An article in today's on-line edition of Crain's New York by Lisa Fickenscher indicated that the city's plan to make large sections of both Times Square and Herald Square pedestrian plazas has run into substantial oppositions from store owners and groups concerned that such plans would seriously disrupt Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, one of the city's few great annual events.

"For the first time in its 84 year-history, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade may bypass Times Square this November," according to the article, which said that "The city is considering moving the parade route from Broadway to Sixth Avenue" and that "Local business leaders are already crying foul," stating that "the district would take a huge economic hit if the parade shifts east."

"They note," the article continued, "that it is one of the most profitable events of the year for area businesses. Hotel rooms along the route are booked a year in advance and retailers count on the throngs of visitors to the district as well as the worldwide exposure on television. 'We are certainly very concerned,' says Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance. 'But we understand that the city has not yet made a decision.' A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said a working group has been assembled to discuss the matter and it will be making recommendations soon. The issue surfaced most recently at the Mayor's Midtown Citizen's Committee community meeting on Wednesday when DOT officials said the agency is considering the change. According to several people who attended the meeting, the city officials believe that the outdoor tables, chairs and signs in the pedestrian plaza - which will be shut off to vehicular traffic traveling north and south from West 47th St. to West 42nd St. - will create a safety issue involving the ropes that secure the giant helium-filled balloons."

Macy's is the most civic-minded company in the city. In addition to its fabulous parade, it also sponsors spectacular fireworks displays on July 4th.