo

After the parade was over, these trucks immediately moved in but we weren't sure why.

Then we realized that the stump thing we had been standing by was the base of the streetlight and that all the streetlights and street signs had been removed so that the balloons could go by without electrocuting everyone :)

and all the clean up crews showed up and immediately started trying to sweep and contain all the trash

Then we had our Thanksgiving meal picnic of turkey sandwiches on the sidewalk and enjoyed watching all the interesting people pass us and feeding the pigeons the crusts.

After lunch, we showed our company around town.  Fox News

Rockefeller Plaza Christmas Tree

Rockefeller Plaza Ice Skating Rink

where the Today Show is filmed

The American Girl Store

St Patrick's Cathedral

Trump Tower

Fantastic Mr Fox movie diorama window display

a black squirrel in Central Park

very young street performer

Balto statue

slide in Central Park

street performers teaching some kids how to do some cool moves

Great day!!!  We took some flat travelers with us and took pictures of them all over town.  Here are a few.

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Flat Army Luke wanted to get pictures with some of the NYPD and an army soldier.  We managed to find both cops and a Navy sailor. :)  Yippee!

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