Thanksgiving In NYC: A Guide To Turkey Day In The Big Apple

NEW YORK — New Yorkers have Thanksgiving traditions just like the rest of the country — but they're also the only ones with a massive parade sponsored by a department store. No matter where you are, in less than a week, the turkeys will be on the table, the balloons will be in the sky and visitors will be wondering how to beat the traffic.

The holiday might have questions running through some New Yorkers' heads: When should I head to the airport? Will the store be open? How much stuffing do I need? How do I tolerate the relative who's always looking to pick a fight?

Some of those questions don't have good answers. But others do, and Patch has them. Whether you're staying or going, here's what you need to know about Thanksgiving in New York City.

When To Travel

AAA expects more than 54 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, the most since 2005. Some 48.5 million will be driving, and those in the nation's most congested cities should be prepared for trips to take up to four times as long, according to INRIX, a mobility analytics company.

"Our advice to drivers is to avoid commuting times in major cities altogether or plan alternative routes," INRIX transportation analyst Trevor Reed said in a news release.

Tuesday will be the worst day to hit the road in New York City, and drivers will see the worst traffic from 6 to 8 p.m., INRIX says. If you have to be in a car, try to avoid Exit 7 to the Hamilton Bridge on I-95 West, which the company says is the city's nastiest traffic hotspot.

It'll likely take longer to reach airports and get through security, as more than 4 million people will travel by plane this Thanksgiving, INRIX says.

New Yorkers should be wary of taking the Long Island Expressway to JFK Airport from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday — the peak trip takes an hour an 19 minutes from downtown, according to INRIX.

See more about Thanksgiving travel here.

Where To Eat

If spending hours cooking a huge Thanksgiving meal isn't your thing, the city has plenty of restaurants ready to save the day.

Patch has a sampling of eateries with Thanksgiving specials around the city. Brooklynites can find their own list here.

In case you do feel like cooking, you could whip up New York's "most iconic dessert": cheesecake.

The Parade

Those who don't think TV just doesn't capture the majesty of those enormous balloons can catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. It will kick off at 9 a.m. Thursday at West 77th Street and Central Park West.

Parade enthusiasts take to Central Park West starting at 6 a.m., Macy's says. Viewers can watch along that street from 75th to 59th streets, or along Sixth Avenue from 59th to 38th streets. Macy's recommends avoiding Sixth Avenue from 38th to 34th streets and 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, as viewing is limited by the TV broadcast.

You can also catch a sneak peek of the balloons by watching them get inflated from 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday outside the Museum of Natural History. Viewers should enter at West 73rd Street and Columbus Avenue, Macy's says.

Find more info by reading Patch's guide to the parade.

What's Open & Closed

Lots of public buildings will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but procrastinating chefs should be thankful that some stores will be open. Don't worry about moving your car, as alternate-side parking rules will be suspended.

For more, check out Patch's full rundown of what's open and closed on Thanksgiving.

(Lead image: Balloons float down Central Park West during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2017. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)