December 16th 2018
Having a holly jolly time in the big apple~
New York City during the holiday season is honestly one of the most magical things because the whole city transforms in both big and subtle ways. This year was no exception. Similarly to last year, my friend Angie and I decided to take a little city trip to see the Bryant Park Winter Village.
I personally love the Bryant Park Village because it isn’t too over-crowded most days and you can get way closer to their tree than you could ever imagine to get to the Rockefeller Christmas tree.
However, before we made our way to the village, we decided to stop for lunch. It was a bit chilly outside so, although the village had food, we didn’t want to risk the limited seating and indoor spaces ruining our lunch. So, we decided to stop for some Japanese food at a restaurant called Azuki that isn’t far from Penn Station or the park so it was a win-win.
Azuki had great atmosphere and pretty great prices, especially for NYC. For an appetizer, Angie and I went for some rock shrimp, which were so good that I didn’t even take a second to photograph them. After the shrimp, I ordered a lunch bento box which was super affordable and came with so much food! (Pardon the crappy photo, I was too short to get a good angle)
After we were stuffed full of tempura, sushi, and shrimp dumplings, we made our way to the park. Before we even got a thorough look around, we made it back to the spot we took pictures last year and snagged a few good shots in front of the tree with the market in the background. Our spot is the best because no one really goes back there for pictures and I don’t know why because it really gives the best perspective of the tree and the whole village!
After, we decided to make our way closer to the tree for some other photos including some close ups. We spent a solid 20 minutes uninterrupted taking photos. When the crowd started to build up, we were on our next mission; to find me a great cup of hot chocolate.
That is when we stumbled upon the Max Brenner booth, which is a famous chocolate themed restaurant in NYC (and I think globally). Angie was super pumped because they had a syringe full of chocolate, but for me, I had my eye on the extra thick hot chocolate. It was pretty pricey for a small cup, however, I think it was worth it because it was honestly the richest and most delightful hot chocolate I have ever had. It was like Spanish hot chocolate but a little more creamy.
After enjoying our treats, we made our way back to Penn (which, I failed to mention before, was beautifully decorated for the holidays) and headed back home for the evening!
I am going to miss NYC Christmas a ton next year, but who knows! I may make my way back for a weekend of holiday fun!
Jess~
JessofEarth 
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