New York Parades

Does anyone know a location - restaurant, balcony, hotels that don't cost $400 per night at Thanksgiving or New Years, etc. - for a good view of the parades?

I have seen the package deals, but they run as high as $2500+ for 2 or 3 nights at Thanksgiving and New Years.

All ideas welcomed!

No, sorry. You can stay outside the city (New Rochelle, White Plains, or Stamford) and take the train in EARLY Thursday morning to stake out a spot. Another really fun thing to do with kids (of all ages) is go down the night before and watch the big ballons get inflated--that takes place near the Museum of Natural History, if memory serves--haven't done it in a long time.