Tag Archives: Arrested Development

Happy Thanksgiving!

As long as I can remember, the Macy’s Parade has been a big part of my holiday morning.  The floats, the marching bands, and the balloons — Snoopy is still my favorite — were the sights and sounds that woke me up and provided the soundtrack for our family’s holiday preparations.

Now that I live in Manhattan’s Upper West Side — one block from the parade route and just around the corner from the Museum of Natural History where they inflate the balloons — the Macy’s Parade has gone from television spectacle to neighborhood block party.

From mid-day Wednesday until Thursday afternoon, throngs of people — including a celebrity or two — invade my block to witness the festivities.

My favorite Turkey Day celebrity encounter to date?

On my second year in New York, Rory and I took an early walk in Central Park on Thanksgiving — but not quite early enough, as it turned out.  We got ‘caught’ on the park side of Central Park West in the gathering crowd, and I couldn’t cross the street without police escort.

As I stood there waiting, Rory in my arms so he wouldn’t get trampled, a boy’s hand reached over to pet him on the head.

“Your dog is cute,” his quiet voice said.

As I turned to say thank you, I realized the hand and voice belonged to Michael Cera of “Arrested Development,” “Superbad,” and “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist.”

He and I chatted for a few moments about typical dog topics (breed, age, name) until his mom told him it was time to meet the producer from NBC.  He never introduced himself, and I never acknowledged who he was.

We were just two people hanging out, talking puppy dogs, at the Turkey Day block party in the ‘hood.