We took a trip to New York City over Christmas break and it was such a wonderful trip! We went with our best friends and our kids and couldn’t have asked for a better trip. I’ve put together our itinerary (that Wynn created!) and linked up all the spots along without reviews. Certainly recommend visiting NYC at Christmas time! We put together our NYC Travel Guide for the first of hopefully more visits to come.
Where We Stayed
We stayed in two different hotels (points!) and they were both beautiful locations right across the street from one another. We would highly recommend both locations! Both are Hyatt properties, which are always great because of the points that can be used and are favorites for us.
Thompson Hotel Central Park – our friends stayed in this one – and they loved it. We had drinks in the downstairs lounge and it was giving speak easy vibes, plus the drinks were great. It was right across the street (down a few yards) but not too far away at all.
Park Hyatt Central Park – we stayed in this one – the room was a great size, and the bathroom shut off entirely as well as having a frosted shower and water closet doors. There were two wardrobes and a safe which were great features as well. The service was spectacular, between the doorman and concierge we always felt welcomed and safe. They even went above and beyond with a “letter to Santa” station where they sent us a letter back along with coloring sheets confirming they would send along to the North Pole. It was such a sweet touch! The location was right in the middle of everything without feeling too busy also. Overall, wonderful choice!
Where We Ate
Carnegie Diner & Cafe – This was right down the street from our hotels, and was an easy choice for the first night. The sandwiches were good, the portions were huge, and the atmosphere casual. Perfect after a day of travel!
Broad Nosh Bagels – this was a local recommendation and was such a hit! The bagels were massive, and incredibly fresh. Smoothies were good, and coffee on point as well.
Legasea Bar & Grill – We chose this location as it is a part of the Tao Group, so it was an easy choice. Drinks were great, atmosphere was good and certainly family friendly!
Tao Uptown – Tao is our FAVORITE place and we’ve been to several locations so we naturally had to go here in NYC. The one in LV is still the best, but this one was on par.
What We Saw
The Lion King at the Minskoff Theatre – We picked this one for the kiddos and it was a great choice. We tried to book Frozen, but it wasn’t an option unfortunately. I always loved the Lion King, and the music was on point and the costume design was fabulous! It did drag on a bit, and the general consensus was that it could have been a bit shorter. I’ve seen a few other shows on Broadway athat I would choose over this one, but for the kid.
The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall – I won’t lie, I was super excited about this show, but was a bit worried that about the kids enjoying it. And man I was wrong – it was by far the whole group’s favorite! Phenomenal!
Where We Visited
Rockefeller Center Tree – OK. We had a beautiful experience at the tree as a group that was quite memorable! The tree was decorated to the nines, and was beautiful. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the slight disappointment that the view of the tree was itself. We were so far away it really was underwhelming. It seemed like to get close enough you had to make a special appointment or something which was a bit much.
The Statue of Liberty – We opted for a distant view from the Castle Clinton National Monument and it was just what the kids needed. A quick sighting, before moving on to other adventures around the city.
China Town – One request that Glenn (and Luke!) had was to visit China Town – especially for some dumplings. We found the tiny little shop called Fried Dumpling – where there were literally just several different dumplings and the lady just asked “how many people?” and they were AMAZING. China Town in Boston still takes the cake, however.
Little Italy – We popped over for lunch at the BEST little pizza shop Nolita Pizza.
The Harry Potter Store – The was a BIG request from Brian and I (and Emma too!) and it was such a great experience. The detail was incredible and the butterbeer delicious. We CAN’T WAIT to head to Orlando for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter after this tiny taste of magic.
We of course had to visit Times Square and various city spots including spots from Gossip Girl, The Plaza Hotel (b/c Home Alone), Central Park, The Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefellar Center to name a few. Quite honestly, there was not enough time to do all the things and see all the places in the city! (For instance, we didn’t make it to tea, the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial, The Met, Grand Central Terminal, Madison Square Garden
Macy’s – Naturally, we had to do a little shopping and sightseeing around some of the beautiful stores downtown. The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park was another beautiful spot we visited as well a quick stroll down 5th Avenue.
Wollman Rink NYC – Central Park – Ice skating was a big hit! The kids did so well! It was hilarious to see the difference in locals versus tourists, though, and the stark difference in skill level in those who regularly see ice and cold weather. One note; we bought tickets online (which did not include skates, but you were able to get separately) but there were a few misses in the process. Though we had a time, that was not the time to enter the rink – we still had to get in line once we got there so that was a bit odd – we ended up waiting about 30 minutes after we got there, which was about 10 minutes before our ticket time. We skated for 45 minutes-1 hour (which was plenty of time after walking the city all day) and were the last group on the ice. It was pretty crowded, but we never felt like we were going to loose track of the kids. The only “scary” part were the teenagers/young adults wiping in and out and trying to chase each other/do tricks that were constantly falling or diving on the ice that I was afraid they were going to knock us over. It was certainly a must do, however, I might advise picking a different time of day in the future!
Overall, we had a WONDERFUL time visiting NYC, and would certainly make the trip again!
Where would you say is your must see NYC destination?
