Secrets of a stress-free family Thanksgiving

Rob Lovitt Travel writer • E-mail

Ahhh, Thanksgiving. We hop in the car or head to the airport, we travel across town or across the country, and we spend hours or days overeating, watching football, and sharing confined spaces with people we love, but don’t necessarily like.

Hey, it could be worse. They could have come to your house.

Chances are, though, you traveleved over this Thanksgiving holiday, and a little break from the family festivities can do wonders for everybody’s mood and mental health. Absence, even for just a few hours, really can make the heart grow fonder.

Fortunately, cities around the country will fill the bill with a wealth of festivals, special events, and seasonal activities. Add in some of the best parades of the year, and there’s no reason to endure an unhappy holiday.

When you’ve had too much turkey, too much football or too much of annoying Uncle Phil, here are six cities that offer relief for Thanksgiving travelers.

New York
The 80th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks things off at 9 a.m. on Thursday with 10 marching bands, several hundred clowns, and nearly 50 floats and balloons, depicting everyone from Big Bird to SpongeBob SquarePants. With 2.5 million people lining the parade route (Central Park West to Herald Square), plan on being curbside by 7 a.m.

The festive atmosphere continues Friday with the opening of the Holiday Market at Union Square, where you can find toys, clothing, and handicrafts from more than 100 artisans and vendors. And if you’re around on Monday evening, swing by the 7th annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, a neighborhood festival with food tastings, in-store activities, and live entertainment.

Miami
The WinterNational Thanksgiving Day Parade (10 a.m. on Thursday) only covers eight blocks in North Miami, but it packs in plenty of fun with 70 floats and marching bands. A concurrent festival runs through the weekend, complete with carnival rides, food booths, and entertainment.

The holiday weekend is also the backdrop for White Party Week, a six-day event (November 22–27) dedicated to raising funds for local HIV/AIDS services. Attracting up to 15,000 people, the party makes its way from the beach to local nightclubs to a gala finale at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

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Houston
The nation’s fourth-biggest city celebrates the season with the H-E-B Holiday Parade, which circles downtown on Thanksgiving morning. Led by a giant turkey float, participants will include Houston Texan cheerleaders, the cast of the Broadway show “Swing,” and cartoon characters galore.

Afterward, consider visiting one of the city’s many museums. Current exhibits include the surreal works of Paul Klee at The Menil Collection, the wickedly witty illustrations of Edward Gorey at the Museum of Printing History, and a 110-piece showcase of landscapes of the American West at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. All run through January 2007.

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