Theresa

Hello to all! I currently have reservations at both the Palm Court at the Plaza and Peacock Alley for Thanksgiving dinner. We plan to view the parade and visit the Statue of Liberty before we head to our hotel to prepare for our 6:30pm dinner reservation. Can anyone help me decide which of these two we should select? I need to cancel one of the reservations soon! We are looking for a very elegant dining experience with local flavor and, of course, great food. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

AC

Hi Therea:
The parade normally ends at 34th Street about 1:00. Pick and updown spot. Jump on the # 2 train on Broadway or N or R train on 60th and 5th head downtown to South Ferry. Take a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Don't get off in Staten Island, take the round trip. You'll be back around 4PM. Take a nap and then shower and enjoy your dinner!

AC

Geez:
Fast finger syndrome--pick an uptown spot. 60's or 70's

Caitlin

Both are very elegant. The Palm Court will be very traditonal as far as the food goes, and Peacock Alley will probably be traditional but with a haute twist. The chef there, Laurent Gras, is very well regarded. I'm pretty sure there will be a much higher tourist factor at the Palm Court, so if by "local flavor" you mean dining with more New Yorkers, I'd choose Peacock Alley. I'd choose it for food too; while the Palm Court will no doubt be very good, I think the food will be more exciting at Peacock Alley, because its regular menu is pretty interesting.

John

The Palm Court is actually the way to go. Surprisingly, the Palm Court is much less touristy than other hotel thanksgiving buffets. Part of the reason for this is that the PLaza is closed to everyone without a reservation or hotel room on Thanksgiving. I grew up in New York and we go there almost every year. It is much less touristy (and a little bit less well known) than places like Tavern on the Green and the Four Seasons. It is also one of the best buffets I have ever seen. I would venture to say that PEacock Alley will be more touristy, simply because of the size of the Waldorf and its probable clients on a holiday weekend. Even though there are obviously some hotel guests at the Plaza, they tend to be a bit more sophisticated than those at the Waldorf.
I grew up in NY, and we go to the Palm Court almost every year for Thanksgiving.

By the way, we have often gone to the Parade and made it to brunch at the Plaza by 12:30 or 1, since we watched it from the Upper West Side.

Theresa

Thanks to all for the info. We can hardly wait to arrive in NYC. Now I just need to do a "don't rain dance" and things should be great.

John-you mentioned the upper west side for parade viewing. Is that your recommendation based on experience? I have a 70 year old grandma who will experiencing NYC for the first and possibly only time. I want make sure to get a good viewing spot so this event will be memorable for her.

John

Unless you have a hotel room overlooking the parade route, the best place to view the parade is on Central Park West between Columbus Circle (Central Park South) and 79th Street. Be warned that tickets are required (Available only to Macy's employees and parade sponsors) for the areas directly surrounding Macy's and for the stands at 79th Street. All the space in between is fair game for spectators.

You will also need to get there early in the morning to make sure you get a decent spot (but not before 7 am). I'm not sure how much of that your grandmother will be up to. Maybe if you guys have cell phones you can send a few people ahead to stake out a spot and then go later, toward the beginning of the parade. I'm not saying that it will be incredibly crowded, but it's better to be safe, I guess.

Also, if you would like a taste of the parade without having to watch it live on Thursday, a traditional thing in the city is to go watch the blowing-up of the balloons. This happens the night before in the area of the Natural History Museum on West 80th Street. Your hotel concierge will probably have exact times, etc.

Have fun and good luck!

Caitlin

I seriously doubt that Peacock Alley will be taking walk-ins on t-day, and it's not actually a very "touristy" restaurant as far as I can tell. I'm sure you'll be good either way. I see you posted on Chowhound, too; maybe you'll get more opinions there.