It’s the holiday season and a lot of people are heading out of town. Not that there aren’t plenty other people here taking their places on the sidewalks of New York. Still, with the investors checked out, people off visiting families or heading south for some sunshine and warm weather, it’s a good time for you to kick back and enjoy what the city has to offer.
We live in a veritable winter wonderland and this is the time of year when New York is ablaze in holiday light and all dressed up in its holiday best. And you know New York – there always some place to go. Here are some suggestions on some sights and activities that just might strike your holiday fancy, and since we do know that you do prefer certain things on ice, there are three suggestions for ice skating rinks that are not the same old, same old.
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Bryant Park Ice Skating Rink
It’s a great place to go to catch some free movies on a summer’s night, and come winter, Bryant Park is converted into a 17,000-square-foot outdoor rink. Bryant Park Ice Skating Rink is free and open until 10 pm – late by most standards, but this is New York. Oh, you do have to rent skates (or BYO). No need to bring your flask of holiday cheer – Celsius is right there and a very cool place to warm up or otherwise imbibe.
Image credit: CC by Patrick Nouhailler
NY Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show
You may have to get there by subway, but the NY Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show is worth the trip. More than a dozen large-scale model railway trains traverse nearly a quarter-mile of track across rustic bridges, along overhead trestles, through tunnels, and past cascading waterfalls. And of course, there are those trains that wind their way around familiar New York City landmarks as they traverse over 1,200 feet track.
Image credit: CC by Patrick Nouhailler
The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City
The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City has been a seasonal tradition since the early 20th century for tourists and locals and, if you’ve never seen it, it’s a part of New York history. Added bonus: You’re right around the corner from the Rockefeller Center tree. Don’t bother with tickets for the observation deck (unless you feel the need). Go to the bar and enjoy the view and a beverage to warm you on a cold winter’s night. Go ahead! Be a tourist for an evening!
Image credit: CC by vishpool
South Street Seaport Ice Rink
We know that there’s an entire downtown contingent that rarely ventures above 14th Street (or tries to avoid it, at least), and good news! There’s a skating rink at South Street Seaport! It’s not free, but it is open until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and if you live in neighborhood (10038, 10004, 10005, and 10007 zip codes), it’s 50% off admission and rentals.
Image credit: CC by Rich Mitchell
Holiday Windows
Shopping in Midtown during the Christmas season is always a trip. And while you might not want to venture inside any of the stores, given the crowds, you might want to check out the store windows themselves. Boomingdale’s, Saks, Bergdorf, Barney’s, Lord & Taylor, Bendel’s and Macy’s are iconic stores renowned for their legendary Christmas window displays. The light show at Saks should be seen at night.
Image credit: CC by Stacey Huggins
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Going for Baroque
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the great art museums of the world, gets into the holiday spirit every year: it’s Christmas tree is decorated in a baroque style with original Italian ornaments. It’s in the Medieval Sculpture Hall inside the museum at 82nd and Fifth.
Image credit: CC by Kaitlin
“Made in New York” In Gingerbread
Every year, top NYC restaurants and bakeries create “Made in New York”-themed gingerbread structures for display in the atrium of Le Parker Meridien hotel. This year’s Gingerbread Extravaganza runs through January 4. The exhibit is free, and you can vote for your favorite creations by donating $1 to receive a ballot as well as entry into a raffle to win a 5-night stay at the Le Parker Palm Springs. Donations go toward helping City Harvest rescue and deliver food to feed hungry fellow New Yorkers.
Image credit: CityHarvest
The Lights of Dyker Heights
There’s always the lights of Broadway, but Times Square is Tourist Central, and a spot all New Yorkers try to avoid this time of year, especially on New Year’s Eve – unless you’re watching the ball drop from a friend’s home or office, of course.
This year, make sure to catch the Lights of Dyker Heights. It’s a traditionally Italian American neighborhood that goes all out, when it comes to Christmas displays. They’ve been immortalized in documentaries, and you can even catch a tour that leaves from Manhattan – cannolis included.
Image credit: CC by Dov Harrington
The Standard Rink
Yeah, we know that The Standard Hotel is cool, and did you know that there’s an ice skating rink there? The Standard Plaza, the only public square of its kind in lower Manhattan, sits in front of the hotel at the corner 13th and Washington Streets. It’s not free, but it is open till quite late: til midnight, in fact. Fridays and Saturdays until 1 am.
Image credit: Lorena H.
Midnight Run in Central Park
Yes, as in New Year’s Eve – December 31 – and what better time and way to get started on that resolution to get healthy than to start the year with a four-mile run that commences at the stroke of midnight?
Since New Yorkers do know how to make a night of it, the fun and dancing start at 10 and go until 1 am, just behind the Bandshell, and there’s even a 15-minute fireworks display to light up the night and ring in the new year. All for free.
Note: running not required, but if that’s your cuppa, visit the NY Road Runners website for the details. If you decide to sit it out – or just go for the free fireworks – best place is just south of 72nd Street, and there’s nothing like fireworks at midnight!
Image credit: New York Road Runners