I love New York City, and I’m fortunate enough to live a short drive away. My favorite time of year to visit the city is Christmas time. There are so many beautiful decorations and New York City Tourist Attractions. I’d like to share my favorite spots that I love to visit every holiday season, with you.
Before I get started I’d like to point out that if you visit the city, don’t rent a car. There is not a lot of parking, there’s tons of traffic, and it’s so much easier to take cabs, buses and the subway. I personally walk everywhere I want to go if I can. The city blocks are long. They’re not like your average suburb blocks. There is a lot of congestion in the city, it’s very loud and very fast paced and lively. Now on to the fun part, the attractions.
New York city is loaded with so many fun things to do, especially during the holidays. Many of the stores are decorated with beautiful lights and displays. They are filled with animation and light shows. It’s just such a wonderful site to see.
Many different department stores are known for their wonderful displays such as Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Their windows displays are looked forward to, every Christmas season, and are a highlight of the start of the season. People lineup for hours, looking into all of the different windows before going inside to shop for their holiday gifts.
Radio City Music Hall is another wonderful place to visit every holiday season, with the Rockettes performing their beautiful dances in line along with backdrops of New York City and Santa flying through the sky. It is truly a sight to be seen. Children’s faces light up as they see Santa dancing along with the Rockettes. The building itself is beautiful. You can see the architecture of years ago that has withstood the test of time. I often imagine how it was back in the early days, whenever I’m inside there.
Rockefeller Center is where you will find the famous Christmas tree and all of its glory, sitting above the ice-skating rink. You will also find FAO Schwarz, the famous toy store there as well. It has floors of toys, a giant keyboard you can dance on and play music, beautiful toy displays and a live toy soldier who stands guard outside.
During every holiday visit, my husband and I always make it a point to visit Carmines Italian restaurant. It’s our absolute favorite. The portions are so big and the food is so delicious. As a matter fact, a few times when friends of mine have visited the area and we’ve gone into the city I always take them to Carmines. My favorite dish is the Steak Contadina. It’s a big beautiful steak with Italian peppers and potatoes and it is accompanied with Italian sausage and it is just so delicious and it’s something that I crave all the time. Of course, their Italian specialties are also very delicious, including they are meatballs and ravioli and angel hair pasta and their beautiful salads and let’s not forget their amazing desserts which are something to crave and desire. I recommend the Titanic.
There are many other great places to eat in the city, many with great views. There are also great entertaining eateries, such as Ellen’s Stardust Diner where waiters and waitresses sing to you while you eat. Many are past and current and future Broadway performers and they are fabulous. There are also famous delis and of course China Town and Little Italy.
A great way to see all of the beautiful lights around the city is to visit the Circle Line. The Circle Line is cruise that will take you around the city and you can see the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, and all the big, beautiful buildings surrounding the city. It’s a great way to see many landmarks. I recommend taking the cruise at night and also recommend making reservations.
No visit to New York City is complete without a trip to Times Square. Here is where you will find big neon lights, huge interactive billboards, museums, theaters, restaurants, shopping, and so much more. It’s where the ball drops every New Years Eve to ring in the new year. It’s loud it’s beautiful it’s colorful. It’s full of interesting people and interesting characters and it’s some thing you have to do if you come to New York City.
These are just a few of my favorite things to do in the city. There are so many more great attractions and restaurants. I can spend hours talking to you about all of them. It’s one of those places that you can talk to anyone on the street and ask them where there favorite place to eat or visit is, and no matter what they say, you’ll probably love it.
Visiting New York at Christmas is like a Hallmark movie in the making! :) I imagine the city is sparkling with all the christmas lights
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