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Macy's May Really Have to Pika-Choose a New Parade Route
By
Billy Parker
Published Mar 30, 2009
Modified Mar 30, 2009
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By
Billy Parker
Published Mar 30, 2009
Modified Mar 30, 2009
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There appears to be serious consideration being given to rerouting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so that the glowing neon spectrum of Times Square would be replaced by the yawning canyon of white-collar drudgery that defines Sixth Avenue. The Department of Transportation confirmed yesterday's reports that the parade may call off its right turn off Columbus Circle onto Broadway and continue over to the Avenue of Americas.
The latest obstacle on Broadway is the pedestrian-only zone around Times Square being instituted by Mayor Bloomberg this May. Parade organizers had already raised the possibility of rerouting after a potentially dangerous balloon accident occurred in 2005 and new Safety Regulations were enacted. At the spot of the 2005 incident, clearance there was only 39 feet wide, when Macy’s own guidelines called for 62 feet of space. Sixth Avenue stays over 60 feet wide throughout the proposed course.
The Times spoke to business owners around Times Square and got a surprisingly mixed reaction about losing the parade. Some naturally mourned the loss of the exposure, one owner saying, "They already have most of the parades on Fifth and Sixth, so we should at least get to keep this one.” But others seemed indifferent since they remain closed on Thanksgiving. One manager said, “Every time there’s a parade, we hope to have more business, but it always turns out to be slow. Everyone just comes in here to use the bathroom.”
Parade organizers seemed open to whatever the city decides, but sad to see the course change for the first time in its 84-year history. Macys spokeswoman Elina Kazan said, “Broadway is part of the parade’s history. It would certainly be a bittersweet moment for us if we were to leave."
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department of transportation
macy's
macy's thanksgiving day parade
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