Eponymous
By Johna Till Johnson
It was pure serendipity, as many wonderful things in life are.
I had just decided, with some regret, that kayak-camping on the Hudson during the single-digit temperatures of a polar vortex was not wise. So at the last minute, I was without plans for the Thanksgiving holiday.
A Boston-based friend I hadn’t seen in decades, but with whom I had a lively Facebook correspondence, wanted to know: Would I like to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade—from inside the HBO building? A friend had a spare ticket, and it would be great to reconnect…
It took approximately a nanosecond to decide. Truthfully, I would have jumped at the chance to see her, and meet her teenaged daughter. Meeting her Brooklyn-based friend (who, it turned out, is also a NYC kayaker) would be an added bonus.
But all that and the ability to watch the parade from a high floor in a climate-controlled building? As I said… pure serendipity!
It was wonderful to reconnect with my friend, who doesn’t seem to have changed much since college, except for the deepening of her acerbic wit. Her daughter turned out to be a lovely young woman, and I look forward to spending more time with my new Brooklyn friend.
For me, these were the best takeaways.
But there are also the photos.
Bearing the colors
Run, he’s after us!
Pikachu
Believe
Homewood patriots
Rocking horse and float captain
Marching band
Marching girls
HBO… from the inside!
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
That is so great. I wondered if you went through with those camping plans! FWIW I ended up not paddling either due to the cold. Looks like you had a great view – and friends to share it with.
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I actually DID try to camp, but Croton Point’s website lies—they DON’T have year-round tent camping. (There’s a spot I’m going to investigate that’s reachable from the water, but it’s not car-friendly). So I stayed in a motel and did a northward paddle the next morning–post to come!
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Lucky you, to be able to watch the parade from inside the building! :)
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Actually, the best part was having room on the sidewalk in FRONT of the building to take pictures from–apparently they kept the crowd volume down to permit people to go in and out, so I got to take most of these shots from just a few yards away.
And of course… HBO!! Woo!
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You couldn’t have been in a better spot! :)
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Fantastic story & photos are superb!
Thank you!
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Thank you! I’ll savor that “superb”–I keep trying, and I do think they’re getting better!
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Definitely, not that they were “bad” to begin with! Do hope you’ll be taking a walk through the park during or after a snow. Vlad’s pictures were a treat and he’d be guiding you. Just listen with your ❤️. xo
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According to our newspapers here in sunny Florida, wasn’t the temperature like 1 degree? Or something crazily cold? Those marchers were troopers b/c they don’t look cold at all!
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It wasn’t quite that bad, but yeah, it was like 20 degrees. And they WERE troopers. They looked pretty cold at times, like when they had to stop for a while. I just didn’t take pictures then :-).
Also, the “Marching girls” are wearing pretty heavy tights.
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Fantasic
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Thank you!
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That was a cold one – you lucked out! But as you said, the best part was making those connections.
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