A Volcano Erupts: Will New York Tourism Benefit?

The eruption of the volcano in Iceland has done more than provide exciting color photos of fire and lava, and disrupt flights across the United States and Europe: It has affected tourism in New York.
Because flights have been canceled to and from Europe, a number of tourists are stranded in the city. Some travel agencies are covering the cost of hotel stays for stranded travelers; while other tourists are footing the cost of the extra days of their enforced vacation themselves.
City officials announced last Friday that 30 New York hotels would offer 15 percent discounts to stranded tourists; they include the Skyline and the Comfort Inn near Penn Station. Other hotels are offering even higher discounts. The travelers who are stuck here are helping somewhat to offset the missed revenue of Europeans who booked hotel stays and haven’t been able to fly in. The travelers who are here, of course, also have to eat and amuse themselves somehow, so restaurants, shops, movie theaters and shops are liable to feel a bump in revenue as well.
After the ban on airspace is lifted, it could take up to six days to resume flights to and from Europe. Thousands of flights have already been disrupted.
The eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull (don't worry; no one else can pronounce it ether) has caused massive disruptions not just for vacationers but for package and mail deliveries as well. The volcano erupted twice this month; hundreds of people were also forced to evacuate because of rising floodwaters.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Route - Route Change for 2009

After much speculation, it was announced in April 2009 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will have a new route for 2009. The new, wider route will give the parade the extra space it has needed for more parade goers and will allow for more economic activity.
The parade had previously started at 77th Street and Central Park West to continue South on Broadway when it reached Columbus Circle, through Times Square and ending in Herald Square. The new route will now have four 90 degree turns, with the parade starting at 77th Street and Central Park West, turning East onto 59th Street, then South at 7th Avenue, then East on 42nd Street for a block before turning South onto 6th Avenue, and finishing in Herald Square at 34th Street. This is the sixth route change in the history of the parade since its debut in 1924.
The parade route change has sent hotels on 6th and 7th Avenues scrambling to create pricey room packages and viewing parties in their event spaces for people who want to watch the parade indoors. This change is of course a disappointment for Broadway hotels whose business will now be hurt because the parade won’t be passing outside its doors anymore.
Full Story: http://www.nytix.com/Hotels/articles/thanksgiving.html