Thursday, January 2, 2014

New York City at Christmas

So I know everyone has seemed to have moved on from Christmas and is focusing on the New Year (myself included), but I can't let the Christmas Season come and go without recapping my trip to NYC in mid-December.  Plus, technically the Christmas Season lasts until the Epiphany, which is on Sunday!  So I am getting this post in right before the season ends!

I planned my trip to New York to coincide with Alli's birthday, which was on the 15th.  I have never been to NYC during the holidays (well, I went shortly after Christmas one year but it's not the same as going before Christmas) so I was thankful that I could find an inexpensive ticket.  I landed on Friday evening and was treated to a delicious meal of steak fajitas and a very fun mocktail.  Due to my RA med interfering with my liver function, I am only able to have 1-2 drinks/month, so I really have to ration my consumption of alcoholic beverages.  It was very nice of Alli to craft a mocktail in a martini glass so I could still enjoy a fun drink!




We woke up to snow on Saturday morning, which I was so excited about.  I have really missed having snow around during the month of December as it just doesn't feel like Christmas without snow and cold weather.  We got bundled up, grabbed some Starbucks, and headed down to Rockefeller Center to check out the beautiful tree!


It was awesome to see this iconic tree in person.  There were a lot of people in the area, but it didn't bother me.  We checked out the skaters...


And then walked towards Saks to view the tree from another vantage point.


Our next stop was the windows at Saks, which were so impressive!  A series of windows told the story of Yeti, which unbeknownst to me is another name for the Abominable Snowman.


We also popped into Saks to warm up and check out their indoor tree displays, which were all so unique and beautiful. 

After warming up, we headed up 5th Avenue to check out all the holiday decorations.  We stopped at the Eloise store at The Plaza Hotel before heading to the Columbus Circle holiday market.  Unfortunately at this point my fingers were just too cold to take out my phone and snap photos!  The market was so cool and featured many small vendors.  At this point, Alli and I had been outside for over 3 hours and were both really cold, so we headed back to her apartment to warm up and eat lunch.

That evening, we met up with Alli's boyfriend Chris and went out to a Greek restaurant for her Birthday dinner.  The restaurant was so cute and our waiter handled Alli's food allergies and my gluten intolerance well (we were probably definitely his most high maintenance table of the night!).  At the end of the night, we managed to get a picture together!


The next day, Sunday, was Alli's actual birthday.  I got up and went to mass at this beautiful church in her neighborhood and we grabbed Starbucks again, walked around a cute outdoor market (which had an awesome pickle vendor) and then met up with Chris for brunch at a cute restaurant on the Upper West Side.

Sadly, I had an afternoon flight back to Charlotte, so I had to head to the airport after brunch.  I ended up being in NYC for less than 48 hours, so it was a whirlwind trip, but I am so glad I went.  It was great to see NYC in all its holiday glory, spend time with Alli, meet her boyfriend (who is the perfect match for her), and help her celebrate her birthday. 

Have you ever been to NYC during the holidays?  I highly recommend going during the holiday season as it's such a magical time to visit!  

I'll be back tomorrow with a recap of my Christmas in Minnesota!

16 comments:

Caroline said...

As crazy as NYC is during the holidays, I love it! The excitement in the air really is contagious.

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

First of all I'm not ready to say bye to Christmas. Our tree is still up and I really don't want to take it down ha ha.

NYC at Christmas is definitely something you have to do. I went t a few years ago also to celebrate a friend's December birthday. It was definitely BUSY and packed (so I'm never taking Eric haha) but I loved seeing the tree and everything :) So glad you had fun!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, this looks like such an amazing time! New York is so iconic, and at Christmas time I feel like it's practically a story book. One where you get to skip that NYC hot garbage smell that happens in the summer! lol

The mocktails look tasty, what a sweetheart she is to make them :)

Jeanie said...

I'm not saying goodbye to Christmas till the end of January. Period! (I suspect a lot of people in our area will keep their lights and trees up longer this year, as they had no power to enjoy them during the last third of December!)

Your trip looks fabulous. I would love to visit NYC in December and I'm a tad envious but so delighted that you actually did it! All those windows would have me entranced! And that giant tree!

New Year now! Enjoy it to the max. I think you'll be coming home (or closer to) soon enough!

Stephany said...

I am very, very tentatively planning a trip to NYC in late November. I'm sure it will be COLD (especially for this Florida girl!), but I just think it would be so magical. I'd put up with the cold to see NYC at Christmas. It's too amazing to miss!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. :) Sounds like a really fun (cold!) trip.

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

Sounds like you made the most of your time with Alli and your limited time in NYC. For as long as my brother lived in NYC (15+ years?), I never made it there during December. Oddly enough, my brother just started a new job back in NYC and told us he wants us to visit during Christmas this (!!) year. We'll see...

Marlys said...

Awesome trip! And a wonderful host that made this trip so much fun! We were in Chicago at Christmas time one year and it was magical, too!

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I've never been to NYC. I suppose I should go sometime but I don't really have a desire to at this point.

Abby said...

Wow it looks so magical! Going to nyc during the holiday season is on my bucket list!

Gracie said...

We went in the late fall once, and we loved the decorated windows! It was cold, crisp, and Christmasy - lovely.

Amber said...

I am dying to visit NYC period but I really hope that I can visit during the holiday season one day! The two cities you visited during the holiday season this year, NYC and Paris, are two cities I really want to go to in December one day as they both seem like they would be so magical! Glad you had a great time with Alli!

Anonymous said...

Yeah! Great recap. It's always great to have you here, but it was especially great to have you here on my birthday! As you know, NYC at Christmastime is my favorite place in the world so it was great getting to show it off.

Shoshanah said...

I've been to NYC a few times, but always during the summer. I'm actually not a big NYC person, I feel like everything is too big and too dirty for me. But still, I think it'd be fun to go for the holidays at some point.

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

I love all of the holiday windows. Saks is pretty impressive with the yeti. I love your mittens. They are so cute! The only time I was in NYC, it was early November and they were just starting to decorate for the holidays.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Eeeeeeee, I love that you went to NY around Christmas time!! I'd love to one day!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I love being in the city around Christmas! I went there a few years ago and literally got stuck though! Remember when the east coast was snowed in and all of the airport were closed? I was there and I almost didn't get back home for Christmas! Although that would NOT have been the worse place to be stuck! I am glad you had fun and got to be there at such a wonderful time.