NYC at Christmas: Radio City Rockettes

    

If you've never experienced New York City at Christmas time, well then, you simply haven't lived. Having a sister that lives just across the Hudson Bay has made my trips to the Big Apple much more frequent than I'd ever dreamed. Totally not a bad thing...I love NYC! A few weeks before Christmas in 2012, my sister, mom, aunt, Kansas cousins, and I got together and planned an epic NYC girls trip. We hit up every touristy Manhattan staple that we could fit into 4 short days. Ice skating in Bryant Park, shopping at Macy's, seeing the massive tree at Rockefeller Center, viewing the city from the top of the Empire State Building, strolling Central Park, playing around in FAO Schwartz, window shopping along 5th Avenue, brunching at Penelope, browsing Chelsea Market, jumping around screaming at Kathy & Hoda behind the Today Show windows (we were totally on TV!), and we drank some stellar $16 margaritas at Dos Caminos. Like I said, it was jam-packed 4 days. One NYC Christmas tradition that we knew we had to see for ourselves was the famous Radio City Rockettes! They were hosting their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, so we all jumped at the chance to grab mezzanine seats. 

The Rockettes were amazing. I'll forever be envious of those high kicks! As for the rest of the show, the costumes were gorgeous, the lighting was super charming, and the orchestra was top notch. While geared towards the kiddos a bit more than I would have liked (it was cheesy at times), the show really did a wonderful job of getting us in the holiday spirit! I can see why it's a time-honored piece of NYC holiday history. If you ever find yourself with an evening to spare in the city, don't hesitate to spring for a little holiday cheer with the Rockettes!

Have you ever experienced NYC at Christmastime? 
If so, what's your favorite part?

NYC: Ice Skating in Bryant Park

Last year around this time, I met up with my sister, mom, aunt and 2 cousins in New York City for a little Christmas girl's trip. I started recapping our Big Apple adventures last January, but somehow fell off the wagon when the seasonal affective disorder started ravaging my body. Before the harsh German winter begins taking its toll this year, I figured I better share some more from our magical NYC experience!

One of the activities high on my Christmas in NYC bucket list was ice skating at Rockefeller Center. After pushing and shoving our way through the thick crowds of tourists the night before, we opted to try our luck ice skating at one of NYC's other famed rinks. When we hopped off the subway at 42nd Street, we were met with THE LONGEST LINE EVER for ice skating at Bryant Park. Needless to say, I was crushed. I thought there was no way in heck my family was going to wait in line with me just so I could fulfill some silly bucket list dream. I think my sister and cousins could see the disappointment in my eyes, because much to my surprise, they happily braved the line with me and we got our chance to skate in NYC! My mom, aunt, and cousin Lindsay opted to sit this one out and enjoy our ice skating adventure from the sidelines. There was a small Christmas market going on around the rink, so they shopped and drank hot chocolate while my sister, cousin Ashley, and I huddled together in line. Even though the lines were long, the rink was crowded, and the fees to skate quite expensive (I want to say it was something like $15 per skate rental and $8 to hold your bags...yikes), I so enjoyed slipping and sliding on the ice in Bryant Park! I hadn't ice skated in years, so the ratio of slipping and sliding to actual skating was quite high. Made for lots of laughs, though! If you find yourself in New York City at Christmas and have the patience of a saint, I highly recommend ice skating Bryant Park. It's a once in a lifetime memory I'll cherish forever!

NYC: Central Park Photo Stop

The last time I visited NYC (circa 2003), I totally missed out on seeing Central Park. We were only in the city for 1.5 days to do touristy things and the rest of our trip was spent doing mission work in Queens. During our NYC Girls Trip this past Christmas, I made sure we spent some time strolling through the park, even if we only covered just one tiny corner of it. I'd love to come back and see Central Park in the springtime. It's just not as lovely in the dead of winter. But we did have some fun goofing off with the camera, watching the kiddies feed ducks, and pretending to push each other in the pond (nice family, right?). I also came home with a ridiculous amount of pictures of The Plaza Hotel. I was so excited to see it in person after being jealous of Kevin McAllister all these years. I told my mom that one day D and I were going to come back, stay there, and order gobs of ice cream and a limo with a piping hot cheese pizza inside. She thought I was kidding. Just about 2 seconds later I walked over a quarter, picked it up, handed it to mom and said, "Keep the change you filthy animal!" She believed me then.

*linking up with Helene for Travel Tuesdays!*

NYC Eats: Penelope

The morning of our second day in The Big Apple, we were being all kinds of indecisive about breakfast.

"I need coffee...and eggs."
"I want to sit down somewhere...I don't want just a bagel!" 
"Well, I definitely don't want a square bagel...that's just not New York."
"I don't want to walk too far."
"I want alcohol."

That last request was mine, obviously. So, we pulled out our trusty friend, the iPhone, Googled 'best brunch in midtown NYC' and BOOM!...Penelope's saved the day. Penelope is a small, albeit ADORABLE, establishment with a big fan base, so we knew we might be in for a bit of a wait, especially for their yummy brunch menu. We stood outside on the cold NYC streets for about an hour before finally getting a table, but I have to say...it was worth the wait! I all but scarfed down my 'Sam I Am' eggs, hash, and refreshing Pomegranate mimosa. Another to-die-for brunch selection? The Punkin' Waffles. Out of this world! And with a price point of just $15 including your choice of mimosa, coffee, or juice...it's a NYC brunch STEAL! If you find yourself hungry and indecisive in The Big Apple, make it a no-brainer and head on over to Penelope. You can thank me later. :)

NYC: An Empire State View

Rounding out our first night in NYC was a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. We were expecting there to be long lines and crowds of people waiting to make their way to to the top, but happily there were no lines to be found. We simply walked right in, purchased our tickets, and up we went! I don't think we could have picked a better night to see the city from the sky. It was a clear night and not too chilly, so it made the hour of photo taking I spent there even more delightful. I enjoyed having my sister with me to point out different parts of the city that I otherwise would have missed. She's turned into such the New Yorker, and I love it! It was such a nice treat to share this experience with the rest of my sweet family, too. Something we'll all remember for years to come! Up next, Day 2 of our NYC Girls Trip! If you missed any of the Day 1 recaps, you can find them here, here, & here.