For this year’s winter vacation I went to visit friends in New York, and was reminded of why I fell in love with the city in the first place.
The first time I visited New York was six years ago during the holidays. Now, numerous trips and six months of living there later, Christmas in New York is still just as magical.
It will come as no surprise to hear that Rockefeller Center is where the magic happens. It is overwhelming and boisterous, but a Holiday season in New York would be incomplete without it. There is the massive world-famous Christmas tree, the ice-skating rink, the angels lining the gardens, and approximately 2 zillion tourists. (For an equally beautiful and far more peaceful Christmas tree scene, visit Washington Square Park in the Greenwich Village after dark.)
Seasonal window displays are another highlight of Christmastime in the city. All around Rockefeller Center along 5th Avenue are the city’s most enchanting windows, adored each year by visitors and locals alike. Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Lord and Taylor, Henri Bendel and Tiffany & Co. storefronts are home to some of the most spectacular displays. Saks goes as far as to display a music-synchronized light show on the side of the building that faces Rockefeller Plaza.
Another of my favorite (wonderfully cliché) wintertime activities in New York is ice skating in Central Park at the Wollman Rink. Here, the crowds that are habitual to Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park’s skating rinks are usually avoided, due to the much larger size of the ice rink. It is an iconic setting, and welcoming to skaters of all experience levels. Plus, the rink is open to enjoy from late October to early April—long after the Holidays have ended.
When it comes to shopping and food, look no further than the city’s Holiday Markets. These markets serve New York as a mall serves suburbia when it comes time for Christmas shopping. Local vendors and merchants fill the booths from November through the end of December, offering unique gifts items including jewelry, clothing, home goods, arts, crafts, antiques, electronics, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. My favorite market is the one at Unions Square, but there are other locations at Bryant Park, Columbus Circle and Grand Central.
