By Suparna Banerjee 08 Jan 2017, 07:00 pm

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New York is beautiful and eventful all year round. All outdoor attractions are open from spring to late fall, indoor activities go on around the year. There are colorful parades for almost all holidays from around the globe. Here are a few of my favorites. The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade that takes place every march, marches along the 5th Avenue and passes by central park, is an ocean of green. Both paraders and onlookers are dressed in green representing the Irish tradition. Revelers carry traditional cultural icons, dress up as leprechauns, and carry fake pots of gold. After the parade they make way to the hundreds of Irish pubs in the city. These pubs are decorated and transformed into mini Irelands. They serve authentic Irish food and drinks. Pub goers make merry and feast on corn beef, cabbage, soda bread, Irish coffee and Guinness.
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I would like to mention here that Diwali is celebrated by the Desi community at South Street Seaport, which is the southern tip of Manhattan overlooking the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and the Ferry Terminal. Air India and Star TV hosts the annual fest every October with dance, music, food and fireworks. I always celebrate Diwali at the South Street Seaport. This place has a quaint old world charm and is brightly decorated like a neighborhood in India for that one cool and mellow October afternoon.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade takes place every year on Thanksgiving morning in November. The parade takes place in Manhattan and the route is six miles and runs down central park west, touched Columbus circle, Bryant Park, Times Square, Herald Square where the flag ship store of Macy is located and ends on 7th Avenue.
Months of hard work and planning go into producing this extravagant parade. It includes paraders, cheer leaders, bands performing to live music, acts, balloons, floats and Rocketts (dance troop) of the Radio City. The balloons are the biggest attraction of the event. Balloons come in three sizes, the smallest is held by paraders, the second type has about 30 handlers and third has about 90 handlers, who maneuver it with great skill down the streets facing odds like blustery Fall winds, billboards and lamp posts. Balloons are chosen from popular culture, TV and movie characters such as Mickey Mouse, Spider Man, Hello Kitty, Babe the Pig, Dora the Explorer, Shrek and more recently the Pillsbury Dough Boy and Angry Birds. Floats include Sesame Street, 102 Dalmatians, and Enchanting World of Lindt Chocolate. Thousands of people line up against the barricaded sidewalks along the route of the parade from early in the morning, braving the cold to watch the event. I would say that this is a must see event for any tourist visiting the city at this time of the year.
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Thousands of people walk down 5th and Madison Avenue to see the holiday lights. The elaborate window displays of stores along 5th Avenue like Tiffany, Sacks Fifth Avenue, and Bergdorf Goodman are feast to the eyes. When I would get tired of walking or jostling the out of town crowds I would hop on one of the pedicabs that are such a common site in mid-town Manhattan. This would bring back memories of my childhood days in Kolkata during Durga Puja, we would walk down the streets enjoying the Puja lights and hop on the Kolkata rickshaws a cousin of the New York pedicabs.
All grand events of the year culminate in the apple drop of Time Square on New Year’s Eve. A million people gather in and around Times Square to bid farewell to the departing year and welcome the New Year with hope and joy. When the clock strikes twelve, the New Year eve ball descends on One Times Square with a push of a button by the City’s mayor in the presence of other celebrities.
Images: Internet wallpapers
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