Wish You Were Here: New York at Christmas- Blogmas Day 20

December 20th 2017

There is something so magical about the city in the winter~

I love my city. New York City has had a special place in my heart my whole life because not only is it incredibly close to home, but it is also a place I go to escape my every day life. New York City is my hub for concerts, Broadway shows, killer architecture, art, culture, food, and more. But what’s more magical than New York City…New York City at Christmas.

I feel so incredibly blessed to live so close to the city. Growing up and watching the tree lighting on TV then going to visit the tree with family and friends was always so exciting to me. My city is a celebrity. I get to watch it come alive on Thanksgiving for the parade, light up the Christmas season, and ring in the New Year. New York City really makes me so happy this time of year.

I made it my personal goal this year to try to make it into the city at least once to do some good exploring and see the tree. I love the way everything is lit up like I were walking down Mainstreet USA in Disney World!

Lucky for me, my boyfriend and a couple of my friends wanted to go as well so we made of day of it. Two Christmas sights I would recommend are the Bryant Park Christmas Village and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (dubbed “The Tree” by most people visiting the city)

This year was my first year ever hitting the Bryant Park Christmas Village and I have to say, I had a great time! There were dozens of shops and food kiosks with unique things from couscous to crepes to fried pickles to a place called Bavarian Llama Party that I am pretty sure did not serve llama, but it made me laugh anyway!

Above are some pictures of my friend Dan and I enjoying our crepes as well as a fried pickle skewer that was amazing! Bryant Park also had a Christmas tree that I would argue is prettier looking than the one at Rockefeller Center because it was all done up with pretty ornaments and things!

After we finished at Bryant Park, we ventured to Rockefeller Center which was PACKED to the brim. Which is yet another reason why I recommend Bryant Park. On the way to Rockefeller Center, they have the cutest Christmas decorations though!

Also, although I didn’t do this myself, there are ice skating rinks at both Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park that you can utilize if you’re interested! I’m not sure how much Rockefeller Center costs, but I know Bryant Park cost about $20 for skate rentals plus more additional fees probably!

Also, the picture above of my friend Angie and I started a trend among the people waiting to see the tree because after we got our cute shots, people started saying that they should take pictures over there and a line formed. Just call us trendsetters I guess!

Overall, I had a really fun day with people I really care about!

I would totally recommend going to NYC at Christmas time, but I warn you, it is crowded as heck. So if you are not a huge fan of congestion and crowds, then think hard before coming to NYC. However, I feel like the beautiful sights outweigh my hatred of crowds!

If I could encourage anyone to go to New York City at a particular time of year, I would either say fall time as the leaves change or Christmas when everything is bright and shiny.

How does your home celebrate the holidays!? I would love to hear about some cool Christmas towns to visit in the future and see some lights from all over!

Jess~