Things were decidedly quiet on the blog over Christmas because Neil and I were in New York!
With no Disney marathon on the schedule in January 2014 we figured this would be a great opportunity to go somewhere exciting for Christmas. We pounced on super cheap airfare way back in March, plus we got a discount on our hotel by paying in full early (also way back in March). That made our trip to New York during an expensive time of year a little more budget friendly.
We flew to New York on December 25th. Along with every other tourist in New York we attempted to see the tree at Rockefeller Center that night.
We then feasted on Peking duck at Peking Duck House. It was a pretty great way to spend Christmas Day!
On December 26th we visited the Top of the Rock at night for a beautiful view around New York City. It was busy, windy and cold, but I loved seeing the Empire State Building all lit up at night.
We wanted to do one really fancy dinner on our vacation. Neil and I are huge Top Chef fans and it is always a highlight when Chef Eric Ripert is on the show. Neil managed to snag a reservation at Chef Riper’s restaurant, Le Bernadin…at 10:15 pm! This had to be one of the best experiences we had in New York.
On December 27th we spent a big chunk of our day at the Natural History Museum. I loved the origami Christmas tree!
We then went back to the Top of the Rock (thanks to a Sun and Stars ticket) shortly before sunset to enjoy the amazing views.
The next day we made our way to Brooklyn to visit the New York Transit Museum. It was amazing to read about how the subway was constructed and to see all of the old trains. It was only $7 to visit the museum and was well worth it!
We also visited the Brooklyn Brewery. There was a fairly long line to get in, but it moved swiftly. Beers were $5 each and we were able to get on a free tour of the facility. All the beers we tested were delicious and the tour was a lot of fun. This was our first trip to Brooklyn and there was so much to see!
We crammed so much into our visit to New York! Near Times Square on December 30th…because we wouldn’t be getting near it on December 31st!
The police gathering outside our hotel on December 31st to help control the crowds that would grow north of Times Square (at 53rd and 7th).
At 3 pm the crowds were all the way to 50th Street.
Gussied up for our New Year’s dinner out!
So that’s all the fun stuff we did in New York! Coming up I’ll talk about how I kept up my workouts while we were on vacation…including a race report for my first race in 2014!
What did you get up to this holiday season? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s!
Oh goodness, so darned jealous.
This trip looks wonderful. I love NYC and I’m always looking for new things to do there. The brewery and transit museum look good. We have tagged Roosevelt Island (not sure if that is the name) for our next visit. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge was one of my favorite things there. But I have never run in Central Park and was very jealous of your photos on Instagram.
I’m a bit if a Ripert Fangirl…(mostly thanks to Anthony Bourdain). When we were in Philadelphia a few years ago though, we could either go to Morimoto or Eric Ripert’s restaurant (that Jennifer Carroll was at) as our big splurge. I’m sure Ripert’s was great, but I’m glad we ended up at Morimoto. I still think about it 🙂 Plus, now I have an ‘excuse’ to try to get into Le Bernadin at some point.
Looks like you had a great trip!
What a great place to spend the holidays! I miss NYC and hope I can get back there some day soon-ish.
I actually spent the holidays at home for the first time in years! It was nice.
I have never been to NY, but it looks gorgeous (yet cold) this time of year.
Wow Leana! What a truly amazing trip especially over the holidays! I loved Top of the Rock as well even though it was quite foggy when I went, but it looks like you got some truly amazing views 🙂
Glad you two had fun in the city! Planning 9-ish months in advance! I’m much more of the last-minute purchaser…