Mayor Michael Bloomberg was reflective Thursday as he praised police, firefighters, armed services p

NEW YORK Victims of superstorm Sandy in New York and elsewhere in the Northeast were comforted Thursday budget rent a car discount codes by kinder weather, free holiday meals and for some front row seats to the annual Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The popular Macy s parade, attended by more than 3 million budget rent a car discount codes people and watched by 50 million on TV, included budget rent a car discount codes giant balloons such as Elf on a Shelf and Papa Smurf, a new version of Hello Kitty, Buzz Lightyear, Sailor Mickey Mouse and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Real-life budget rent a car discount codes stars included singer Carly Rae Jepsen and Rachel Crow of The X Factor.
Alan Batt and his 11-year-old twins, Kyto and Elina, took in the parade at the end of the route, well away from the crowd and seemingly too far away for a good view. But they had an advantage: Two tall stepladders they hauled over from their apartment eight blocks budget rent a car discount codes away one for each twin.
At nearby Greeley Square, social worker Lowell Herschberger, budget rent a car discount codes 40, of Brooklyn, sought in vain to tear his sons, 8-year-old Logan and 6-year-old Liam, from a foosball table set up in the tiny park as the balloons crept by on the near horizon.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was reflective Thursday as he praised police, firefighters, armed services personnel, sanitation workers and volunteers involved in the storm response. His office was coordinating the distribution of 26,500 meals at 30 sites in neighborhoods affected by Sandy, and other organizations also were pitching in.
On Long Island, the Long Beach nonprofit Surf For All hosted a Thanksgiving event that fed 1,200 people. Carol Gross, 72, a Long Beach native, said she went to volunteer but was turned away because of a surplus of helpers.
George Alvarez, whose Toms River, N.J., home suffered moderate damage when Sandy hit the coast, said his family usually does the traditional big dinner on Thanksgiving. But this year, they chose to attend a community dinner held at an area church.
This storm not only impacted us, it impacted a lot of our friends, budget rent a car discount codes our community, our psyche, Alvarez said shortly before his family headed out for their meal. We could have had our usual dinner here at home, but this year it felt like we should be with others who are experiencing the same concerns we are. We made it through budget rent a car discount codes this devastating storm, and that s something to celebrate.
Floats and marching bands poured down Woodward Avenue on Thursday morning, with many spectators forgoing the cold-weather gear of past parades. budget rent a car discount codes Detroit s temperature hit 52 degrees at 11 a.m., with a warm wind blowing from the South.
In San Francisco, lines of the homeless and less fortunate began forming late Wednesday outside a church in the city s tough Tenderloin district that expected to serve more than 5,000 meals, said the Rev. Cecil Williams.
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