I attended the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with two young children for the first time, here's what happened

Hundreds of people gathered by 7:00am.

By 8:00 a.m. there were easily 1,000 people standing dozens of rows back.

New York's finest lead the parade on their motorcycles.

The crowd cheered as the Macy's stars arrived as the parade's first balloons.

My wife is only 5' 1" tall and had a hard time seeing the floats from two rows back.

Thankfully many of the floats and their performers were tall enough to see from a shorter vantage point.

Ice Age was a huge hit with my kids and the younger audience around us.

Almost everyone around us played the "who is that star I don't recognize" game.

The Adventure Time balloon confused a lot of adults who were asking what it was supposed to be. It showed the true variety of the parade's offerings.

My daughter lost her mind when she saw the Sesame Street float. Definitely a favorite among most children in attendance.

Adults and children cheered for the Hello Kitty balloon. I was surprised by how low it actually flew. The balloons look much taller on TV.

There are A LOT of clowns at the parade. They kept throwing confetti right into my 1-year-old's face.

Even some of the smaller floats featured guest celebrities?. Here's Miss America with Trey Songz.

Diary of a Wimpy kid was another big hit among the children in attendance.

On a funny note, a lot of adults were commenting on how creeped out they were by Ronald McDonald. A lot of kids didn't know who he was. How times have changed!

Oh yeah! Another big hit among children and adults.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continue to be a fan favorite. They were joined by the band Panic At The Disco.

I wasn't aware the Power Rangers are still popular among children.

I felt as though there were a lot more strange attractions to be seen in person compared to the nationally televised show.

My 1-year-old loved every single balloon, even the smaller offerings.

There really is a nice mixture of attractions for everyone's taste.

After more than a decade on TV the Spongebob Squarepants balloon continues to draw huge cheers from young and older fans alike.

Who doesn't love a good pirate balloon. The children in the crowd certainly did.

Cirque de Soleil performed and they were amazing. Several adults around me commented on how the circus freaks them out — especially the French circus.

If you don't know the characters you are left guessing what you are viewing. A guy behind us jokingly said this looked like the "heartburn" that invades someone during a commercial spot for an antacid.

This dancing worm wiggled its way into my daughter's heart.

My 3-year-old asked what these guys were doing and I couldn't give her a good answer.

If this Angry Birds balloon is any indication of the upcoming movies success, I have a feeling we will be seeing a sequel in the future.

A fan favorite.

Paddington Bear's name was screamed out by many of the children in attendance.

Some balloons we had to figure out on our own. This is the "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas" display.

The Peanuts mobile was a big hit.

Toothless from How To Train A Dragon was one of the most popular balloons.

Children loved seeing a firefighter floating through the air. A bunch of parents were commenting about how he needed to lose weight.

Pixar's 'The Good Dinosaur' received the second loudest cheer of the day. It looks like another hit movie is on the way.

One thing to keep in mind is that the musical guests don't actually perform until they reach the main staging area in front of Macy's. Here is the cast from 'School of Rock.'

Pikachu arrived with many children and adults chanting his name.

Maybe it's a sign of the times but a few kids standing close by had to ask their parents who this is.

Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Clause, was a hit among kids who asked their parents to read what she had written on her envelope.

Elf on the Shelf's popularity was immediately recognized when they appeared.

You can't have a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without Peanuts.

Snoopy and Woodstock had by far the warmest welcome from everyone in attendance.

Mariah Carey showed up and half the crowd wasn't sure if it was her at first. Several teenagers who had grown tired from the day's events kept trying to convince everyone it was Jennifer Lopez.

A Macy's elf welcomed Santa Claus to close out the parade.

Santa was incredibly animated and children shouted out his name and some tried to share their list of desired Christmas presents.

I would do it again — but...

Overall the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was a blast and I did learn a few important lessons everyone should know before attending.

First, there is an official app for the parade which lets you track each float by name, along with a little bit of background information. You can also track performers and find out which float they will be appearing on.

Download the app, it really helps avoid a lot of confusion.

I also recommend finding a place to view the parade towards the start of the event route. We turned down 75th street and found a spot within a couple rows.

If you are under 5' 6" I would highly recommend making sure you get a front row seat. There were a lot of tall adults without children who found it necessary to grab front row spots, blocking the view for many kids and my vertically challenged wife.

Expect to stand for long periods of time. Even if you are not holding a child, your feet will grow tired. A few adults who appeared to be in great shape were event commenting about how painful it is to stand in one place for four to five hours at a time.

Don't forget to bring a chair if you plan on sitting in the first few rows. I was surprised to see a few dozen people sitting comfortable before the parade started. If you bring a folding chair you can also sit for several hours before standing when the main event gets underway.

Finally, I was really impressed with most of the people in attendance. Complete strangers chatted with each other and we met a nice group who asked us to stand in front of them so our children could have a better view. Even five hours into the fun everyone seemed to remain in great spirits.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is exhausting to attend but I highly recommend the experience, even if it's just a once in a lifetime event for you and your family.