NYE in NYC
The holiday season in New York and the city in general are incredible.
When arrived on New Year's Eve, we didn't have much planned so we decided to go exploring. We walked passed the flatiron building and the Empire State Building which was all lit up in colour. Our first stop? Macy's! The Christmas window displays were amazing and the store was chaos. Then we saw Lord and Taylor's (I mapped out all the window displays) and the New York public library.
Grand Central Terminal was on my list because it is in so many movies, but I didn't expect it to be so fascinating. Seeing it on film does not do it justice. The Chrysler Building next door was also beautiful and a must-see in the city.
We actually stumbled upon quite a few things, for example, the Winter Village in Bryant Park. We followed our noses to lots of little shops which led us to a large Christmas tree, the skating rink there, and then... The Ball!! I was surprised we could actually see it without being inside the barricades of Times Square. It was a beautiful sparkling crystal ball high up above the billboards. Standing around for hours in the cold waiting for it to drop didn't seem like our thing so we went exploring a bit more, ordered room service at the hotel, then headed out again to see the action. Our new spot on Broadway didn't have a view of the ball itself but we could see the start of Times Square and then fireworks at midnight. The noise and the crowds (oh my god the crowds) were unlike anything I had ever experienced.
On New Year's Day, we headed downtown to go on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. We also saw the Brooklyn Bridge and explored Wall Street. Then we went to the 9/11 Memorial to see the large pools in the spaces that the twin towers stood. It was a haunting and beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks.
In the evening, we headed out to see Times Square. The big lights were dazzling and it felt like living in a movie, but the best part had to be the vendors on the streets selling everything from purses to postcards to pretzels. The prices were often negotiable and different vendors were competing with each other and it was such a rush. We also got our cartoons drawn because it was on Michelle's bucket list. Then we went to see Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree and skating rink. As we walked from there across the street to Saks Fifth Avenue, there was a light show on the building in addition to the window displays.
On our third day, Michelle was feeling under the weather so we had a quiet morning. Then I wandered around the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) for the afternoon. Clearly I know nothing about art based on what I saw, but it was definitely interesting and entertaining. Then we went to BROADWAY to see the Lion King. It was unbelievable. I don't even know how else to put it.
On our last day, we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center to check out the views of the city. We were able to visit St. Patricks Cathedral (the biggest Catholic Church in America) and walk more along 5th Ave to see all the high end shopping (and more windows!) We had lunch at Bbloomingdale's with fancy frozen yogurt for dessert. We went into Central Park to check it out and go ice skating which was even more fun than I expected. The news was saying that New York was shut down due to the snow storm but the park was jam packed and it didn't interfere with our activities at all. Canadians, eh? Then our last activity was to see The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet which was also amazing.
We caught on to the rules of the packed sidewalks and how to hail a yellow taxi. We had New York pizza and pretzels (which apparently are a thing because they are everywhere). We were amazed over and over again by how big and beautiful everything was. And although we were stuck in New York longer than expected, it was definitely a trip to remember.
When arrived on New Year's Eve, we didn't have much planned so we decided to go exploring. We walked passed the flatiron building and the Empire State Building which was all lit up in colour. Our first stop? Macy's! The Christmas window displays were amazing and the store was chaos. Then we saw Lord and Taylor's (I mapped out all the window displays) and the New York public library.
Grand Central Terminal was on my list because it is in so many movies, but I didn't expect it to be so fascinating. Seeing it on film does not do it justice. The Chrysler Building next door was also beautiful and a must-see in the city.
We actually stumbled upon quite a few things, for example, the Winter Village in Bryant Park. We followed our noses to lots of little shops which led us to a large Christmas tree, the skating rink there, and then... The Ball!! I was surprised we could actually see it without being inside the barricades of Times Square. It was a beautiful sparkling crystal ball high up above the billboards. Standing around for hours in the cold waiting for it to drop didn't seem like our thing so we went exploring a bit more, ordered room service at the hotel, then headed out again to see the action. Our new spot on Broadway didn't have a view of the ball itself but we could see the start of Times Square and then fireworks at midnight. The noise and the crowds (oh my god the crowds) were unlike anything I had ever experienced.
On New Year's Day, we headed downtown to go on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. We also saw the Brooklyn Bridge and explored Wall Street. Then we went to the 9/11 Memorial to see the large pools in the spaces that the twin towers stood. It was a haunting and beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks.
In the evening, we headed out to see Times Square. The big lights were dazzling and it felt like living in a movie, but the best part had to be the vendors on the streets selling everything from purses to postcards to pretzels. The prices were often negotiable and different vendors were competing with each other and it was such a rush. We also got our cartoons drawn because it was on Michelle's bucket list. Then we went to see Radio City Music Hall and the Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree and skating rink. As we walked from there across the street to Saks Fifth Avenue, there was a light show on the building in addition to the window displays.
On our third day, Michelle was feeling under the weather so we had a quiet morning. Then I wandered around the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) for the afternoon. Clearly I know nothing about art based on what I saw, but it was definitely interesting and entertaining. Then we went to BROADWAY to see the Lion King. It was unbelievable. I don't even know how else to put it.
On our last day, we went to the top of the Rockefeller Center to check out the views of the city. We were able to visit St. Patricks Cathedral (the biggest Catholic Church in America) and walk more along 5th Ave to see all the high end shopping (and more windows!) We had lunch at Bbloomingdale's with fancy frozen yogurt for dessert. We went into Central Park to check it out and go ice skating which was even more fun than I expected. The news was saying that New York was shut down due to the snow storm but the park was jam packed and it didn't interfere with our activities at all. Canadians, eh? Then our last activity was to see The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet which was also amazing.
We caught on to the rules of the packed sidewalks and how to hail a yellow taxi. We had New York pizza and pretzels (which apparently are a thing because they are everywhere). We were amazed over and over again by how big and beautiful everything was. And although we were stuck in New York longer than expected, it was definitely a trip to remember.
Macy's
Lord & Taylor
New York Public Library
Chrysler Building
Grand Central Terminal
Christmas Tree at Bryant Park
Bryant Park skating rink with Empire State in the background
THE BALL!
Fireworks in Times Square at midnight New Year's Eve!
The crowds on NYE on Broadway
Happy New Year!
New Year's Day in Times Square
Me and Michelle
Maman
3 of us on the Forever 21 screen
Big lights
Radio City Music Hall
Rockefeller Centre
First time in a yellow taxi
The Freedom Tower - the new World Trade Centre
9/11 Memorial
Lady Liberty
Manhattan Skyline
From the Staten Island Ferry
Saw all these people around the bull near Wall Street so we had to look it up - apparently it is a stock exchange thing
New York Stock Exchange
Tiffany's!
The Picasso room at MoMa
The Lion King Broadway musical :)
Top of the Rock
I love the way the city meets the park - such a contrast
With Empire State Building
Bloomingdale's for lunch at Four Carrots
Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral
Mom in Central Park with her brown bag
Beautiful
Wollman skating rink
Me and Michelle out skating
The Nutcracker at the Lincoln Centre
Comments
Post a Comment