Macy's Day Parade

Getting to the Macy's Day Parade in New York City from Princeton on Thanksgiving Day is relatively easy if you go by train -- but you'll need to leave very early.  The parade begins at 10AM on Central Park West and makes its way to Herald Square as it travels down Broadway.  Some people begin lining up along the parade route as early as 6AM, and by 10AM you can expect the crowds to be 20-30 people deep.
 
So if you are travelling from Princeton New Jersey to the parade, you'll want to arrive at your designated viewing location no later than 9AM.  Even an hour before the parade begins, you will not be in a front row viewing position, but you should be ahead of the crowd swell that occurs closer to 10AM. 
 
Pick a spot along the route where you want to stand (visit the Macy's website for the parade route details) and then figure out how long it will take you to get there using the train from Princeton Junction followed by the subway from Penn Station.  You'll have to allow at least a couple of hours for this trip.  Also, you can expect the lines for the bathrooms in Penn Station, especially for women, to be at least a 20 minute wait when you arrive -- so you may want to build that into your trip planning. This video clip shows the Snoopy Balloon in the Macy's Day parade taken from the 50th Street and Broadway viewing location. Posted 1/5/09.

 

 

 

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