Thanksgiving Day in NYC

Old Jun 28th, 2016, 06:02 AM
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Thanksgiving Day in NYC

My adult daughter and I will be in NYC for 2 weks which includes Thanksgiving Day. We are staying at the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square West.

We are not interested in attending the Thanksgiving Parade and would like suggestions on what we can do on that day. As we are from Australia we have no idea how much the city is affected by the day. Is everything basically shut down as a public holiday? Are we likely to be affected much by the Parade in term of moving around the city. It is our first visit to NYC so we are pretty much up for any suggestions you might have of where to go and what to do.

Should we be making reservations for lunch/dinner on that day well beforehand? Any recommendations on where to eat woud be gratefully received but just to make it a little harder, my daughter is vegetarian.

Last question is on looking through all the tourist info a number of sites have mentioned watching the balloons being filled up the night beforehand. Is this something we should consider or, if the Thanksgiving Parade has no sentimental attachment for you, something; not to bother about?
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 06:35 AM
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As long as you are traveling by subway, you should have no problems moving around the city on Thanksgiving Day. It will be pretty quiet other than for those going to the parade. And your hotel is far enough west that you should be able to avoid the worst of the crowds. However, the whole Times Square area will be locked down and inaccessible.

Watching the balloons is fun, especially if you've never done it. It starts Wednesday afternoon and continues through Wednesday night.

I would need to give some thought to dinner that day. Most Americans eat a huge meal in the late afternoon or early evening; I'm definitely an afternoon person, and I usually make a reservation around 4pm (and then don't have to eat again for the day). The timing is probably more equivalent to Christmas lunch elsewhere. But reservations aren't usually available until early to mid-October, and then you can start reserving. Definitely do that at least a couple of weeks in advance. As long as you eat after 3pm, you will have no problems with the parade, so you could even eat within walking distance of the hotel. But it's harder to make recommendations for a vegetarian-friendly restaurant. OpenTable usually publishes Thanksgiving menus as they become available and sets up a special Thanksgiving meal page by early October. I'd look there and find a suitable place. You might want to look at Italian restaurants; many of them will have a pumpkin ravioli or possibly a mushroom risotto as an option, and that might suit her. Artisanal, a French restaurant, usually has a good vegetarian option, and I've eaten several Thanksgiving dinners there. Nougatine at Jean Georges might also have a vegetarian option (it's expensive but wonderful). And look at the menu for Marseille, which is near your hotel. But most restaurants serve only a special (often prix-fixe) menu on Thanksgiving, so options may be limited.

My personal recommendation would be that you go to the Statue of Liberty that day. Set up a time on a morning ferry, go to the crown, and then have a late lunch. Most all museums are closed that day, but I think tourist attractions like the Empire State Building may be open. The 9/11 Museum may be open, but most other museums are closed. Most stores also close until late afternoon or early evening; some don't open until midnight (for early Christmas sales).

Thanksgiving week (especially the week before) is one of the busiest in the year here. But it's the start of the really horribly busy holiday tourist season. Definitely make all reservations you can for meals in advance (usually 30 days out) if you don't mind planning ahead. It's sometimes even hard to go to brunch on weekends during that period, even in neighborhood places.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 06:39 AM
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Ethnic restaurants will be open all over the city. Otherwise the only problem you will have is getting across town before, during, and for some time after the parade. The parade route will be on-line and in local newspapers, so you know what to avoid.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 06:41 AM
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Thanksgiving Day in the US is a pretty big deal and family oriented. Most the commercial aspect of NY will be shut down and the Macy's parade is pretty big deal also. It brings a huge number of people into the Manhattan area. The route itself will be very crowded. The restaurants will be hit or miss but most should be open with a lot of special TGs offering centering around turkey. You should make reservations in advance. Even if you don't have a sentimental attachment it will be hard to avoid since you are staying in the Time Sq area. Maybe a good day to visit Ellis island.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 08:45 AM
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Since you have no desire to see the parade, I think I'd head downtown - maybe the SOL (and if Ellis Island is open, you could do that too) and eat in Chinatown. I assume many restaurants will be open.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 08:59 AM
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Why is everyone assuming "ethnic" restaurants will all be open? Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday, and here in Florida, where I live, Chinese and Indian and Thai places are all closed on T Day. I realize NYC is different in that there is no one day when everything is closed, but am genuinely curious about this point.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 09:38 AM
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I have lived here all my life and they are open. Every one, probably not. But enough. Less in residential neighborhoods. I would say that in the East Village that 90% of the restaurants and stores are either owned or run by some ethnic group. The local economy is dependent on restaurants and bars.

One year I made a mistake and had not noticed my passport expired. On Thanksgiving Day I found a place that took passport pictures. I thought about immigrants who owned places in the neighborhood. And I spoke to someone on Thanksgiving who helped with an expedited passport on Black Friday, the next day.

I could get a gun on Thanksgiving and I don't know anyone in the business.

Besides the East Village and Chinatown there will be places in Flushing, Queens. Think first generation Americans.

I have been to Florida maybe 30 times, they are two different worlds.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 10:12 AM
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It's actually funny that people are saying that "ethnic restaurants" will be open. Quite the opposite. Many (used to be most all) Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and other non-American "ethnic" restaurants close on Thanksgiving because it's the "American" holiday (as opposed to Christmas, which is a religious holiday). I have read that many restaurants in Chinatown are now open, I'm afraid to say. Well, almost all big restaurants are open now because Thanksgiving is a cash cow. They pack people in for prix-fixe meals made with relatively cheap ingredients that they charge a lot extra for because it's a holiday.

But I think it's going to be incorrect if the OP thinks that "most" restaurants in Chinatown will be open. I actually think it will be quite the opposite. Americans of all ethnic persuasions seek out turkey on Thanksgiving. So it's a good time for non-American tourists to enjoy one of our traditional holiday meals, which will be served by restaurants both high and low.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 11:08 AM
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The traditional home cooked meal for many ethnic NY'ers is a turkey and whatever the family usually considers a home cooked treat from their background.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 11:11 AM
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<Many (used to be most all) Chinese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and other non-American "ethnic" restaurants close on Thanksgiving because it's the "American" holiday (as opposed to Christmas, which is a religious holiday). >

This is what I always thought, too. As I said, everyone knows that NYC is different--something is always open, no matter the day or the hour. But this has nothing to do with ethnic minorities and their restaurants on Thanksgiving Day, it's a feature of the city.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 07:09 PM
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Thank you for all the responses, especially yours Doug. Spending the day down at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island seems like the way to go and as both are on our "must" list works out well.

Doug, are any of the restaurants you suggested down that way or were they based on where the hotel was? Although, presumably we would be back nearer the hotel if we made a late lunch booking as you suggested.
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Old Jun 28th, 2016, 09:01 PM
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How rude can some people be. Sometimes I wonder why we even give answers here. (Not directed at you Doug.)
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Old Jun 29th, 2016, 05:44 AM
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Both Nougatine and Marseille are within easy walking distance to your hotel. Both have good food and usually offer a vegetarian option. Nougatine will be by far the more expensive. Marseille usually offers a menu for around $40 or $45. Once the Thanksgiving lists come out in the Fall, you may want to check back with us for a better recommendation. I only mention these two specific restaurants because I know they have a history of being open and are places I eat at.

I know nothing downtown, however. Maybe North End Grill? It's a rather new restaurant scene down there that I never ever take part in.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 04:55 AM
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Thanks Doug. I'll investigate further later in the year. Would Time Out list restaurants that are open? If all else fails we will leave it to pot luck and find out which side of the debate is right, that ethnic restaurants are generally open or closed.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 05:01 AM
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First, it's derogatory to refer to the cuisine of non-Western nations as "ethnic". There was a time not so long ago when Italian food in NYC was considered "ethnic" ... and that term was never used in a positive way.

But that aside, most of the small, non-Western restaurants in neighborhoods around NYC do close on Thanksgiving. You won't find much cheap sushi, Thai food, Chinese, or Indian food in the city on that day because it's the day they take off to be with their families. In touristy areas like Chinatown, more restaurants are staying open, but I don't think it's accurate to say "most". Again, commerce is forcing a change here, so every year I see more places open.

Opentable.com is your best source of information on restaurants that will be open and offering Thanksgiving lunch or dinner. I don't know about Time Out, but perhaps. It's not the source I usually follow for this.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 06:01 AM
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I was fascinated to read that you would avoid the Thanksgiving parade because "it has no sentimental value for you."

Would you skip the Palio in Siena because you have no particular affinity to any of the competing sestiere?

The Thanksgiving parade has no sentimental value to me, either, but it is a spectacle I would not miss if I were in New York. On the other hand, i might rearrange my plans to avoid Thanksgiving in NYC since so much else will be disrupted.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 06:13 AM
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One thing to remember, especially for balloon-filling and parade watching, is that Thanksgiving can be very cold in NY. Not always, but often enough. The parade route is also very crowded, meaning you must grab a place early, meaning you will be standing out in the cold. Many, many years ago my grandmother took my brother and I to the parade. I vaguely remember the Bullwinkle balloon, but I vividly recall how cold I was!
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 06:27 AM
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First, it's derogatory to refer to the cuisine of non-Western nations as "ethnic". There was a time not so long ago when Italian food in NYC was considered "ethnic" ... and that term was never used in a positive way.
______________________________
I could not disagree more with this PC assessment. Coming from an "ethnic" group and my wife is from a different "ethnic" group and our families are so intermarried that a large amount of "ethnic" groups are represented, I have never heard such a complain. That includes friends.

It could be the difference of being born here and growing up in a diverse NY neighborhood as it was always funny because Italian and Chinese food were never thought of as ethnic as they were more common than some American foods. It was the food across the hall or around the corner. The biggest arguments about Italian food were 1. Was it sauce or gravy? 2. Whose mother was a better cook?

I hope that Fodor's does not buy into this PC nonsense but glories in the differences and makes it joyous, not another artificial divide among humans.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 06:40 AM
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Plus, "developing nations cuisine" is so awkward.
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Old Jun 30th, 2016, 06:41 AM
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I know nothing downtown, however. Maybe North End Grill? It's a rather new restaurant scene down there that I never ever take part in
____________

This is an odd characterization as many of the oldest restaurants in NYC are downtown

Fraunces Tavern-1763
Delmonicos 1837
City Hall-1863
Paris Cafe 1873

Even Odeon is over 30 years old

Nom Wah 1920
Wo Hop 1938

And the list doubles if you include Little Italy and Lower East Side.

The proper description is changing and with a greater selection, but to say the dining scene is new ignores history.
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