It’s Christmas Time in the City

It’s that magical time of year again and with Manhattan just a train ride away, making the trip into the City in the month of December is a must. While you’ll be joining the thousands of other tourists who venture into the City at Christmas time to see it at it’s most merry and bright, it is, in my opinion totally worth it.

As I’ve mentioned above the month of December is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so getting an opportunity to go to the city on a weekday is ideal. It will of course still be busy, but not nearly as crowded as a weekend day. With that being said, when two of my Coworkers and myself happened to be off together on an early December Tuesday, it couldn’t have been a more perfect time to make the trip.

After we arrived at Grand Central, we planned to stay within mostly within Midtown and make our way to Bryant Park. Bryant Park sets up a winter market and ice skating rink every year in mid November that runs through the holidays. With little shops and plenty of yummy food stands, it’s a great stop to check out and get a bite to eat. This year, we decided to go ice skating and this was my first time ever ice skating in the city. For me it was extra exciting because that was something I had always wanted to do since my first Christmas time visit as a little girl.

Because this was my first time skating, I didn’t know all the ins and outs of the rink schedule and rules. Based on my newfound knowledge here are a few tips,

The price to rent skates varies on the day of the week (again a perk to coming mid week, it’s cheaper) and also how close to Christmas it is.
Pay for the bag check! It’s only $12, about the same price as renting a locker and then you don’t need to lug a lock around the city with you all day. At the bag check counter the attendant gives you a large sack to put your belongings in, so it’s easy to only pay for one bag check and split the cost with friends or family.
You are not allowed to have your phone out on the rink, trust me you will get yelled at by one of the officials. I’d advise taking turns with friends to exit the rink and play photographer, that way you still get some cute shots!
This one is really just a general skating tip, but wear or bring THICK SOCKS, you don’t want to walk around the rest of the day with fresh blisters.

While you’re in the area, I recommend popping into the New York City Public Library to get a look at their Christmas tree in the lobby. The New York City Public Library is also one of New York City’s historic landmarks and overall a beautiful building inside and out. On the outside the building stands out from its surroundings with marble detailing and its iconic lion statues guarding the front entrance and inside you’ll find painted ceilings and chandeliers and the feeling of going back in time.

After spending some time exploring Bryant Park’s Holiday market and getting some of those tasty snacks I mentioned, for us it was a jumbo Parmesan pretzel and gourmet doughnuts, we continued further into the heart of Midtown and up to Time Square. To New York locals, Time Square is considered to be an “avoid at all costs area” for the sheer fact that it is a tourist trap, but since today is all about being a tourist, we chose to take a walk through it on our way to Rockefeller Center. All year long Times Square has many different characters including Cookie Monster and the Naked Cowboy, but at Christmas time you’ll be able to find a handful of Grinches, Whos, Elves and Santa’s. Remember it’s best not to take too close of a photo of them or even a photo with them because they will expect a tip – just a heads up!

From Time Square, up and over a few more blocks to Rockefeller Center stands the most iconic Christmas tree of them all. Usually a Norway spruce, this tree typically stands between 70 and 100 feet tall. Covered in thousands of lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star, this tree alone attracts millions of people every year. There is ice skating at Rockefeller Center too, as I’m sure you’re seen from the movies, but the wait times were longer and the price to skate was significantly more expensive than at Brant Park.

One of the best things about the City during the Holidays is everywhere you turn there is another bright, big beautiful tree, a perfectly put together storefront window or some enthusiastic and fun Salvation Army donation collectors to get you in the Holiday spirit.

From Rockefeller Center we took a stroll along 5th Ave to catch a glimpse of the Cartier building wrapped up like a present and the Saks 5th Avenue window displays of Frozen 2. If you’re a Gossip Girl fan or even if you’re not, the tree outside the Lotte New York City Palace, is a showstopper too.

We ended our day hyped up on some adult hot chocolate and sky high views of the Empire State Building from 230 5th’s rooftop bar. With lamps, sheltered igloos, and plush red robes you wont have any problems staying warm and enjoying the views.