This time of year always has us reflecting on what we’re thankful for. While it’s a no brainer that I’m thankful for everything that life has brought my way, it wasn’t until going back into the city with our family for the Thanksgiving holiday that I truly realized that I am so thankful for where our life is now.
Our extended family was out of town this Thanksgiving, so with just the five of us celebrating, I had no desire to cook this year. I wanted to go into the city, experience the parade and enjoy a delicious meal made by someone other than me. So it was a perfect fit when Affinia Hotel Collection invited our family for the ultimate Thanksgiving holiday adventure. Manhattan NYC was the official hotel of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the stunning hotel, located right next to Macy’s on 34th street hosted a meet and greet on Thursday evening where we had the chance to meet Virginia and the Macy’s bear.
We also sipped on hot chocolate, enjoyed their gorgeous holiday decorations, and even posed for photos in the cute Thanksgiving themed cut-outs.
Bright and early on Thursday morning we headed to the grand stands to watch the parade live. This was truly an ultimate NYC experience as the grand stands are only available to Macy’s employees and their families. As the official hotel of the parade, Manhattan NYC had tickets available for their guests that booked the special Thanksgiving Day package.
The weather could not have been more perfect and the kids had their balloon shakers and waited patiently for the parade to begin. We were right at the beginning of the parade, so we saw it from the start of the show!
The kids were truly in awe. We’ve watched the parade every year, but never like this. This was something special.
I took over the Affinia Hotel Collection’s Instagram for the parade, so I was able to give everyone a first hand look as the floats and balloons went by. All the way to when Santa made his arrival and headed to Macy’s.
The parade has an early wake-up call so once we had our lunch, we went back to the Gardens NYC location and slept for a long time! When the kids woke up, they played with all of the great toys and coloring activities that Affinia welcomed them with as a part of their Affinia Junior program. We couldn’t have been treated better during our stay!
With Affinia’s VIPaw’s program, pups were welcome for our family staycation and even had bowls and a placemat waiting for them when we arrived!
The Gardens NYC location was just two blocks from our old apartment, so it felt like home. We knew where everything was and made sure to take advantage of it. We did all of the things that we used to do when we lived there. It felt so nice to be back. It also made me realize how much I missed living there.
Friday morning before heading back to CT, we explored more and went to see the big guy himself.
And much to our suprise, we had no criers this year!
Now we’re ready for the holidays! Hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving. And as always, I am so thankful for YOU!
{A big thanks to Affinia Hotel Collection for their wonderful accomodations and for making us feel like home. We couldn’t have had a better time enjoying the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Follow them on social media https://twitter.com/affiniahotelshttps://www.facebook.com/affiniahotels/www.instagram.com/affiniahotels}
