I haven't been to a parade since I was a kid, but ooff and on, I have enjoyed watching Macy's on TV, as well as the Rose Parade. It's tradition and warmth. It's kind of a white person thing to do, but, well, yep, I'm a whitey.
As I get older, my tolerance for crowds plummets, so I'm not sure I'd ever try to live the childhood dream of going to Macy's. Also, I feel like I want a parade to be a fluid thing, with marching and driving and not much else. I don't like how Macy's appears to pause so a singer can do his/her thing. I noticed a "stage" put out on the Macy's route that was essentially a mat. It just looked ugly on TV.
My favorite things in any parade are the marching bands and emergency vehicles. So, I like the small town/suburban parades that are so popular back in, say, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York State, etc. Having the local HS band, maybe Rotary or Shriners or others with their fancy old cars. Maybe the local fire department with its parade truck that used to be a pumper, or whatever.
I actually haven't been to a parade since the mid-80's, in Ludington, MI, if I remember. I was maybe 10. But I love watching it on TV or YouTube.
Both hometown parades:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECUk0yeTKV0
and fire musters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYLO2QHFWx0
As I get older, my tolerance for crowds plummets, so I'm not sure I'd ever try to live the childhood dream of going to Macy's. Also, I feel like I want a parade to be a fluid thing, with marching and driving and not much else. I don't like how Macy's appears to pause so a singer can do his/her thing. I noticed a "stage" put out on the Macy's route that was essentially a mat. It just looked ugly on TV.
My favorite things in any parade are the marching bands and emergency vehicles. So, I like the small town/suburban parades that are so popular back in, say, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York State, etc. Having the local HS band, maybe Rotary or Shriners or others with their fancy old cars. Maybe the local fire department with its parade truck that used to be a pumper, or whatever.
I actually haven't been to a parade since the mid-80's, in Ludington, MI, if I remember. I was maybe 10. But I love watching it on TV or YouTube.
Both hometown parades:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECUk0yeTKV0
and fire musters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYLO2QHFWx0
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
