New York City is abuzz with reasons to celebrate—and the annual TCS NYC Marathon provides the perfect stage for a city-wide celebration of those we know, do not know, and of course, love. The 26.2-mile route is a testament to the collective spirit—and diversity—of the city. As the runners weave through its five boroughs, each street and corner offers distinct and thrilling experiences for spectators, effectively creating a rich and electric city-wide block party. This year, we asked our editors at Traveler to weigh in on their top spots to watch the marathon and cheer for the athletes along the way.
Brooklyn
Every year, I dart around to different spots in Williamsburg and Greenpoint during the marathon. The high energy from the runners flows from Bedford Avenue to the streets surrounding– all to which are no outlier to block parties year round. The early South Streets (South 1st to South 3rd) and Bedford are my starting points for cheering. Alongside crowds, long-time residents have enough space to sit, play a table game, and watch from a distance– all from the comfort of a familiar stoop. Community really comes together to celebrate here, it's electric! I then walk around 20 minutes towards the Northern streets. To avoid the height of crowd-congestion, I often walk on Berry Avenue and reach the quieter, yet lively, Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. From there, I usually meet with friends and continue a day of celebration. –Jessica Chapel, Editorial Assistant
My friends have been throwing a ‘Mile 9’ party along Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn for over a decade now and I never miss it—partly because it’s round the corner from my apartment, so I can roll out of bed and still make it early enough to catch the first runners. But it’s also located on one of the most festive blocks in the city come Marathon day: think live bands, gospel singers, and bottles of Champagne being popped on people’s stoops. It’s the happiest day in New York City. —Lale Arikoglu, Articles Director
I too live in close proximity to Mile 9, just one block south, and watched my first Marathon from here last year. My cousin was running but she wasn't yet anywhere near us when I burst into tears—I am not a crier, but such was the beauty of the joyful noise Lale describes above. I will add that, especially if a loved one is running, it’s well worth it to chase them to at least a few spots around the city. My family and I ran our own race from Mile 9 to Mile 18 up at 96th Street where we saw that the beauty had compounded and befriended a family cheering on their patriarch, who was running his 43rd consecutive NYC Marathon (you know I cried some more) before trekking downtown to the finish line in Central ark which is its own explosion of energy. Covering a lot of ground is rewarding—supporting the runners at various stages, spectating a wider selection spectators—and I can’t wait to do it again this year when my brother runs.—Charlie Hobbs, Editorial Assistant
The marathon goes right past my house around Mile 9, so I don’t have to go far to enjoy the show. But after running it last year, I got to see how other neighborhoods pull out all the stops! Sunset Park’s 4th Ave in Brooklyn has tons of live music (oddly enough, a lot of funeral homes and gas stations hire full bands or DJs); the route through the heart of Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue is a tight squeeze with people spilling out of bars and onto the course; and there’s nothing quite like the stretch of 59th Street between 5th Ave and Central Park West—the last section along Central Park before the runners turn in to finish—where you’ll hear hordes of New Yorkers screaming their lungs out. —Megan Spurrell, Senior Editor
Each year I return to the same spot: 4th Avenue and Garfield Place in Park Slope, which is around Mile 7. I follow the same routine: Get there in time to watch the elite runners (never fails to make me cry—which is why I do this part alone), then walk back up to one of my favorite neighborhood Italian cafes, Un Posto Italiano, for a flat white and jam cornetto on their sunny patio—fuel for when I run back to gather with friends and start wildly cheering on the runners we know (and don't). I find that 4th Avenue is just narrow enough for you to be able to spot everyone you need to—and is early enough in the race that my runner friends have it in them to grin for the photos I take of them. —Arati Menon, Global Digital Director
Mile 13 is the Wednesday of marathon running and, unfortunately, this mentally tough patch coincides with what is probably the lamest—in terms of crowds and cheering—stretch of the course. In years past, I've skipped the fun of Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and, with cowbells in hand, staked out a un-fun patch of sidewalk in Williamsburg. Again, it's not a party, and the setting is a little bleak, but if you set up on a stretch of McGuinness Boulevard—as close to the Pulaski Bridge where spectators aren't allowed as possible--you will see runners' faces light up, and their pace quicken in appreciation. –Rebecca Misner, Senior Features Editor
When I moved into my current apartment building years ago, I woke up super early (a rarity for me) to make pancakes one Sunday, completely oblivious to the event being prepped on Lafayette Avenue outside my window. Cut to me chowing down to the sound of joyous shouting, slightly confused and entirely delighted to have my own breakfast cheerleaders. This is a long way of saying my stoop is my favorite place to celebrate the runners. I live a few doors down from the largest marathon party in Brooklyn (the same one Lale frequents!), so I reserve the entire day for strolling between the various stoops, ringing my special marathon day cow bell, and catching up with neighbors over coffee and mimosas. —Erika Owen, contributing editor and writer
Queens
“The corner of 44th Drive and 10th Street in Long Island City, Queens, is mile 14 of the Marathon, just past the midpoint, and the runners really need a boost (they can see in the distance, two miles away, the torturous Queensboro Bridge that they must cross to reach Manhattan). The runners go absolutely wild for the crowd cheering them on—especially since New York City's incredible Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps Marching Band is strategically positioned on this corner and will be playing rousing, euphoric pop tunes to lift the runners' spirits and put a spring in their stride!”—Marita Begley
The Bronx
“Runners cross the Harlem River over the Willis Avenue Bridge, which takes them into Mott Haven. It’s close to the end of the race, and you’ll always see a ton of people giving runners a boost to keep going.”—AP
Manhattan
I always watch from Central Park—if you enter the park on the west side, you can walk across The Great Lawn and catch runners around mile 24, when they are really in need of some extra cheer. —Madison Flager, Senior Commerce Editor
I live on 72nd, so I always watch there as they run up 1st Ave.! The city always closes 72nd street between 1st and second, so everyone’s walking around, holding signs, cheering etc. and it’s not typically too crowded. -Emily Adler, Associate Manager, Planning and Operations
Like many of our editors, I've watched the marathon from Mile 9 in Brooklyn, but the past few years I've been staying right in my neck of the woods on the Upper East Side. I camp out with my friends along Mile 17 (around 85th St and First Avenue) and cheer on the exhausted runners who are usually hitting a wall by then and in need of a boost. It turns into a (less raucous) party with families bringing their kids along and dog walkers stopping every couple blocks to let out a few hoots and hollers. —Taylor Eisenhauer, Editorial Operations Manager
