Six Tips for Seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

If you've never seen the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person, but always wanted to, now's the time to make your plans if you want to have any chance of seeing it close-up and personal. The parade draws millions of people to New York City each year. As a New Yorker who has made it to the parade for many years, here are my top 6 tips for seeing the parade and surviving the experience:

If you can swing the price and book far in advance, the best way to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade is to book a hotel room with a view. It's the only way to stay warm during the parade. Hotels with parade views know that they can charge you for the experience, and they do. Rooms with a parade view are not easy to find for this year's parade, but if you act quickly, you might have some luck at the following hotels (be sure to tell the reservationist that you want a room with a parade view):

The Millenium Broadway, West 44th Street. Rooms there when I last checked were $439 for an overnight on Nov. 26.

The Marriott Marquis in Times Square, at 1535 Broadway. Rooms are about $569 for the night before Thanksgiving Day.

The Westin New York at Times Square. This hotel has available rooms for $499. a night.

Other hotels with parade views, but booked for this year's parade, are the Mandarin Oriental, Columbus Circle and 60th Street; the Renaissance New York Times Square at 7th Avenue and West 48th Street; the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Central Park West; and the W Hotel Times Square at Broadway and West 47th Street.

Don't worry if you don't get a hotel room -- millions of people line the streets for the parade, and you can join the throngs for an up-close and personal view. The parade begins at 77th Street and Central Park West, at the American Museum of Natural History, then heads south on Central Park West to Columbus Circle, and follows the circle to Broadway. From Broadway, the marchers head south and end the parade at 34th St and 7th Ave., near Macy's Herald Square.

If you get there early enough, stake out a viewing spot anywhere along Central Park West closest to where the parade kicks off. Keep in mind that a whopping 2.5 million people come to see the parade, so expect huge crowds and limited visibility. Get there as early as possible, even as early as early as 6:30 a.m. You can always send someone in your party off to fetch coffee and bagels for the group, once you're safely situated.

There's nothing worse than freezing while you watch the parade, so dress warmly and in layers, because New York City weather in November can be icy cold. If it warms up, you can always shed those layers. Don't forget to bring gloves, hats, blankets and scarves, especially if you have children in your party.

Pack snacks and a thermos of hot cider, coffee or soup. Just remember to drink sparingly, because rest rooms are hard to find at the parade. Of course, if you're planning to eat breakfast or lunch in a restaurant, you can use their rest rooms. Don't forget your cameras -- still photos and videos are highly recommended. You might have to jockey or jump to get the good shots, but the balloons are usually visible to all.

Turn the parade into a learning experience. You can go to the Macy's website and read about the parade, which kicked off for the first time in 1924 and was made famous by the holiday film, "Miracle on 34th Street." You can also find a number of great books about the parade, including "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" by Robert M. Grippo, available on Amazon.

If you are staying in the city for several days, go watch the famous parade character balloons being inflated on the night before Thanksgiving. This is a treat, and it's a lot less crowded than the parade itself. The balloons are always inflated between 77th and 81st Streets, and Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Get there between 4 and 5 p.m., and they usually finish up by 8 p.m.