It’s almost the season for reindeer and elves, but I’m much keener on a pair of lizards on stage at the Booth Theatre. They are Sarah and Leslie, played by Elizabeth Marvel and Frederick Weller in Edward Albee’s play “Seascape.” In the play, the lizards have come to land from the sea, looking for a change. There they encounter a human couple who seem conflicted about the future: Charlie and Nancy, played by George Grizzard and Frances Sternhagen. The Lincoln Center Theater production directed by Mark Lamos opened Monday.

On that night, the example of a lizard couple trying to keep their romance fresh was much appreciated by the audience, which was filled with great New York couples that manage to do the job quite nicely, thank you very much. They included Susan and Donald Newhouse, Brooke and Daniel Neidich, and Anna Meara and Jerry Stiller.

One of the love lessons in the play is avoid eating liver (or lizards, or humans, for that matter). This was easily done at intermission. Mr. and Mrs. Neidich snacked on Junior Mints. Mr. and Mrs. Newhouse shared a package of Twizzlers.

The play also suggests that a change in scenery can really shake things up. Certainly, the set’s realistic sand dunes and perfectly puffy clouds were a welcome escape from the city’s cold and rainy weather. The “vacation” continued on private buses that transported patrons to Tavern on the Green for the opening night party after the show.

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Cheers to the New Yorkers who will brave the crowds tonight to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons get their helium fix. Simultaneously, hundreds of children and adults will be enjoying up-close views, warmth, and lavish spreads at balloon viewing parties in apartments on West 77th Street or West 81st Street. The opportunity to throw one of the city’s most exclusive parties was a selling point for Arthur Scavone, a lawyer at White & Case, and his wife, Anne Hoyt, a stay-at-home mother, when they bought their 77th Street apartment nine years ago.

“We’ve had a lot of parties, but the one party we get the highest acceptance rate at is the balloon viewing party. Basically, if people are in town, they definitely come,” Mr. Scavone said.

Given the popularity of such parties, don’t expect to be whisked up to your destination easily.

“The real competition is for the elevator. Most people wind up just giving up,” Mr. Scavone said.

When they first started hosting the party, the couple, then childless, played host to their friends’ children. Now the guest list consists mainly of their two children’s friends from the Town School. The list grows quickly.

“Inviting five of my daughter’s friends means inviting parents and their siblings – that’s 15 to 20 people,” Mr. Scavone said.

Things can get awkward.

“You can’t invite everybody. One of the real problems on these parties, when the kids are this young, is trying to not hurt people’s feelings.”

One regular guest at the party is Maria Manuche, the broker at Corcoran who sold the couple the apartment. “It is a favored event for us and we are grateful to be included,” Ms. Manuche said.

On Thursday, for the parade itself, viewing parties move to apartments along Broadway and Central Park West.

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Thanksgiving is just a blip on the screen for the collectors, artists, and scenesters who are going to Art Basel Miami Beach, the four-year-old American companion to the art fair in Basel. Even for New Yorkers, the number of activities is mind-blowing.

“The fairs are switching from being commerce to entertainment,” Donald Marron, an art collector, banker, and member of the Museum of Modern Art’s board, said.

This year offers several art fairs, concerts, lectures, museum exhibitions, and parties, ranging from cocktails for a few thousand to dinners for 12 in the penthouses of South Beach’s hottest hotels.

Design has a strong presence this year, with the new program “Design.05 Miami.” The exhibitions include installations by Zaha Hadid and Ron Arad and displays by design galleries such as the New York-based Barry Friedman Limited, R. 20th Century, and Magen H Gallery. On Saturday, thousands of people will fill the streets of Miami’s Design District for the “Art Loves Design” party. And Ms. Hadid will be on hand to discuss her work with Miami developer Craig Robins on Sunday, December 4.

On Wednesday, the fair’s sponsor, UBS, hosts a dinner party on the beach for several hundred of its clients. On Friday, Yves Behar, David Rockwell, Karim Rashid, and Robert Lee Morris are among the hosts for a party previewing the chandeliers they have designed for Swarovski. The finalists for the Hugo Boss Prize will be announced Friday at a late-night soiree featuring cocktails and dancing.

Venturing to Miami from South Beach is worth the trip. One opportunity is a photography and video show at the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, curated by Christopher Phillips. The invitation for the opening reception helpfully comes with a street map, though transport is available upon request.

agordon@nysun.com