Call me crazy, but I love a good parade. The Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade is one of the biggest and most well known, and there are plenty of entertaining highlights along the way. My biggest gripe? The annoying coverage of the parade that prevents you from actually enjoying it.

The 81st annual parade begins at 9 AM today and will feature three new balloons (Shrek, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby), marching bands, the Rockettes, clowns, cheerleaders, and the casts of “Legally Blonde,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Xanadu” and “Mary Poppins.”