Thanks Giving is a US national holiday that is a big deal here. For me, an English man in New York it felt just like a bonus Christmas - and I loved it! Thanks Giving is a day of giving thanks for everything you are thankful for and blessing the harvest and the previous year. People were off work, shops were closed and the streets were full of people trying to get a glimpse of the Macy’s Thanks Giving Day Parade. This year the winds were high so the massive balloons that the Parade is famous for were floating low. We wondered around for a while and saw quite a few of the balloons and much of the parade on what was a wonderful crisp winters day. After the parade we headed over to Dumbo for a Thanks Giving Feast before heading over to the 9/11 Memorial. The remembrance pools were the quietest I’d seen them and it felt fitting on such a day to pay tribute to the horror or 9/11 with a visit to the museum. The museum is as intense as you would imagine and certainly a remarkable way to remember those who lost their lives that day or as a consequence, and is a haunting reminder of the times we live in the how the world has changed since 2001.
Rockafella Holiday Baubles
Radio City Music Hall
The days turn into nights fast in New York, so before long it was dark, and the festive holiday lights were on. The Holiday Baubles at Rockafella and The Radio City Music Hall were lit beautifully for the season and the streets were full of happy people enjoying the day with everything it stands for. The energy in this city was amazing and for sure, I was thankful to experience my first Thanks Giving with dear friends in this incredible city I now call home.
Once the day was over and I was feeling full of joyous, holiday spirit I started to reflect on the day and started to think of Thanks Giving as a real start to the holiday season. While it felt just like Christmas Day to me, what was nice was that it was about people and experiences and not giving gifts and commercialism - and the best part is we have another few days of celebration and holiday joy in just a few more weeks with Christmas & New Year Celebrations - and I can’t wait!
Right - now off to see what this Black Friday malarkey is all about…
Thanks Giving 2019 - Thanks for the American Dream