New York City, December 12, 2022

 

We flew to New York City to join Rath and James on their annual anniversary trip, and to see what the Big Apple is like during Christmas time.  It was spectacular!

   

The weather held up for us, staying between 28 and 40 degrees.  That's do-able!  We wrapped up with layers and good shoes, and walked everywhere.  We were staying just south of Central Park, at 52nd and 7th, and we did our best to explore as much of Manhatten as we could in a 5 day period.

Our hotel was quite tony, and I will say it was a welcome home after being on our feet all day!

This place is magical!  Time Square was an endless feast for the eyes.

  

We stopped by to see the Ed Sullivan Theater.  Stephen wasn't in at the time. :-(

Gallery shopping was on our to-do list.  We were immersed in art, and it was fabulous.

  

Walking the streets, taking in the architecture.  Stunning.

 

We always visit churches when we come across them on our travels.  This was St. Thomas Episcopal Church, just a few blocks away from St. Patrick's Cathedral.

  

And then of course, here's St. Patrick's.

  

We went window shopping on 5th Avenue.

  

Jo Malone in the perfume department is always a destination.  Sweet!

Here's my favorite window dressing.

Rockefeller Center is a must-stop.

As we were making our way back to 5th Avenue, a dance troupe hopped out onto the sidewalk behind us, and followed us up the way.  That was surreal.  And great fun!

Our first show we saw in town:  Eddie Izzard solo performance, enacting Great Expectations.  Amazing. We had seats in the front row.

  

Night time Christmas lights and window dressings were spectacular.

  

How about a morning walk in Central Park?

We needed to ground ourselves, down to the Ground Zero exhibit and the Oculus Center.

  

 

 

Visiting the 911 Memorial and touring the Museum is a must.

  

We need a peek at Lady Liberty, so we head to the harbor.

    

And there's New Jersey across the water.

The cityscape is breathtaking!

  

Subway ride, yep also a must.  Here's our handsome hosts, taking us back downtown.

We're seeing our second show, "The Book of Mormon."

Central Park is so beautiful!

 

Onward to the MoMa!

  

Wandering around, taking in all the beautiful paintings, and then suddenly, I'm in front of Starry Night.  It was like running into your first love at the mall after 20 years.  A sudden heartbeat skipped, and  then you feel giddy all over.

  

I wish we never had to leave this building.  I felt like all our best friends lived here.

  

  

How about we visit the Guggenheim too?

  

Interesting!  But we found the building more exciting than some of the exhibits.  No worries!  This town is just so rich in art; you feel like you have landed in the Mecca of the art world.

  

We also visited the Frick Museum.  Outstanding collection!

And for dinner, we found a spectacular Thai restaurant out by the Frick Museum.  What  magical day!

   

Let's head back to Times Square!  This pesky Ice Princess kept following me around, so I snapped her picture.

 

  

  

There are so many things going on at Times Square!  Performers everywhere.  And everything is so colorful!

  

While we were taking in the sights, a group from Nepal paraded around us, making their presence known.  The best way I can describe wandering around Times Square in the daytime is as if we all lived in Whoville, and were all crying out to Horton, "We are here, we are here, we are HERE!!"

What a fabulous place!  And a great time to visit, right before Christmas.  Thank you Rath and James for letting us crash your party, and showing us around this beautiful city!