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Christmas Time in the City

 
The Time Warner center at Columbus Circle is decorated with Moravian Stars that change colors. Several times in the evening there is a coordinated concert of holiday music. 

This may be the post of the  A to Z Blogging Challenge that will take the most time to put together. I think I may have at least 1,000 pictures of New York City at Christmas. Some aren't blogworthy, but for every picture I selected there a dozen more that I could have used. I also got the lyrics to "Silver Bells" in my head and spent part of this rainy April afternoon listening to several versions of the song.

I chose a few "must-sees" and a few personal favorites. The lions of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue(below) are a personal favorite. I enjoy seeing Patience and Prudence dressed in their holiday finery. If you enjoy animal décor, last year the American Museum of Natural History welcomed visitors with decorated with topiary dinosaurs, also festively dressed.  



My absolutely "must-see" are the department store windows on Fifth Avenue. They start at Bergdorf Goodman at 58th Street and go down to Lord and Taylor at West 37th Street. Continue to 34th Street and you're at the Empire State Building. Turn right to Sixth Avenue and you arrive at Macy's. My favorite windows are at Bergdorf's, but I recommend the entire walk. It is crowded and at the peak of the season there may be a half hour waiting time at Saks Fifth Avenue. 

Another "must-see" is the Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is decorated with Eighteenth century Neapolitan angels and beautiful nativity figures. Christmas music is playing and it is a serene oasis in an often too-busy season.

One of the least serene places in December is Rockefeller Center, but it is festive, fun and a "must-see." This was a Saturday night in December, 2015 and this was as close as I could get to the tree.

The lights of Dyker Heights
 
I've shared my "must-see" sights in Manhattan and now we're going back to Brooklyn. The Dyker Lights are a must-see across the river. I've chosen one of my favorite displays, but there are blocks of homes and tens of thousands of lights. I've toured the area with friends and I've toured with the company whose link I provided, A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours. This area is not one subway stop from Manhattan and a tour may be a good alternative to seeing Dyker Lights and Bay Ridge, another neighborhood with great decorations.
 
This is one of my favorite houses, the "Blue House" in Bay Ridge.  
 
Our last stop is back in my Upper West Side neighborhood, The Mermaid Inn. It's one of the best seafood restaurants that is not at  a beach. These are this year's decorations. They were simple, but cozy and festive. The menu can be pricy, but there is a less crowded and fun happy hour with smaller portions of the delicious specialties.

I've been happy to share my must-sees with you. Despite not being a fan of winter weather, Christmas time in New York is one of my favorite times. With the proviso that you may be wearing boots and a down coat and there may be ice on the sidewalks, it is one of the best times to visit New York.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care.

 

7 comments

lissa said...

it is quite pretty when manhattan is all decorated. the blue light house looks so pretty. I like seeing the christmas lights up though I keep wondering how high the bill is for those homeowners. there is also the christmas tree near wall street, right in front of the stock market exchange, the tree is just as big as in the rockefeller center

have a lovely day.

Curating Beauty

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I, too, always loved the Christmas Tree at Wall St in Manhattan. Most of the parks also have pretty trees to see as well as Lincoln Center. The entire city is so festive.

When my children were young we always went to South Street Seaport at Christmas to hear the carolers sing and to visit the Santa Claus there. He was more "folksy" and easier to see than the Macy's on 34 St Santa Claus. I'm not sure South Street ever recovered from all the damage Hurricane Sandy did to it? One Christmas Eve when our children were young we went to 5th Ave to see the Christmas matinee Show at Rockefeller center, we visited FAO Schwartz Toy Store (now sadly closed), and St Patrick's Cathedral where we heard the choir practicing for service that evening, and then took a horse drawn carriage in Central Park. It was so wonderful! I think now little girls would want to visit The American Girl Doll Store on 5th Ave, which wasn't there when my daughter was young.

The month before I moved to Colorado it was Christmas season so I did a lot of visits all around to my favorite windows and sights one last time. I even went to Macy's on 34 St and visited Santa Claus...lol...and sat on his lap! Such fun memories!

Debby said...

I've been the NYC but never at Christmas. When I think of Christmas in NY I think of that one Home Alone movie, when he is in NY. Beautiful.

If you have time, stop over for a visit, at my blog post.

"Let no man pull you low enough to hate him" Martin Luther King, Jr.

#AtoZChallenge CIVIL RIGHTS Movement

Terra said...

The decorations are beautiful, the Blue House and the Pegasus and reflection are two favorites of your photos.

TARYTERRE said...

Those Moravian Stars match the light fixture over my bed. I would love to see NY at Christmas. Looks enchanting.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Christmas in your city is a beautiful time of year!

Mandy said...

The crowds at Rockefeller Center can be crazy at Christmas time!

With Love,
Mandy