The Parade starts at West 77th Street and goes south along Central Park West to Columbus Circle, then it turns east on Central Park South to 6th Avenue (ask Avenue of the Americas) where it again goes south to 34th Street.

So, if you want to be "near the beginning of the parade route, set yourself up somewhere on Central Park South between West 75th Street and West 59th Street. The parade itself begins at 9:00AM. People will start lining up along the streets around 6:00AM. The earlier you get their the better your chance you'll have of "being in the front". There are no guarantees so go earlier rather than later.


Go here for more information:
http://social.macys.com/parade2012_kaws/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n#/home

Agree to get there early if you have a small child who wants to see- or assume that you will have to hold him on your shoulders (not really viable for a long period). the farther uptown the better chance to be near the front.

Also - don;t forget that the balloons are blown up the later afternoon/evening before in the park next to the Museum of Natural History. But again, do realize there will be tens of thousands of people there.

So as to avoid any confusion for the OP, a corection on RoamsAround posting: In the second paragraph, it should read "Central Park WEST between West 75th Street and West 59th Street..."

Thanks for the correction, Howard! I got that "direction" mixed up.