Thanksgiving and festive fun in New York

With bookings to New York soaring, one of the toughest things for tourists visiting the city to do is choose what to see and where to shop during the festive season.

Luckily, the city's tourist board is also keen for Brits to get the most of out of their stay, announcing a new 'Open/Book' promotion that involves hotels offering special packages, deals at restaurants and guides to the cultural and entertainment events taking place in the city.

The scheme is launched off the back of Thanksgiving time being one of the quietest times for the city, leaving savvy British holidaymakers a better chance getting the city's great sights to themselves.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday period, which runs from November 17th to 23rd, and one of the must-see events for families is the Macy's department store's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The parade, which takes place on November 23rd, will have floats, performances by marching bands and dancers, balloons and colourful animated characters.

For more information see www.macys.com

For the ultimate luxury family treat there is a special 'Thanksgiving Parade V.I.P. Fantasy Package' available at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park from November 22nd to 25th.

The exclusive experience includes a parade skybox viewing experience for two as well as other extras. For more information see www.ritzcarlton.com.

If you want to join the American's tradition of having a Thanksgiving Day dinner then you can head to the River Café in Brooklyn (www.therivercafe.com), or the Water's Edge Restaurant (www.watersedgenyc.com) in Queens, which both offer great views of the famous Manhattan skyline.

And while you are in the Big Apple there are some stores that should definitely be on your shopping itinerary.

One such shopping stop is Bloomingdales (www.bloomingales.com), which is worth a visit just for its festive window displays alone.

Other department stores well worth stopping in the city are Lord & Taylor (www.lordandtaylor.com) and the gigantic Macy's.

As well as famous department stores, Christmas shoppers should also look out for the festive markets, located at Bryant Park (www.fetesdenoel.com), Grand Central Terminal (www.grandcentralterminal.com) and Union Square (www.unionsquarenyc.org).

More ideas on what to do during Thanksgiving and over the festive season are available from http://www.nycvp.com/NYCVP/thanksgiving.html and nycvisit.com