There are two ways to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
You can wake at an hour generally reserved for fishermen, put on every article of clothing you own and defend a patch of Manhattan sidewalk until Santa arrives.
Or you can book a suite.
We’ll discuss both, because this is a democracy.
This year marks the 100th edition of the parade, which begins at 9 a.m. at 77th Street and Central Park West before winding around Central Park, down Sixth Avenue and toward Macy’s Herald Square.
For most of us, the question is how much discomfort we are willing to tolerate in the name of tradition.
If you insist upon doing this properly, the better public viewing is along Central Park West from 72nd Street or Sixth Avenue between 59th and 38th streets. A good curbside spot requires arriving around 6 a.m. Once positioned, assume you live there now.
Dress accordingly. A cashmere sweater that performs admirably during a January cold snap on Worth Avenue is not outerwear in New York. Bring layers, gloves, warm shoes, snacks and perhaps hand warmers.
Coffee requires a more complicated risk assessment.
There is, naturally, another approach.
Book a designated parade-view room and watch the entire thing while wearing a robe. Mandarin Oriental overlooks Columbus Circle, JW Marriott Essex House sits on Central Park South and New York Hilton Midtown offers parade-view packages along Sixth Avenue.
The important phrase is parade view. Booking a hotel on the route and announcing at check-in that you would “like a parade view” is optimism, not planning.
Not prepared to finance the room? Brunch, as usual, has come to the rescue. Restaurants and venues along the route offer packages with food, cocktails, private bathrooms and guest-only viewing areas. Sarabeth’s, Mastro’s, Quality Italian and Angelina Paris are among the options.
You are technically still outdoors. You simply have somewhere warm to retreat when you have had enough character-building.
One final trick: go Wednesday. On Thanksgiving Eve, the giant balloons are inflated around the American Museum of Natural History, where you can watch them come to life at street level.
Then decide whether Thursday morning calls for Central Park West at dawn or room service at nine.
We know which way we’re leaning.