8 Ways to Have the Ultimate Thanksgiving in New York City

November is here, and in the USA that means?Thanksgiving?is just around the corner! The holiday is traditionally celebrated as a day of counting one’s blessings and feasting with family, but over the years the holiday has evolved. Thanksgiving (the last Thursday of November) has become synonymous with the start of the holiday season, so you can expect to start seeing some?Christmas decorations?popping up. And of course, the infamous?Black Friday?sales begin in the early morning hours after Thanksgiving. In true?New York?style,?NYC has plenty of exciting activities in store to put a unique spin on the Thanksgiving holiday.

Before you can sit back and start planning your unforgettable New York City Thanksgiving, you’ll need to stock up on?turkey?and all the fixings for?Thanksgiving dinner, the traditional centerpiece of the?holiday. Fortunately, there are several ways to shop!

• Outdoor?farmers markets?like the?Union Square Greenmarket?will be open the day before Thanksgiving, selling fresh produce and locally-raised turkey for your table.?GrowNYC has a handy guide to markets?and their holiday hours.
• For the most atmospheric food shopping, visit the?pop-up?Thanksgiving market in?Grand Central Station?on Wednesday. The market will be selling desserts, pies and other baked goods from New York City bakeries.
• If you want to put your own cultural spin on Thanksgiving dinner, there are plenty of specialty grocery stores to be found throughout the city; read?our guide to the city’s cuisines to find them!

Kick off the holiday with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

On the morning of Thanksgiving, the world’s largest parade will march down?6th Avenue?in New York! The?Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?features floats, enormous character balloons, dancers, marching bands, and performances and appearances by famous bands, musicians, athletes and celebrities. In addition, selections from?Broadway musicals?are performed by their casts in?Herald Square?before the parade reaches?Macy’s. The parade has become a huge holiday tradition in the U.S., so prepare for crowds and follow these viewing?tips:

• The night before the parade, you can get an up-close view of all the balloons as they’re inflated in Upper West Side. The event is free and open to the public!
• The parade begins on the Upper West Side at or near 77th Street and Central Park West at 9:00 am and marches along the edge of?Central Park?to?Columbus Circle. It then turns onto Central Park South and finally onto 6th Avenue, where it continues all the way down to the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
• You can view the parade anywhere along this route, though organizers recommend lining up as early as 6:00 am for a good spot and avoiding areas along 34th through 38th Street, as space here is very limited.
• The parade is also broadcast on television. You can guarantee unobstructed views and comfortable temperatures by viewing it from a?furnished apartment!

Enjoy American history at a free museum

If you prefer an alternative to the big parade, or need something to fill your time between the parade and dinner, consider visiting an authentically American?museum?on this historical holiday. A great destination for Thanksgiving is the?National Museum of the American Indian?in?the Financial District. Here, you can learn about the culture and history of?Native Americans, who created the original Thanksgiving holiday.

Another great option is to take a?ferry?from Lower Manhattan to?Ellis Island. The island was the original receiving point for immigrants to the United States, and now hosts the?National Museum of Immigration?in its main hall. The museum is a great place to celebrate American history, the country’s diverse community of immigrants and the American Dream. If you have extra time after the museum, you can?visit the Statue of Liberty—the island is only a short distance away! Admission to both the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration and the National Museum of the American Indian are?free, but you will need to purchase a ferry ticket for access to Ellis Island and Liberty Island.

Burn off the extra calories at a Turkey Trot

If you want to avoid being a couch potato before you tuck into the mashed potatoes, consider running in a?Turkey Trot 5k! Turkey Trot runs have become another Thanksgiving tradition across the country, and runners will often get into the holiday spirit with fun turkey and pilgrim?costumes. If you want to participate on Thanksgiving itself, join the?Prospect Park?Turkey Trot in Brooklyn. You can also run in the?Coney Island Turkey Trot?or the?Roosevelt Island Turkey Trot?on different days depending on the year. Pre-registration is required to participate in all turkey trots, but you’ll be rewarded with scenic views of?the NYC waterfront.

Take advantage of NYC’s fabulous shopping on Black Friday!

In the early morning hours after the Thanksgiving meal is over,?Black Friday—the biggest shopping day of the year—begins. Retailers slash their prices and offer massive discounts on certain items to tempt shoppers looking to get a head start on their holiday list. With?so many places to shop in New York City, it’s easy to be a bit overwhelmed as you prepare for Black Friday, but here are some of the best areas to search for deals:

• Big?department stores?like?Macy’s,?Saks Fifth Avenue?and?Bloomingdales?are great places to look for clothing, especially designer clothing, at deeply discounted prices.
• Malls like?Brookfield Place, The Shops at Columbus Circle, and the?Westfield World Trade Center Mall?are great for tech, toys and brand-name clothing.
• Visit Soho?along?Broadway?for more well-known stores.
• For top-of-the-line designer brands (and fabulous window shopping), browse along?Madison Avenue?on?the Upper East Side?or?Fifth Avenue?from 50th-59th Streets.

Be sure to rest up leading up to Black Friday, wear comfortable shoes, and visit the websites of your favorite stores for opening hours and previews of deals!

Thanksgiving: The perfect holiday to rent a furnished apartment

Now that your bags are packed, your alarms are set for the big parade and Black Friday?shopping, and you know where to buy the perfect?Thanksgiving turkey, you’ll need a place to stay… and what better choice can you make than a furnished apartment? An apartment rental is the perfect choice for Thanksgiving, as you can enjoy access to a?full kitchen?to whip up a delicious meal.

Many apartments also feature a dining room that can accommodate families of any size. Finally, the true charm of staying in a?furnished apartment?is the individuality of the unique décor and personalized living areas that can help you create the holiday setting of your dreams. Here are just a few accommodations to inspire you:

• A?4-bedroom vacation rental in Harlem?with 2 dining tables and a huge?chef’s kitchen.
• A?3-bedroom vacation rental in Park Slope, Brooklyn?with a den, charming decorative brick fireplace and modern appliances

If you have a specific request or aren’t sure where to start,?contact us?and our?licensed agents?can help you with your search for the perfect Thanksgiving accommodation.

Wishing you a safe and?happy Thanksgiving?and start to the holidays!