This post is part of my holiday series highlighting various vacations built around seeing holiday decorations and experiencing holiday activities. See other trips here.
Seeing NYC around the holidays has been a bucket list dream of mine for years. A few years ago, I finally had an opportunity to fulfill that bucket list plan. And it was so worth it!
I had heard NYC around the holidays is super jam packed and I worried this would be another Prague around the holidays. It some ways it was, in other ways it wasn’t. We arrived on a Tuesday evening. Tuesday and Wednesday were a dream because there weren’t many tourists there. As the week progressed, it got busier. So many people, but we modified our plans to go to areas where we could try to avoid big crowds of people.
What are the Top Holiday Activities?
See the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall
This was incredible. Such an enjoyable show. It truly had something for everyone – singing, dancing, Santa, camels, etc. No description will do it justice so just go and see it.
Saks Window Christmas Light Show
Check out all the displays at store windows on 5th Avenue. Some are pretty over-the-top, but the Saks light show is very special. It plays every 10 minutes and lasts a few minutes. We saw it Tuesday evening before the crowds moved in later in the week, and I have to say, I was completely moved. So amazing. I’m glad that they brought this back after a brief hiatus.
Visit a holiday pop up cocktail bar
We visited Miracle on 9th. The whole place is decorated in holiday decor. It’s fabulous! There are two rooms filled with fun decor. And, a delicious cocktail menu to match from Elfing Around (a proscecco, gin, mulled wine drink) to Yippee Ki Yay Mother F&&cker as well as a very good eggnog drink. Drinks are about $16-17 each.
Dyker Heights Holiday Lights
This is out in Brooklyn. Takes about an hour on the subway, but is easily doable and I didn’t feel like a tour was necessary. Some of the houses go all out and it’s fun to see. Go early. Residents start turning on their lights when it gets dark, and they are turned off around 9 p.m. This link was helpful in planning.
Go ice skating
Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and Wollman Rink in Central Park all offer skating. Rockefeller Center is really small. I prefer Wollman Park where it’s larger and you have that iconic Central Park View. I had so much fun and it fulfilled my dream of skating outside. Believe it or not, all those years ice skating, I’d never skated outdoors!
See the Rockefeller Tree
But be aware it’s going to be crowded. We saw it at day and night. Didn’t spend much time there due to the crowds, but was cool to see. Such an icon.
Enjoy decorations around town
There are trees, big ornaments and big candy canes all around town. Stop and enjoy them when you see them. We visited Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange and they were going to light their beautiful tree later that day. We also went in some hotels to look at their decor – the iconic Plaza and Lotte Palace Hotels. Very pretty to see. I’m sad to hear that the Plaza is closing for renovation in the near future.
Also be sure to stop in to Macy’s off Herard Square. Biggest department store in the world. Floor after floor. 9 floors. Incredible! Fun window displays here too. Hudson Yards also is nicely decorated if you are down that way.
Visit the Christmas Markets
Bryant Park has the largest. Then Union Square and Columbus Circle. A lot of the same vendors are at all, but you might find that perfect holiday gift. Having been to European Christmas markets and the markets in Quebec City, I was disappointed, but I do think it’s worth checking out.
Other things to do
- Walk through Central Park. So much to explore here. Enjoy the scenery and the fresh air.
- See the World Trade Center memorial and Oculus.
- Snap your photo with the charging bull in the Financial District.
- If in the Financial District and looking for a unique museum celebrating American History, check out the Fraunces Tavern Museum. It’s in a tavern but is devoted to Revolutionary War Era history and is pretty interesting. Cost is $10.
- Walk by the Ghostbusters Building.
- Have a cronut at Dominque Ansel bakery in Soho. had been wanting to try one for years when I first heard about it. It did not disappoint.
- Try different cuisines. New York has so many restaurants. We enjoyed Polish food, Greek food, Italian food and Hungarian desserts. I’m disappointed we ran out of time to stop enjoy some Georgian and Venezuelan food.
- Want to see the skyline at night? Take an evening cruise. See the gorgeous city lights and Statue of Liberty. We did a holiday jazz cruise through Classic Harbor Holidays. It was enjoyable but pricey. There looked to be several other boats in the harbor offering similar cruises so if this appeals to you, shop around before leaving home and see what looks the best to you.
Overall, NYC is an amazing time of year, but something really special around the holidays. I highly recommend.
Tips
- Book a refundable hotel in advance. You can always cancel and rebook if you find a better deal.
- Purchase a metro pass. We spent about the same as on a five day pass, but it would have saved time just buying the pass.
- Make reservations for the important things to you on your trip in advance, but leave room in your schedule to discover what all is out there.
- Wear comfortable shoes. We walked 10-14 miles a day even using the subway. You definitely don’t want your feet hurting,
