NYC at Christmas

While this time of year may not be my favorite, and my love/hate relationship continues with the city, I have to confess: NYC at Christmas is my absolute favorite.

Now if you’ve never been to NYC during the holidays, let me try and set the scene for you. New York City, with all its hustle and bustles, is a beast during the holidays. More tourists in town, means bigger crowds than usual. Traffic is an absolute nightmare and walking down any street is comparable to a challenge on American Ninja Warrior. Of course the MTA remains unreliable, so getting anywhere on time  (or in time) is a challenge within itself.

Despite all that, (yes, I know, the very ~fiRst wOrLd ProBlemS~ of a New Yorker,) there is just something about NYC during the holidays. Things don’t slow down, and people will still absolutely shove you out of the way. But at the same time, the city just feels…different. Some will call it magical, others special. Truthfully, I find it hard to put into words just what Christmas in the city is like. NYC during the holidays is something that needs to be experienced firsthand to fully understand. (Shameless, unsponsored plug to visit NYC during the holidays.)

While I may not celebrate, I do have one “holiday tradition” that started back in high school. (Over 10 years ago, dear God!) Every year, I take an afternoon to just walk around Manhattan with my camera, taking in all the holiday things.  From the decorations, to the elaborate store windows of the city’s biggest retailers, the afternoon is every bit nostalgic as it is a complete sensory overload.

The afternoon typically goes something like this. Starting in Columbus Circle, I make my way through the holiday market (my favorite one in the city!) and then through Central Park. Next, it’s down Fifth Avenue to check out the windows, stopping at Bergdorfs, Tiffany and Co., and Saks Fifth Avenue for the best windows in the city! Even though it’s a complete clusterf*ck, Christmas just isn’t Christmas in NYC without a stop at the Rockefeller Center Tree. Once past the tree (unscathed, hopefully…) I wander along Sixth Avenue for the larger than life decorations on display. Finally, I make my way downtown to Bryant Park, where I end the day shopping the holiday market and loading up on carbs because tis’ the season, right?

This years walk was delightful as always. I found a new favorite tree (see below!) and vendors at the holiday market. (Because again, it’s as much about the shopping as it is the experience!)  While I found most of my favorite windows to be a bit meh at best, the windows at Saks did not disappoint. The fashion was of course on point, but this years theme “Theatre of Dreams” couldn’t have been a more perfect union of two things that I love: Broadway and fashion. The famous light show set to show tunes may have brought a single tear to my eye. It was really good.

For a photo diary, I sure rambled a lot, huh? Time to wrap this up and get to the photos. In closing, whatever you celebrate, wether it’s Christmas or Tuesday, I truly hope that it’s a good one.