November 17, 2022
The Thanksgiving Parade Marches Down North Ave This Saturday
We love a parade – and wow, do we have a great one coming this weekend!
This Saturday is the annual New Rochelle Thanksgiving Parade, second only to Macy’s for braggest rights to being the largest on the East Coast.
It promises to be a fun-tastic day with plenty of big balloons, bands, floats, and marchers representing a broad array of community organizations, first responders, and local businesses.
The Parade kicks off at New Rochelle High School, heading down North Ave to just beyond Main St. This year’s Grand Marshals are NRBID Board Member and retiring City Manager Chuck Strome and NRBID long-time friend and just-retired Parks and Recreation Commissioner William Zimmerman.
This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce, which puts the parade together each year with the City. Expect plenty of congratulatory messages to them for this impressive milestone!
You can also expect to see five more big balloons this year, including a special one sponsored by the NRBID. Appropriately appearing just before Santa in the parade line-up, the NRBID-sponsored Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Balloon is especially timely this year. The author of the story – New Rochellian Robert Mays – will be inducted into the City’s Walk of Fameat Ruby Dee Park on December 4. We hope to see you at this Rudolph Rocs New Rocelebration, too!
While we love EVERYTHING about the parade, we’re certainly looking forward to seeing Rudolph make his grand debut. Our thanks to the balloon-handlers helping parade him along North Ave and, of course, to our 2022 Honored Banner Business Anderson Plaza’s YUM Ice Cream Owner Elaine Yu and her family, who will be carrying the NRBID’s banner ahead of the new Rudolph balloon in the parade.
Construction to Take a Pause November 21 through January 3
It’s been a busy year of construction in Downtown, as our wonderful, changing skyline shows. It has been terrific to meet and greet the many new residents and businesses now calling these beautiful new buildings “home.”
The busy-ness will take a break starting on Monday as the annual Construction Pause begins this coming Monday. It will continue through Tuesday January 3rd.
It will be more convenient than ever to do your holiday shopping and celebrating here. Plus we have more new parking lots now open. There’s the new Clinton Park indoor lot, which has an entrance on Church Street, and the indoor parking lot for the 3Thirty3 Luxury Apartments on Huguenot at the corner of Centre Ave and Huguenot St.
With streets open and everyone moving along easier, come on Downtown to take care of your holiday gift lists and then have wonderful Friendsgiving cocktails and holiday meals.
New Lights in Downtown
The NRBID has some exciting holiday surprises planned this season. To begin, have you seen the new Ruby Dee Park holiday lights? And even more lights have begun shining Downtown as you read this newsletter!
Halloween Memories
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and giving thanks, let’s go back to Halloween for a moment so we can send out some well-earned words of gratitude.
Approximately 1,000 people turned out last month for our annual Main Street Children’s Parade. It was a fantastic event enjoyed by children of all ages.
Our great thanks to our 2022 Parade Leaders and Honorees for making it a spectacular event: NRPL Head of Children’s Services Robert Simic (aka Paddington Bear), NRPS Davis Elementary School Principal Anthony Brambola (Baby Shark) and Main Street’s Liebman’s Uniforms Owner Jonathan Newman (Spiderman).
Did you see the two butterfly-attired dance students from New Beginnings Dance Studio at 2 Division St. help lead the parade? Thank you, all, for sharing your creative talents!
We also thank Monroe College for helping us get the wonderful costumed children lined up at the parade start which is near the Monroe campus and then for joining everyone in Ruby Dee Park at Library Green to help everyon including our Downtown merchants, community groups and friends at our new TreatsFest where all the parade participants were treated to gifts and giveaways at the conclusion of their walk to Ruby Dee Park. Our generous TreatsFest tent participants include:
- Regal Movie Theater at New Roc City
- Planet Fitness
- RXR and Clinton Place and 360 Huguenot
- WP Partners, the Stella, and 25 Maple
- FidelesCare
- New Rochelle Public Library
- New Rochelle Parks and Recreation
- New Rochelle Police Department
Be sure to check out our fun Main Street Children’s Parade and TreatsFest video here and pictures here.
Anderson Plaza Renovation is Making Progress
Neighboring Businesses are Open and Ready to Welcome You!
The Department of Development has moved up the timetable for Anderson Plaza, soon to be our newest Downtown park. Although already a foodie destination with a number of great nearby eateries, this exciting new space for activities and events will soon have other delicious offerings.
The construction work has understandably had an impact on foot traffic, which affects the neighboring restaurants and businesses. They are definitely open and ready to serve you!
Stop in to our terrific places below. They would love to see you!
- Golden Krust
- Guidance Center Early Childcare Center
- Heritage Auto School
- RocNRamen
- Smoke n Spice
- Splendid Diner
- Town Pizza
- Yum Ice Cream
New Apartment Buildings Make “Home” Extra Special
Our beautiful new Downtown apartment buildings offer more than a home. They offer a real sense of community to those within.
With each building carefully curated, the overall resident experience was clearly just as important as the floorplan to the architects and property developers. Wonderful amenities and design elements help make these buildings desirable destinations indeed.
There’s also the close proximity to transportation, of course, including direct-to-NYC trains, as well as the amazing international restaurants, eclectic shopping, and burgeoning arts and culture scene here in Downtown. You’ll find live music every night and delicious brunches every weekend. Oh, and we cannot forget the great programming at our award-winning Library!
There is so, so, SO much to see and do here in New Ro Downtown!
Click here for our list of apartment buildings.
Contest Winners Are Bringing Their Art Downtown
Congratulations, Mona Balgobin and Diane Gwon!
Mona Balgobin is the winner of the recent contest for creators offering one free year of living Downtown. She’s an artist and now an enthusiastic new resident of the amazing One Clinton Place. Diane Gwon –also a New Rochelle artist – won the Downtown Gateway Art design challenge for the blue panel on the North Avenue entrance to the New Rochelle Train Station.
We cannot wait to see what these two talented individuals do with their creativity here in Downtown!
Time to Vote for the “Best of Westchester”!
Autumn is the season for voting. It started, of course, with early voting and Election Day on November 8th.
In New Ro Downtown, many local residents mailed their ballots from the Main Post Office on the corner of North Ave and Huguenot St. Built in 1930, this USPS location was once one of several in Downtown. The first one, pictured here, was built in 1912 at the corner of Lawton and Main St.
With those ballots cast, it’s now time to cast new ones. These will be for your favorite restaurants and businesses in Westchester – and in New Rochelle, of course…
Westchester Magazine’s annual polling of the best businesses, services, and people in Westchester County – the Best of Westchester® – begins on Dec. 12 this year.
Nearly 84,000 votes are expected thanks to a new online voting platform that will make the voting process easier. For more information and Sponsorship levels Click Here.
Mark Your Holiday Calendars
There will be a lot happening in and around New Rochelle Downtown this holiday season. Be sure to mark your calendar!
- November 19: Annual Thanksgiving Parade on North Ave (10 am start)
- November 21-January 3: Annual Downtown Construction Pause
- November 24-25: Downtown Restaurants and Merchants offer Thanksgiving meals and a welcome to “Black Friday” shoppers as the holiday season begins
- December 2-11: Holiday Market at the New Rochelle Train Station
- December 4: Rudolph Rocs New Ro Dedication and Event (3-5 pm)
- December 4: Holiday Lighting at Memorial Plaza (5-7 pm)
- December 7: Selfie with Santa at City Hall
- December 17: Santa’s Parks Tour coming to Ruby Dee Park
- December 27: NRPL Library vacation week activities begin
Still Looking for Something to Do? We Have Suggestions!
New Rochelle is absolutely buzzing with activity this fall.
In our Ruby Dee Park at Library Green last month, we had Queen City on the Sound International Jazz Festival with wonderful performers including event producer Rocky Middleton. There was the fabulous Arts Fest 2022 that featured a long weekend of culture, creativity, and more. We had holiday festivities for Halloween and the City’s new Day of the Dead gathering in Ruby Dee Park. In the pop up New Ro Parc, we had weekend yoga by Westchester Yoga and live pop-up music concerts. We also have had exhibits at the New Rochelle Public Library along with great programming featuring jazz, classic movies and interesting lectures.
We’ve also had some new restaurants open their doors. On Division St, have you tried our newest Greek addition, Pappous and Yia Yia, at 6 Division St or brunch at Arepe Maniaat 14 Division St?Did you book your visit with Santa at Ava Ava at 16 Division St?
Other fun things to try:
- At 559 Main St, try the elegant offerings at Town House. The owners just cut the ribbon on this multi-faceted arts space and dining spot last week.
- Pick up lunch at the new KRAVE To Go, which has just opened its doors this week at 530 Main St. You’ll love that Chef Chrissy is doing his magic in a take-out version!
- For holiday vacation fun, be sure you get your multi-pass card at New Roc City’s Sky Zone, watch a holiday movie at New Roc Regal Cinemas, grab a great FroYo at nearby Pink Berry, and book your axe-throwing practice time fun at the just-opened Bananas Axe Cabana.
- Don’t forget to book your hour (or more) at Hour to Exit Escape Room at 466 Main St. They recently added new game rooms and everyone loves it.
Whether you’re looking for an apartment with a view, a great meal, a concert, date night fun, or even just groceries, New Ro Downtown has you covered.
There’s always something to do – and our merchants and restaurants can’t wait to serve you!
Karel
Karel Littman,
Executive Director
New Rochelle Business Improvement District (NRBID)
newrochelledowntownbid@gmail.com
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Photo Credits: New Rochelle Downtown BID, The Curtain Shop, The City of New Rochelle, Clinton Park / RXR, NRPL Photograph Collection