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
