Living in the most magical city in the world, it's no surprise that it really comes to life around the holidays. Here are nine activities to get you in the holiday spirit.
1. Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center
The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is a beautiful site to behold. Standing nearly 78 feet tall, the tree is decorated with over 45,000 multicolored LED lights. The tree will be on display until January 6th, 2016.
2. Fifth Avenue Windows
After viewing the tree, head on over to Fifth Avenue to see beautiful holiday window displays between 59th Street and Macy's at 34th. Stores such as Barney's, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany & Co. fill their windows with beautiful lights and creative scenes to capture the holiday spirit.
3. Shoppers Special
For the price of $2,75, take a trip to the past with MTA's vintage subway rides. Every Sunday in December, customers can catch the "Shoppers Special," a vintage train from the 1930s. The train runs from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. along the 6th Avenue line. Vintage buses will also be on display in Union Square, Herald Square, and the Circle Line Terminal.
4. Ice Skating
Whether you go to Rockefeller Center, Wollman Rink, or the Winter Village at Bryant Park, ice skating is the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit.
5. The Holiday Fair
Located in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, the Holiday Fair is the perfect place to get all of your gifts at once. The fair includes roughly 74 different artists, craftspeople, and businesses with products ranging from jewelry and clothing to kitchenware and toys. There is truly something for everyone.
6. The Union Square Holiday Market
If you're looking for a more intimate (and more affordable) shopping experience, head downtown to the Union Square Holiday Market. Open until December 24th, the market offers a vast array of beautiful works of art, jewelry, clothing, home goods etc. There's also many different food options, from authentic Persian soup to warm apple cider.
7. Jingle Holiday Pop Up Shop
If you still can't find what you're looking for, make your way to what used to be Chelsea Market, but has now transformed into a quaint holiday market. Jingle features even more unique vendors and is open daily until December 20th.
8. Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Although a bit touristy, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a sight to behold. The annual musical features over 140 performers as well as the Rockettes. For tickets and more information, click here.
8. SantaCon
For the older crowd, SantaCon is a bar crawl in which people dressed in Santa costumes parade around the city. This year, the event takes place on December 12th, and has been advertised as an event that occurs for "absolutely no reason."
9. Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
If you tire of Manhattan quickly, head to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn to see some impressive holiday light displays. Some of the displays cost up to $20,000, but you'll get to see them for free! The best lights are from 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue and from 83rd to 86th Street.
After all that, it's impossible not to feel just a little bit festive.
