History of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For your enjoyment on Turkey Day, A short history of the wondrous New York City Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the fine folks at Manhattan User's Guide

The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was in 1924, a long route that started at 145th and Convent and stretched to 34th Street. They borrowed some animals from the Central Park Zoo to liven things up. The giraffe had to stay home because it wouldn't fit under the elevated tracks.

After the first couple of parades, when it became apparent that the animals weren't as kid-friendly as Macy's might have liked, they asked theatrical designer Tony Sarg to come up with some animal-shaped balloons. Felix the Cat, one of the first, was made at the Goodyear Tire company in Akron, Ohio in 1927.

For a few years the balloons were released after the parade and anyone who found one was entitled to a reward at Macy's. But this was stopped in 1933 after a student pilot stalled her engine over Jamaica Bay trying to snag a cat balloon and two tugboats in the East River tore the dachshund balloon apart.

By 1934, Walt Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Pluto joined the parade. During WWII, the rubber balloons were donated to the war effort and the parade didn't resume until 1947. It then began to develop as we know it: floats, celebrities, bigger and better balloons, and national TV coverage.

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some photos from the 85th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade: 

Click here for Photos 

Worst New York Subway Station? Filthy, Nasty and Sad honors go to...

What is the most disgusting NYC Subway Station? We vote for 2nd Avenue.

The New York Subway System boasts over 450 individual stations. Many unique, blissfully old and charming, but, well, not all of them can be winners.

An unofficial Big Adventure survey found that the Lower East Side - Second Avenue station (F Line) is by far the nastiest and most disgusting station in the system. 

Without going into overly descriptive details for the benefit of those with tender tummies, we’ll just say that it is a sad, dingy, smelly location with seemingly random, aimless people and assorted homeless lurking about. Since the station no longer stop serving as the terminus to the V Line in June, you would think it might smell less like human excrement....but no. Particularly sad since it is such a busy and oft used station. Our fear is that with all the subway cuts and fewer booth attendants system wide, this is going to become more and more of an issue. Sure, there are other run down stations, but few used so heavily.

A strong vote was also made from those who personally hate the 34th street/Herald square station. and found it "ridiculously hot and extra stinky"

What do YOU think is the worst station in the system?

Arm Wrestling Tournament at The Port Authority - To Do in New York Today

Every day, we post a one minute guide to one great thing happening today in New York City. We list doings that are inexpensive or completely free, social and 100% unique to New York. Designed for the curious local or savvy tourist, we aim to expose the eccentric and obvious all over NYC. Check back every morning to crack open a new nutshell

34th Annual Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions

That is quite the fancy title for what this event really is: An arm wrestling tourney at the bus station. Beyond that, this is likely the most entertaining spectator event happening in NYC today. 

Dozens of competitors will head to the Port Authority to match up in the…well, we don’t even know what clever nickname an arm wrestling venue has. All joking aside, this is some serious business for people with serious forearms.  If you’ve got the muscle and $25, you can enter the completion. Winners in each weight class (who knew?) gets a few hundred in cash and a “Custom 4 inch ½ Pound medallion” honoring their stellar achievement. You can put it right next to your Nobel Peace Prize. 

However, if your arms look more like sippy straws than giant PVC pipes, your better bet is to watch all the action from the sidelines. You might even get to meet Arm Wrestling Superstar Joyce “New York’s Most Feared Bicep” Boone. Action starts today at 1:00 Pm and is all sponsored by the New York State Arm Wrestling Association, White Castle and SuperCuts.  Really. 

When: 1:00 PM (registration starts at 9:00 AM)

Where: Port Authority Bus Station - 8^th Ave & 42^nd St
Cost: Free to watch

Category: Sporting, Spectator, Free Events

More Details: http://nycarms.com/Images/2011_11_17%20Golden%20Arm/2011_11_17_Details.pdf

Tour of NYC Federal Reserve - To Do in New York Today

Every day, we post a one minute guide to one great thing happening today in New York City. We list doings that are inexpensive or completely free, social and 100% unique to New York. Designed for the curious local or savvy tourist, we aim to expose the eccentric and obvious all over NYC. Check back every morning to crack open a new nutshell

Take a tour of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

You probably didn't know that the NYC's Fed Bank is one of 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve system.  Mostly because that's not very interesting. You also probably didn't know that downtown New York City is home to the largest gold deposit in the world. The vaults at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds more than 200 billion dollars of gold most of being held for foreign countries. Well, you might have known that if you saw Die Hard III. 

The best part about it all is that you can actually visit the vaults where all of the gold is tightly guarded and kept safe. The Federal Reserve offers free tours daily of the bank. While not the most exciting and revolutionary museum in NYC, it provides a unique insight into the realm of big banking. The guided tour offers an overview of the Federal Reserve System, a History of Money Exhibit and, a lesson in FedWorks.

However, the highlight of the 45 minute tour is a trip several stories underground visit to the sacred Gold Vault and mingle with the 7,000 + tons of Gold. If you ask nicely, they may even let you strip down to your unmentionables  and swim around in cold coins a la Scrooge McDuck. Just try not to be intimated by the notorious big, not-messing-around security guards.

When: Monday through Friday (except, of course, bank holidays). Tours every hour on the hour from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Where: 44 Maiden Lane between Williams and Nassau Street downtown
Cost:  Free, must be 16 and have ID

Category: Museums, Finance, Gold Diggers

More Details: http://www.ny.frb.org/aboutthefed/visiting.html

The Big Adventure's NYC Winter Guide 2011

It's starting to look a lot like…The NYC Big Adventure Winter Guide

With the arrival of the giant 74 foot-tall Tree into Rockefeller Center last Friday,It is starting to look a lot like Christmas in New York City! Decorations are going up all over town and The 78^th Annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular is seducing spectators thrice daily and some stores even answering the consumer call to open stores at 9:00 PM on Thanksgiving Night (blegh).

Aside from the cold and forthcoming snow slush, it certainly is one of the most wonderful times of year in the Big Apples (and, of course, one of the most tourist heavy). Over the next few weeks, The Big Adventure will be occasionally sharing some of the best Holiday Season To-Dos in New York City.

Thought we would start with a blast from the past by recounting our past Winter Big Adventure from a couple of years back. The stops still hold and this would make a tis-The-Season great self-guided Adventure:

 The NYC Big Winter Adventure

Lunch at Havana Central at the West End  Up at 116^th and Broadway -one of the most amazing restaurants in the city. Don’t settle for the other two locations. 

See A College Basketball Game at Columbia University-  Right across the street. You don't get a chance to witness true Division 1A College B-ball often without paying through the nose. Tickets are as little as $10. Cheer on the exciting Columbia Lions and their mascot Roar-ee (sad) 

Grand Central Model Train Display - At the Transit Museum Annex in Grand Central. For the kid in all of us. In this year’s festive display, model trains start off in a living room on Christmas morning, shuttle through a miniature NYC and assorted pastoral tableaux before arriving at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. Fun! Maybe there will be a NJ Transit train that stops and shuts down periodically with little angry passengers inside.  

 

Grand Central Kaleidoscope Light Show- How do you make practical use of the busiest and largest train station in America? By illuminating the walls with a spectacular Holiday light show throughout the concourse. This is quickly becoming one of the New York’s premiere holiday “Must Sees”

Delicious Holiday Drinks and Food at Maggie’s Place -Across from Grand Central at Madison Avenue at 47^th Street–Maggie’s is often voted as a top stop for holiday drinks which range from their Famous Irish Coffees that use rare whiskey to Hot Ciders and a legendary Peppermint Paddy -a flirty hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps that’s served with a candy cane. More Holiday treats abound.

New York Midtown Holiday Window Gazing  -Finally, Walk up 5^th Avenue to see the best holiday storefronts in the world from Saks Fifth Avenue to Henri Bendel to Bergdorf Goodman to Barney’s and more. You can try and guess just how much that 34 carat diamond in the window of Tiffany’s costs. End at FAO Schwarz or take a load of at the shady but fun Subway Inn Bar. 

Nothing on that list tickle your fancy? More Holiday Big Adventuring to follow...

To do in NYC Today- The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park

Every day, we post a one minute guide to one great thing happening today in New York City. We list doings that are inexpensive or completely free, social and 100% unique to New York. Designed for the curious local or savvy tourist, we aim to expose the eccentric and obvious all over NYC. Check back every morning to crack open a new nutshell

The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park 

Before you know it, NYC will be knee deep in the Holiday Season. This is both a wonderful, festive time when the city comes to life in spectacular colors and a time that delivers an amazing amount of stress and pressure to get the perfect gifts for all. Here’s one tip to get ahead of it all: The holiday shops at Bryant Park are now open!

At this very moment, more than one hundred quality vendors are selling unique, gift-worthy items that will help knock out everyone on your holiday lists. We’re talking homemade crafts for the finicky Uncle Lester to cool art that even your too cool school for nephew will dig. The open-air market attracts quality vendor to glass-enclosed booths. There are even some solid food vendors to replenish your energy when you start to get a case of the shop fatigue. The Website below even has a delightful interactive map to plan your trip before you go. Nifty!

When: Open Mon-Fri 11:00 AM- 8:00 PM, Sat 10:00 AM-9:00 PM, Sun 10:00 AM- 6:00 PM .

Where: Bryant Park at 42^nd Street between 5^th Ave and 6^th Ave
Cost:  Free

Category: Shopping, Site Seeing, Parks, Holiday!

More Details: http://www.TheHolidayShopSatBryantPark.com  

Free Cupcakes from Crumbs Tomorrow Morning!

To celebrate what seems like their 57th new location in Manhattan over the last three months alone, delicious bakery and well known-NYC cupcake staple Crumbs Bake Shop is giving away 1,000 (!) free cupcakes tomorrow.

Visit the new store at 92nd & Broadway on the UWS November 3rd). The giveaway starts at 7:00 AM in the morning because, well, it's never too early for cupcakes. The better question is how long does it take to give away a thousand sweet, delicious cupcakes. Okay, the Big Adventure has a tent to go set up now.

All Details Here!