Helllooooo Friday and looong holiday weekend! Boy, am I glad to see you.
With Christmas only being a few days away, I wanted to share the details on my wintry escape to NYC last week. New York during the holidays is absolutely magical—freezing, but still magical. And in efforts of getting everyone in the festive spirit, here’s my list of things to do for to anyone planning a trip to The Big Apple during Christmas time.
BROOKLYN
For the first couple of days of our trip, we stayed with my super cool bff in Brooklyn. Their apartment is right in the heart of historic Brooklyn and you can take in the most amaaaazing view of the Manhattan skyline from the top of their building. (This explains the 6 floor walk-up, wooooof!!!)
We spent an entire day just exploring the ins and outs of Brooklyn—there was so much to do and see…and eat.
If you’re anything like my boyfriend and I, then you love to find the best places to eat when you’re visiting new places. Priorities, people. My friend introduced us to an English dive-bar called The Atlantic Chip Shop. I’ll be real here, I was a little skeptical because this was my first time having true British food but it was, surprisingly, really good.
And if you’re looking for a breakfast spot, Clark’s Restaurant is a must. They had amazing food and the service was top-notch (brownie points in my book). No seriously… We liked this place so much we decided to get breakfast there again the next morning!
Another must when in Brooklyn: DUMBO, an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass” (yes, I do feel super hip for knowing that)is a trendy little neighborhood nestled right between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, with cobblestone streets and great views. We wandered around Dumbo for a long time just checking out the sights and cute shops. We had a lot of fun in Brooklyn and I’d definitely suggest making a trip here if you’re coming to NYC—even if it’s just to eat at Clark’s!
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
I’ll be honest, Rockefeller Center is crowded. All. The. Time. But I feel like this one is an absolute no-brainer if you’re in NYC around Christmas. Night time is the best time to check it out because everything just sparkles. There’s the infamous 75-foot Christmas tree, over-sized decorations, storefronts with elaborate window displays, ice skating and so much more.My personal favorite was the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday windows and light show. Saks is well-known for their holiday displays, but they seem to be setting the bar higher and higher each year. This year they teamed up with Disney to display scenes from Snow White. You better believe the little kid in me was oooh-ing and ahhh-ing all over the place.
We squeezed in a lot during our trip and I wanted to make sure I expanded on my favorites, but here’s a list of some other fun things to do in New York during Christmas:
– American Museum of Natural History (Great way to escape the cold for a while!)
– Union Square Holiday Market (We picked up a few prints from Line Posters! Check them out.)
– Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center
– New York Comedy Club (The comedians were hilarious!)
– Soho shopping (Pro tip: wear comfy shoes or you’ll shop til you literally almost drop… like me.)
- Rolf’s restaurant (legendary Christmas decor!)
– The New York Palace Christmas Tree
– The Rockettes and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular
– See a Christmas show on Broadway
-Visit Bryant Park
That’s all (for now) on details about my trip to NYC/winter wonderland and round-up of other fun things to do in New York during Christmas!
I hope you all have a very, Merry Christmas!
