It was the weekend before Christmas and it felt like everybody in the entire hemisphere was out shopping in Manhattan. I had a lot of Christmas shopping left to do, so on Saturday I was up early (afternoon) and excited to get going. Armed with my credit card and shopping list I started at Central Park and Fifth Avenue. The plan was to walk down Fifth, shopping and admiring the window displays.
I was not let down! It was unbelievably busy - the streets were swarming with people. The NYPD were out and had police tape up at the lights to stop people from crossing at the wrong time. There were barricades to prevent shoppers from walking on the road. It was nuts. I spoke to some British tourists who argued that not even London Christmas shopping crowds could compare to this.
I loved the window displays, they were incredible. The lights and decorations were so great I kept stopping and causing busy (and angry) shoppers to collide into me. On two occasions I was hit by one of the street vendors pushing their carts along.
I could not help but stop and peak into Tiffany's to check out the decorations. It is breathtaking inside. I felt like I was stepping into a set from a movie. The staff are super happy, friendly and strangely rehearsed "Welcome to level two, where dreams come true!"
Further downtown on 34th Street, Macy's was something of a spectacle. I have never in my whole life seen that many people inside a store. One shopper phrased it well - "It's the one time of year tourists and locals alike flock to the same places with the same goals."
There were long queues to board escalators and guards and the top and bottom controlling the riders. I am ashamed to admit I found this such a novelty that I took a ride to the same floor twice. It was too much fun to only try once! On my second trip up I overheard two shoppers talking:
Shopper One: I saw a coat upstairs and it looked just like 101 Dalmatians! I want it so badly!
Shopper Two: Isn't the point of 101 Dalmatians that you aren't supposed to want the coat? The puppies would have to die for the coat! That's why Cruella De Vil was the bad guy...
When my arms could hold no more shopping bags and my credit card was getting tired, it was time to go home. I was quite reluctant - the crowds were such a tourist attraction that I could have cruised Manhattan shopping hot spots all day.
Christmas would not be complete without a visit to the New York City Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. (Well look who has let the city get to her head). Eager to experience the famous ballet, Noodles, Lizard and I booked tickets for a Sunday evening.
We met in the early afternoon at Lizard's apartment then headed to the Upper West side for brunch. The place I chose was called Isabella's. As with all good brunch options, there was a large group of people outside enduring a long wait in the cold for a table. Anything for a good brunch! In the name of getting a table, we chose to sit outside in the heated area. The food was great and coffee and cocktails were included. Perfect!
Finishing up brunch with plenty of time to spare before the show, we took a slow stroll down the west side of Central Park. We stopped at Starbucks and picked up giant cups of gingerbread latte. We sipped away in the park. There is a Starbucks on every corner in New York, so it always perplexes me how many people there are inside! I am enjoying their holiday editions, however I still argue that there is something inherently wrong with the whole Starbucks coffee concept. I found this Macchiato picture on their website and couldn't help but laugh.
That just is not a Macchiato...
After our Starbucks we headed over to the Lincoln center where the ballet was being held. We found the David A Koch theater and picked up the tickets. Outside there were some young boys with their cheeks painted rosy red doing ballet moves.
Me: What's wrong with those kids and where are their parents?
Lizard: I think they're in it! You just insulted the performers!!
While we waited for the doors to open we had a sticky beak at the War Horse movie premier outside.
Inside the lobby of the theater is gorgeous. I have been there before to see the New York City Ballet's production of the Seven Deadly Sins. It was even more beautiful than I remembered.
We had to climb a lot of stairs to get to our seats. I find that whenever I go to see a show the usher says to me - "just keep goingall the way up the stairs!" So up we went. When we thought there were no more stairs to climb we handed our tickets over to the usher, who surprised us by taking us to another secret stairwell. At the top we went through a curtained door well and to our shock we found amazing seats!
Our seats were single file in a box with only five other people. We had an incredible view of the stage and entire theater. At first their was a little bit of dizziness being so high up. Looking down we could watch all the people. The children were adorable. The little boys in suits were so cute. The girls were even sweeter in their velvet dresses with sashes and huge bows in their curly hair. They were all so excited to be there.
The ballet itself was brilliant. The music, the costumes, the dancing. It swept me away. The little girl in front of me loved the music and was pretending to be a conductor throughout the show. For the next few days every time I closed my eyes I could hear the wonderful sounds in my head.
It was such an amazing show. The dancing blew me away. The effects were impressive - the sleigh flying through the air and the Christmas tree growing to a monstrous size. The children dancers were very good too. My favorite part was the second act, when the little girl visits the land of toys and candy - the act inspires the imagination. I felt like a little kid as the performance transported me into a magical world.
The performance left me sleepy, happy and rested - like after a yoga class or a massage. I could go again and again. What a wonderful Christmas tradition. I wish I could adopt it as my own!
Christmas in New York has been romanticized in songs, books, movies and television for generations. In fact, over the past few weeks, I have discovered that despite growing up in Sydney, New York in December is the embodiment of what I perceive to be the perfect Christmas. From the Macy's Santa Clause on 34th Street, to silver bells ringing. The Rockefeller Christmas tree towers over the city and people flock to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the New York City Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. A white Christmas in New York City is what Frank Sinatra crooned about. There is nothing quite like Christmas in New York.
Christmas in the city begins immediately after Thanksgiving. The fall decorations come down and are replaced by magical green wreaths and trees. The pine smells amazing and the decorations are uniformally red, green and gold. There is no Christmas tree too big and no decoration too many. Evergreens that have been cut down are wrapped up and ready for sale to line the streets.
The trees that have lost their leaves and those that line the paths are wrapped tightly in fairy lights.
People everywhere are adorned in Santa hats and Salvation Army volunteers line the streets ringing their bells and singing for donations. Every store plays Christmas carols between the regular pop music. Even the radio throws in some Christmas hits.
Starbucks offers holiday flavors in red snowflake cups. Peppermint mocha, gingerbread, pumpkin spice and eggnog. On a cold afternoon Lizard and I tried the gingerbread latte. It was strange at first, but it warmed us up inside and the ginger was spicy and unusual. Since then, I have made it my mission to try each of the holiday flavors. I am yet to try creme brulee, but so far I am loving eggnog. It's amazing! It tastes like caramel and condensed milk. So good, so sweet. Sooooo many calories!
I took a friend to try American pie at Bubby's. We had the pumpkin pie and it was life changing! As much as I am craving my Nanna's fruit mince pies, I'm loving this American Christmas food.
The city streets are like a war zone with shoppers everywhere. Children are excited, running into walls and pressing extra buttons in the elevators. Parents are out adorned with thousands of bags and strollers. Crowds that flock to see the Rockerfeller tree and ice skate at one of the many outdoor rings are unbelievable.
The city went crazy this weekend with Santa Con, where most of the city seems to dress up as Santa (or an elf) and wander the streets. The city feels crazy with Santas everywhere. Good chance to save money on a picture of your kid with Santa though.
As with at home, there is sensitivity around Christmas being a Christian holiday. Unlike in Australia where we are given two days holiday, Americans take Christmas day alone. It is the only religious day that is given a national holiday. This doesn't stop the city from adorning itself in Christmas decorations. Of course, there are Hanukkah decorations too... if only to make the Christmas ones kosher politically correct.
Christmas trees are everywhere, so my visiting friend from Boston was surprised when I stopped to take a picture of the tree on Wall Street.
Boston: Why that tree? It's not even a good one!
Me: I'm not taking a photo of the tree! I'm taking a photo of the Menorah!
Why is it so small?
I love Christmas, but I should add here that I am not a Christian. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Family, food, fairy lights, shopping and presents! Santa Clause, Christmas carols, fruit mince pies and traditions. I just love it. So I think it's a bit much when people get sensitive about Christmas trees and magic puddings. Having said that, I was sympathetic when a Jewish friend told me about waking up on Christmas morning and stringing pop corn to a potted plant so that she too could have a Christmas tree. In contrast, in my Muslim household, we had everything but the Christmas ham.
This year I have enjoyed creating my own American style Christmas at home.
So now I can tick off Christmas in New York with a big joyful Merry Christmas! ... and Happy Hanukkah!
Bolt's first morning in New York City was Black Friday. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and while is is not a holiday, most companies (including mine) give employees the day off. Amazing!
The day in the US is essentially the equivalent to Boxing Day in Australia. It's all about the sales. I thought Australian's were hard core boxing day shoppers, but we have nothing on Americans. New Yorker's take Black Friday seriously. My colleagues spoke about lining outside stores at midnight and shopping until three in the afternoon.
The day's name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.[4] Use of the term started before 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that "Black Friday" indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are "in the black" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)
Bolt and I started the morning with a whirlwind tour of downtown. 9/11 Memorial. Statue of Liberty. Wall Street. Tick. Tick. Tick. She was a little disappointed by the Statue of Liberty. Is that really it? It's so small..
We then headed to SoHo to check out the chaos of the sales. I was surprised to find very few people out and about. Actually that is an understatement. It was packed, but no more packed than on any other day.... I suppose most people were at factory outlets... or sleeping after a long night of shopping!
Stores were decorated with balloons and had performances and give away's outside. Bolt scored a carry bag and some stick on nails. Another store was giving free taxi rides in brightly painted cars. With Thanksgiving over, Christmas was beginning. The stores had the decorations out and there were Christmas carols playing. I love it how New York manages to seamlessly transition from one holiday to the next! It makes for a fabulous time of year. It was great that Bolt got to see it all. She scored some boots on sale which I think made her weekend.
To celebrate the purchase, we finished the day with frozen Margaritas served in jars at Sweet and Vicious. Best Black Friday ever.
