Eat At Macy's

A new Macy's Cellar Bar & Grill, on the lower level of the historic Herald Square site, has been opened in celebration of the retailer's 100th anniversary at that location. Restaurant Associates, New York-based operator of such New York restaurants as Brasserie, The Sea Grill, Tropica, Cafe Centro and Naples 45, will operate the Macy's venue with a full menu of dinners, sandwiches and snacks.

Macy's windows director Sam Joseph has created a series of wall displays and glass-encased exhibits that commemorate the anniversary and tell the rich history of “The World's Largest Store” through images and graphics.

A Fireworks wall features dioramas of the annual July Fourth spectacle, along with posters, actual fireworks shells and the scale models of the East River barges that provide a platform for the display. The Thanksgiving Day Parade wall features photo blow-ups of the giant balloons that have floated above the street-side crowds. Replicas of the giant Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Curious George and Mickey Mouse balloons hang suspended from the ceiling. Miniature floats and animatronic figurines of Diana Ross, Patti La Belle and Tony Bennett move in time to the music.

Another area focusing on the movie “Miracle on 34th Street” features the authentic window displays of “Christmas Past” and the animated setting of Mr. Macy's office, with likenesses of Maureen O'Hara and Edmund Gwynne (who played Santa Claus) surrounded by movie stills and posters. Additional window displays house moving models of Roy Rogers on his trusty horse Trigger, the Radio City Rockettes high-kicking in the parade, Rocking Horses and Clowns and the Cinderella float from the 1960s with Wayne Newton as the driver.

Archival merchandise from a century of retailing is displayed in vitrines located among the tables and chairs. The collection includes sewing machines, kitchenware, dishes and toys (such as a 1934 Mickey Mouse drum and a savings bank modeled after a bookshelf and bearing Macy's famous “It's smart to be thrifty” slogan). Clothing covers a century of fashions, with starched collars, high-button boots and ladies'dresses from the 19th Century (before Macy's moved to the present Herald Square location, which it did in 1902).