While most students are preparing to leave campus for Thanksgiving, not everyone is able to make it home to enjoy turkey and pumpkin pie with their families. Not spending the holiday with your family may be disappointing, but staying in New York for the holiday can be quite a treat. Rather than dealing with standstill holiday traffic or sitting in an airport for hours, you can avoid stressful travel altogether and are free to spend a few days enjoying New York City without a strict class schedule. Here are a few New York Thanksgiving opportunities that will make even the most homesick student happy to stay for the holidays.
Deliver holiday joy
Before your holiday weekend begins, find ways to get into the spirit by giving back to the community. With hundreds of traditional soup kitchens, homeless shelters, Hurricane Sandy relief projects and food drives, there are opportunities for everybody to brighten someone’s holiday while feeling thankful for your own opportunities. FeedingNYC, a New York-based volunteer organization that delivered more than 2,500 Thanksgiving meals to needy New York families last year, and is hoping to deliver even more this year. Visit feedingnyc.org to find out how you can help.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
One of the benefits of spending Thanksgiving in the city is the chance to see the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live. With nearly 50 floats and balloons , talented performances and outrageous dance routines, this sensational parade is certainly a lot more festive in person, rather than from your grandmother’s couch on Thanksgiving morning.
Stern freshman Jan Ludicke, an international student from Germany, will attend the parade for his first Thanksgiving.
“I have a feeling that I am going to love the parade,” Ludicke said. “I’m sure it’ll be an unbelievable, unforgettable attraction.”
Thanksgiving dinner without the mess
Skip the attempt to cook a turkey in your dorm room oven and head to Sarabeth’s in TriBeCa for a fancy holiday extravaganza. The restaurant, which also has locations on the Upper East and Upper West side, offers a special Thanksgiving menu that includes butternut squash soup, jumbo lump crab cakes, pear and blue cheese salad and of course, roast turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. The menu is a bit pricey — $60 for adults and $35 for children under 12 — but the quality will remind you of your family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Steinhardt freshman Ilana Faibish has dined at Sarabeth’s for Thanksgiving.
“My dish of delicious Thanksgiving food and the relaxing surroundings made me feel as if I was eating a home-cooked meal around my very own dining room table,” Faibish said.
If you prefer to have Thanksgiving dinner at home, be sure to pre-order a pie from Hill Country Chicken in the Flatiron District. Special Thanksgiving offerings include Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Lattice Crust, Whiskey Buttermilk Pie, Sweet Potato Marshmallow Pie and other seasonal flavors.
Holiday sightseeing
Take advantage of your long weekend to stop by some New York City attractions you haven’t visited yet. While many stores and attractions are closed on Thanksgiving, many classics including the Central Park Zoo, the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Memorial will be open. Even though you may have to wait in lines because of the holiday crowds, these attractions are worth the trip.
Kimberly Schu is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].