By TOM HAYS
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - The annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off in New York on Thursday,
putting a festive mood in the air in a city still coping with the
aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
The young, and the young at
heart, were delighted by the sight and sound of marching bands,
performers and, of course, the giant balloons. The weather was a sunny
47 degrees. Some parade-goers had camped out to get a good spot, staying
snug in sleeping bags. Others came well-prepared with folding chairs.
Alan Batt and his 11-year-old
twins, Kyto and Elina, took in the parade at the end of the route, well
away from the crowd and seemingly too far away for a good view. But they
had an advantage: Two tall stepladders they hauled over from their
apartment eight blocks away - one for each twin.
"We're New Yorkers," the 65-year-old Batt said. "We know what we're doing."
With the height advantage, "I get to see everything!" Kyto said.
Airports, train stations and
highways were expected to remain busy Thursday as people made their way
home to reconnect with family and friends for Thanksgiving - though some
reunions might be bittersweet because of the damage and displacement
caused by Superstorm Sandy.
For some, the once-sacrosanct
harvest feast now starts the holiday shopping season - and store
openings keep getting earlier. Black Friday now starts on Thanksgiving
Day itself at many national stores, and some shoppers planned to race
from their dinner tables to line up for bargains, delaying their second
helpings until they've purchased the latest toys or electronic devices.
The popular Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade, attended by more than 3 million people and watched by 50
million on TV, includes such giant balloons as Elf on a Shelf and Papa
Smurf, a new version of Hello Kitty, Buzz Lightyear, Sailor Mickey Mouse
and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Real-life stars were to include singer
Carly Rae Jepsen and Rachel Crow of "The X Factor."
Other cities planned to have
showy marching bands, cartoon character balloons and musical
extravaganzas, as well. Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit were among the
big cities hosting parades.
Among the scheduled highlights
were a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey spectacular in Chicago;
Phillies star Ryan Howard and Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler in
Philadelphia; and a group of 2012 U.S. Olympic champions in Detroit.
The holiday came as portions of
the Northeast still were reeling from Sandy's havoc, and volunteers
planned to serve thousands of turkey dinners to people it left homeless
or struggling.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was
reflective Thursday as he praised police, firefighters, armed services
personnel, sanitation workers and volunteers involved in the storm
response. After stopping at the parade, Bloomberg was heading to a
firehouse in the hard-hit Rockaways area of Queens.
Bloomberg's office was
coordinating the distribution of 26,500 meals at 30 sites in
neighborhoods affected by Sandy, and other organizations also were
pitching in.
The Long Beach Surf Association
and a charity called Surf for All were sponsoring a Thanksgiving dinner
in the Long Island community of Long Beach.
U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, whose
New York district includes the heavily battered Rockaways neighborhoods,
said he planned to stop by Thanksgiving dinners at three churches and a
school.
"They are still giving thanks,"
Meeks said of his constituents. "They are thankful that they're alive
and thankful to the people who are coming to help them."
Some used social media to
coordinate Thanksgiving volunteering. Elle Aichele, of Toms River, N.J.,
started a Facebook page called Hurricane Sandy Thanksgiving Adopt a
Family for Dinner.
"Please host a family that needs
something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!" she wrote. "I have
been thinking about what I can do to help and this is it!"
In Philadelphia, Doreen Queenan
and 18-year-old daughter Ariana came in from suburban Norristown, Pa.,
to see the city's Thanksgiving parade, billed as the nation's oldest.
Ariana Queenan, home from her
freshman year at Hofstra University in New York, was wearing a Yankees
ski hat to keep warm during the chilly morning. That got the attention
of a clown in the parade, she said.
"Somebody walked up to me and
said, 'Go Phillies!'" said Ariana Queenan. She added that while her
loyalties were torn, the Yankees' colors of navy and gray matched her
jacket.
Her mother, meanwhile, said this Thanksgiving she is grateful for Ariana's good grades.
"I am thankful for a daughter
who appreciates how much tuition is," Doreen Queenan said with a laugh.
"She's taking college seriously."
___
Associated Press writers Karen Matthews in New York and Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
Copyright
2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
