The weather had gotten cooler and Halloween was behind us. The smell of pine is in the air and it seems the holiday decorations are coming out quicker and quicker even before Halloween is over. It was time for the members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association to host our annual Christmas lunch and resident party at the NJ State Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ. This is our most popular party of the year and an event that the residents of the home look forward to every year.
The NJ State Firemen’s Home Association in Boonton, NJ decorated for Christmas
The home was decorated so festively and put everyone in the mood for this afternoon. Is it what the holidays are all about?
The decorations around the home to create a festive environment
The holiday cheer around the building
In December our organization does not have a formal meeting but rather a members lunch shared by both the members and the staff so that we all could share in the successes we had this year. It was a productive and profitable year of fundraising and that will help us sponsor more programming at the home for our fellow firefighters who reside here.
This afternoon buffet is a way for members and their family and for the hardworking staff at the home to know how much we care for all their love and support of the residents who live here. None of us could do what we do without them.
Our buffet luncheon cooked by the Home’s in-house chef Prince
The delicious sandwiches and salads at lunch
After lunch was over, we joined the residents in the main recreation room for entertainment and our visit from Santa.
The recreation room decorated for the holidays
Our DJ and Master of Ceremony for the event, BCFHA member John McLoghlin was who was joined with the musical talents of member, Jerry Naylis’s granddaughters and resident favorite, Gigi in an afternoon of Christmas carols and songs.
Entertainer Gigi with Master of Ceremony BCFHA member John McLoghlin
Jerry Naylis’s granddaughters are a big favorite with the residents
Accompanied by their mother on the piano, it was a festive afternoon of songs and hymns
The girls singing “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer”
The girls singing “Walking in a Winterland”
The girls singing “Silent Night”
The girls singing “We wish you a Merry Christmas”
After the girls performance, entertainer Gigi rocked the room with a series of popular Christmas songs and warm holiday wishes to all the residents and their family members in the audience.
Gigi performing for the residents
In the middle of the concert, we had a quick pause as a very special visitor arrived from the North Pole as Santa led our break in the concert for gift gifting.
Santa arrived to help us distribute gifts to the residents
As the afternoon rolled to a close, we were treated by both Gigi and Santa a sing a long of ‘I’m dreaming of a White Christmas’.
The sing a long lead by Gigi and Santa with the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”
All good things come to an end plus Santa had to make his trip back to the North Pole and the afternoon wrapped up. The membership of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association took our annual group picture. I couldn’t ask for a greater group of men who are so dedicated to making the lives of our Brothers at the home so comfortable. We never want to forget the firefighters who came before us and set the tone for the Brotherhood!
The membership at the end of the festivities
We could not do all of this without the best Executive Board who are so dedicated to this organization. Thank you guys for everything!
The Executive Board of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association
John Kinner, Tom Simpson, Justin Watrel and Roy DeYoung
Merry Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year!
It has been almost a decade since I attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. The last time I attended the parade, it was when my best friend came in from the Midwest as part of a four day band trip that the local high school sponsored as they were performing in the parade. We had a really nice time.
For the next several years it was either spending time with a friend out on the island or family commitments or the weather that kept me away. Last year it down poured on the parade. This year it would be hit or miss with the weather but the rainstorm the day before went out to sea and it ended up being a sunny cool day.
My spot on the corner West 46th street and Sixth Avenue for the start of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
I got there early leaving the house at 7:00am to a packed bus. I was lucky to get a seat and I am at the beginning of the route into the City. We just passed all the stops on the way into the City as we zoomed through the Lincoln Tunnel, a first in a long time.
The crowds at 8:00am on Sixth Avenue
I had read that the route had moved from Broadway to Sixth Avenue, so I walked a couple of blocks uptown to get away from the Times Square crowds. I figured that was where all the tourists were headed. I settled on West 46th Street, which has an incline near one of the office buildings and offered a better view.
The crowd just kept growing around me at the start of the parade.
The parade started uptown at 8:30am and made its way down Broadway until 59th Street and turn on Sixth Avenue and made its way down Sixth Avenue to Macy’s on West 34th Street. I was around the halfway point. Around 9:15am, we heard the first band coming down the Avenue and Tom Turkey, one of the oldest floats in the parade that I could remember from my years in the parade.
The Tom Turkey float used to house the grand marshal of the parade. My first year with the parade in 1988 it was a freezing cold Clint Black, the country singer.
Tom Turkey passing West 46th Street
As the float passed by there was no one on top. Maybe it was too cold or maybe they were on a different part of the float. That height can freak people out.
The start of the parade passing all of us on West 46th Street. The crowds and the excitement started to build. We could see Tom Turkey coming down Sixth Avenue to start the parade. People started to cheer as the parade passed us by.
The start of the parade with the Macy’s logoed gold balloons, which have been part of the parade since I volunteered in the early 1990’s.
The Macy’s balloons at the start of the parade
After this, it was a series of balloons and floats that passed by. The funny part was I thought there were more marching bands in the past.
The Super Mario balloon passing by
The Super Mario passing by
Doria the Explorer balloon
Doria the Explorer passing by our spot
The SpongeBob SquarePants balloon
The Sesame Street float passing by
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon
The Green Giant float passing by
The Disney Float passing by with Micky Mouse
The Spiderman float makes an impact on the parade
The Spider-Man float passes by
The Minon passing us and looking everyone over
The Stuart the Minon balloon passes by
The Golden Turkey float passes by with rapper Busta Rhyms
The balloons Gabby and Panda Paw balloon pass by
Cool & the Gang on the Bronx Zoo float
The Smokey the Bear balloon
The Snoopy float, one of the many that have graced the parade for years
Snoopy passing by
Snoopy has been part of the parade in different forms since the early 1990’s. This is the latest version of the balloon.
The Pac Man Balloon passing by
The Marshall from Paw Control balloon passes
The Buzz Lightyear balloon passes by
The Silver Macy’s Balloon
The parade passed by in intervals as the parade had to stop for performances further down the route.
The Jolly Polly Pirate Ship passes by with Mr. Fantasy. I did not know who he was.
The balloons moved down Sixth Avenue
Here comes the Shrek Onion Carriage balloon in the distance
The Shrek Onion Carriage balloon
The Goldbear balloon
The Bluey the Dog balloon
The Counting Sheep Dream float passing by with performer Debbie Gibson, a singer from the 1980’s.
The Noorah balloon
The Palace of Sweets float
The Pillsbury Doughboy then passed us
The Pillsbury Doughboy passing us in the parade
The Deck the Halls float passed us with Ms. Christmas herself, Darlene Love, whose Christmas song, ‘Nobody aught to be alone on Christmas’ is played every year in the movie, ‘Home Alone II’.
Darlene Love on the Christmas float as it passed by
Then Minnie Mouse made her appearance towards the end of the parade
Then the ‘Believe’ balloons came down Sixth Avenue to announce the arrival of Santa
Here comes Santa, which basically opens the shopping season snd Christmas
Santa waving at the crowds
Santa waving to us as he passed by
Santa saved my way as we all waved to him
Santa on his sleigh marking the end of the parade as it passed West 46th Street
Then the parade ended by us as it made its way to West 34th Street to join the crowds at Macy’s. There all the performers would perform clips from their shows.
Sixth Avenue at the end of the parade
After the parade was over, I spent some time in Midtown getting some work on previous blogs and creating new ones.
After work was over at the club, I headed down to Chinatown for my Thanksgiving dinner. I had been feeling the sniffles trying to come in, so I had my dinner at Wonton Noodle Garden for an early dinner.
I felt I needed the excise and the fresh air to fight this thing so I walked from East 44th Street to Chinatown. I figured a several mile walk would get rid of this thing. I got some great pictures in along the way. All the parks on the way to Chinatown still had foliage left on the trees and the parks were also decorated for the upcoming Christmas holiday season. This is when you get to see the City at its best.
When I was attending NYU, I never realized how close Chinatown was to campus and I made my dumpling runs as many times as I could. I wanted to be supportive to Chinatown businesses. I decided earlier I would go to Wonton Noodle Garden (Mei Lai Wah) on Bayard Street for Thanksgiving.
I thought Chinatown and Little Italy would be closed down for Thanksgiving and I would not have much of a choice of places to eat. Wrong! Chinatown was mobbed with both locals and tourists and all the restaurants would be packed until 6:00pm.
When I got to the restaurant, it was packed with diners. I sat in the counter area by the kitchen, which I enjoy. You get quicker service and I like talking to the staff.
My Thanksgiving dinner, Cantonese Wonton Soup with Roast Pork, Egg Noodles and Pork Wontons and a order of Fried Wontons
This is the best dinner and the cure all when you have a cold. It cleans out all the cold in your system. The food and the service here are excellent. I have coming here since the original restaurant opened on Mott Street back when I was in Junior high.
The Cantonese Wonton Soup chicken broth is so rich in flavor
The Fried Wontons are the perfect accompaniment to the soup, crisp and served with a sweet sauce
The Wontons are so good
The staff is so funny here. They can never believe my appetite. I had had only a quick breakfast and no lunch so this served as both lunch and dinner. I was still hungry after lunch. I knew where to walk for dessert.
I stopped down at Great Taste Bakery on 53 Catherine Street for dessert.
Not only were they open but still baking. I got two egg custards that were still hot out of the oven. The tables were filled with local residents talking with their neighbors in Chinese.
The egg custards at Great Taste Bakery
This is one of the last reasonable holdouts in Chinatown for excellent desserts and cheap prices. It caters to the older locals and the hipsters who are flooding the neighborhood.
After dinner, I decided to walk back to Port Authority since it was such a nice night. Most people think I am crazy when I do this but it really is a nice walk.
Walking through Chinatown around 5:30pm Thanksgiving night
Midtown with the Empire State Building lit for Thanksgiving
The Empire State Building in all its glory
It really was a great afternoon and a wonderful Thanksgiving. This was fun just seeing the parade on a sunny afternoon and the perfect dinner in Chinatown.
mywalkinmanhattan 