Upper West Side Thanksgiving Eve Bar Finder After Balloons

The Upper West Side has a Thanksgiving Eve ritual no other neighborhood can match: the giant balloons for Thursday's parade are inflated on the streets beside the American Museum of Natural History, and thousands of New Yorkers walk past them on Wednesday. This thanksgiving eve bar finder for the Upper West Side pairs that walk with the right bar afterward, so you can see the giants, thaw out with a warm drink and still be fresh for parade day.

The inflation takes place on the side streets around the museum between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The route is managed with barriers and a one-way flow of people, so you walk a loop and see the balloons stretched out under nets, half inflated and wrapped in sandbags. It is one of the most charming free sights of the New York holiday season, and it draws families, couples and tourists alike.

Plan to be on your feet for a while. The line to enter the viewing route can stretch for blocks, especially as the evening goes on, and the walk itself moves slowly. Wear warm shoes, gloves and a hat. Many locals treat the bar afterward as the reward for standing in the cold, which is exactly why this pairing works so well on the Upper West Side.

Part of the fun is watching the crews at work. Volunteers and handlers move around the giants checking straps and netting, and you get a close view of the enormous fabric faces before they rise above the avenue tomorrow. Kids tend to pick a favorite and talk about it for the rest of the night, which gives you a ready conversation starter when the group finally sits down with a warm drink.

The Upper West Side has a deep bench of neighborhood pubs, wine bars, beer bars and old-school taverns along Columbus Avenue, Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. Who you came with decides where you go. Families with older kids might want a pub with a kitchen and booths. Couples might prefer a small wine bar with candles. Groups of friends visiting from out of town might want a lively sports bar to keep the energy up.

Before you join the balloon line, open the Karpo APP and ask for a few Upper West Side bars near the museum that match your group. Keep the shortlist ready, because once you finish the loop everyone else will be looking for a warm room at the same moment. Having two or three options lined up means you can walk straight to one without wandering the avenues in the cold.

Columbus Avenue runs right past the exit of the balloon route, which makes it the busiest stretch afterward. The pubs here are classic Upper West Side rooms with dark wood, televisions, burgers and a wall of taps. Look for warm drinks on the menu like hot toddies, spiked cider or Irish coffee, which taste better than ever after an hour in November air.

Expect these places to be crowded with balloon walkers, so do not count on a large table. If the first pub has a crowd at the door, keep walking a few blocks north or south. The density of bars along Columbus means a less crowded room is usually close, and the walk keeps your blood moving. Families with strollers should head to the larger rooms with more space between tables.

One avenue west, Amsterdam has a slightly more grown-up feel. Here you will find wine bars, cocktail lounges and beer bars with a more local crowd: Upper West Side residents who saw the balloons years ago and now just want a drink with neighbors. If the Columbus scene feels too busy, Amsterdam is the natural escape, and it is only a short walk across.

This is the right choice for couples or small groups who want to talk. Order a glass of wine or a classic cocktail, find a seat near the window, and watch the stream of families with balloon-induced grins walk past. The Amsterdam bars also tend to have better small plates than the pubs, so you can make a light dinner out of cheese, olives and bread.

Broadway is the third option, and it suits groups who want a livelier, younger room. The stretch near the Seventies and Eighties has bars with music, cheap pitchers and a mix of students from nearby colleges and residents in their twenties. On Thanksgiving Eve these rooms pick up the second wave of the night, after families have taken their kids home to bed.

The honest advice here is to skip Broadway if you are planning to watch the parade in person tomorrow. A late night of pitchers is the enemy of an early parade spot. Choose a quiet drink on Amsterdam, go home at a reasonable hour, and set an alarm. The parade route on Central Park West rewards people who arrive early, rested and well caffeinated.

Some years the line to see the balloons is enormous, and small kids or older relatives simply cannot handle the wait. There is no shame in skipping the walk and going straight to a bar or a dessert stop. You can catch a glimpse of the balloons from the edge of the viewing area, or simply plan to see them in motion at the parade tomorrow.

If you skip the line, use the time well. Head to a wine bar on Amsterdam before the crowd arrives, grab a table, and let the rest of your group meet you there after their loop. Or pick up pastries and hot chocolate and walk along Riverside Park, which is calm and beautiful on a late November night and gives you a view of the Hudson River.

The B and C trains stop at Eighty-First Street right by the museum, and the 1, 2 and 3 run along Broadway with stops at Seventy-Second, Seventy-Ninth and Eighty-Sixth. Buses on Columbus and Amsterdam are slow on this night because of the crowds and street closures, so the subway or a walk is usually faster.

If you are staying nearby, consider making Thanksgiving Eve an early night. The Upper West Side becomes the center of the city on Thursday morning, with the parade starting near the museum and heading south along Central Park West. Finish your drink, walk home past the brownstones, and wake up ready to see those balloons fly.