For over 25 years, this photographer had a window seat at the Macy’s Parade

CNN
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When photographer Elizabeth Kahane’s husband asked where in New York they should live after their engagement in 1998, she had a very specific requirement for their marital home: a view of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“Looking back, it’s so funny why it was so important to me and why that was my answer. But believe me, it was,” Kahane, a self-confessed parade enthusiast, said in a video call. “I love it so much.”

The couple moved into a third-floor apartment on the corner of Central Park West and 64th Street. The street-facing windows provided the perfect vantage point to watch and photograph the procession that heads through Midtown Manhattan to Macy’s department store on Thanksgiving morning. The photographer has captured the spectacle almost every year since, missing the parade only twice in over a quarter century.

Kahane’s images, 160 of which appear in her new book, “Come Join the Parade,” show marching brass bands, pom-pom-waving cheerleaders, theme floats and some of the millions of spectators lining the streets. These small human figures add a sense of scale to the true stars of the photos, the iconic, gigantic balloons.

SpongeBob SquarePants manically looks down at the crowd below him; The Grinch, accompanied by his loyal dog Max, stares menacingly ahead. Thomas the Tank Engine, the Kool-Aid Man and Boss Baby are just a few of the dozens of other plus-sized characters Kahane imagined slowly floating past her house – often at eye level.

The images are made possible by a daring technique that the photographer describes as “one foot in, one foot out.”

“You won’t be able to photograph Kermit unless you hang out the window,” she said, explaining that windy conditions can actually be beneficial because the balloons are lowered and therefore “look like they’re on the.” Walk the street.”

“I’m careful – and I have a flower box there, which gives me a certain feeling of safety and security,” she added.

Watching the parade go by is something of a family tradition in the Kahane household.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, the photographer hires a window cleaner to ensure a pristine view and orders lox and bagels from her favorite deli. When her son was younger, she invited his friends and their families to enjoy the show. But Kahane always hid in the bedroom, careful not to set a dangerous example for her child (who is now 23 and contributed an essay to her book) with her risqué photography style.

“I have a separate room, so I hang out the window there and then run back (to the living room) because I’m north of them to announce who’s coming next,” she explained.

Some shots were taken from inside the apartment, with children enjoying the surreal sight of the parade characters appearing outside – from Sonic the Hedgehog to Pikachu, happily riding a Poké Ball-inspired sleigh.

They weren’t the only ones excited. “I’m like a kid,” Kahane said of her excitement on Thanksgiving morning. “I had friends come up to me and look at me like I was a crazy person.”

The annual parade was first organized in 1924 by Macy’s employees, many of whom were first-generation European immigrants, to celebrate the company’s new flagship store. It is now a staple of both everyday New York life and national television, attracting a record audience of 28.5 million viewers last year.

Although 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the inaugural procession, the department store considers this Thursday’s parade to be its 98th parade due to several postponements during World War II.

The Covid-19 pandemic didn’t even stop the parade entirely, although it was reorganized as a televised-only event in 2020. A shortened route meant the floats didn’t get past Kahane’s apartment this year, and the rare break was the catalyst for her decision to comb through her archive and curate a selection for publication.

But the photographer emphasizes that she didn’t take the photos with that in mind. “In all these years, I haven’t done this because I was planning on doing a book or a show or anything,” she said. “It’s just what I do.”

Their archives showed that the parade is something of a who’s who of pop culture. The balloons are retired every few years – and although classic characters like Snoopy and Ronald McDonald often return in new guises, new favorites are added every year. Kahane said the presence of children often helped her recognize some of the more contemporary additions to the current cast, such as Australian cartoon dog Bluey, who debuted in 2022.

“Photography can capture a moment,” she reflected on the changing culture the images document. “It’s a moment in time and it’s a nice, nice way to enjoy it because it won’t happen again.”

New balloons in this year’s parade include Gabby from the Netflix series “Gabby’s Dollhouse” and Marshall, a Dalmatian firefighter from “Paw Patrol.” As always, Kahane will be there, dangling out of her window as they walk by.

“I just noticed that the building to my left has scaffolding on it, so it’s obstructing the view,” she said. “Now I have Really I have to hang out!”

“Come and take part in the parade“is available now.