Nov 25, 2009 3:51 pm US/Eastern
Thanksgiving Day Parade To Travel New Route
After 82 Years, Parade To Bypass Broadway; Spiderman, Mickey Mouse Among New Giant Balloons
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The Spiderman balloon is steered down Broadway into Times Square in New York November 27, 1997 as part of the 71st annual Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.
JON LEVY/AFP/Getty Images
It's a tradition almost as hallowed as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade itself; the annual inflation of the big helium balloons, the day before.
Among the giant helium balloons, Spiderman will be back after an 11-year hiatus, along with some new ones: Mickey Mouse in a sailor suit and the Pillsbury Doughboy. But the biggest change for the expected 3 million spectators will be the new route. After 82 years, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is bypassing Broadway.
"Oh it's going to be so great...It's going to be awesome. It's so nice and wide for everything to happen," said Manhattan resident and long time parade-goer Ginny McGivern. "It seems more spacious rather than make that tight little turn around Columbus Circle and what not. Logistically it's a really smart move."
Actually, the new route is a little more complicated than the diagonal path down Broadway of years past. Because of the need to bypass pedestrian plazas at Times Square and Herald Square, there will be lots of sharp turns.
This year, the parade rolls down Central Park West from 77th street, makes a left at Central Park South, a right on Seventh Avenue, a left on 42nd Street, a right onto Sixth Avenue and a final right to end at 34th and Seventh.
Not everyone is thrilled by the route change.
"I don't like it, 'cause we losing our profit and business," restaurant manager Eva Mora said.
Mora, who runs a deli on Broadway, is not happy because her location is no longer on the route. It also means that office workers in prime Broadway locations will no longer have a view.
"I used to come here with my daughter to watch the parade. Now, we can't see it, so I'm going to stay at home and watch it on television," office worker Joan Adamo said.
One family from Florida just can't wait to see it all in person, for the first time.
"Anything will be good for us, it's our first time," said tourist Kristy Dulkoski.
"A parade wherever it is, is great," said husband Steve Dulkowski.
The reason Broadway is being bypassed is because parts of Broadway have become closed to vehicular traffic, making it an impossible route for the floats.
That means that stores on Seventh Avenue will now be in the money.
That's what the Godiva chocolate store is expecting. And so is an eatery across the street.
Restaurant manager Adel Sera said she's ready for more traffic and "I hope I have more business."
At one Seventh Avenue office building, for the first time, many employees of a real estate rental firm will show up on Thursday, even though the office will be closed.
"A lot of people will come over here, get right up by windows and see if they can see down and watch it," business owner Jerry Weinstein said.
So, the needs of the city are teaching an old parade some news tricks.
The parade will begin at 9 a.m. and will last about three hours.
CBS 2's Magee Hickey and John Slattery contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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