xxxx

Looking for a great location in either the USA or Europe to spend Christmas and NYE, any help?<BR>Could you explain why you love that destination for the holiday season.

Sherit

I think NY is the most magical. Great food, lots of sights, incredible Christmas Spirit, great decorations, you'll never be bored.

Ellen

How about spending Christmas in NYC and NYE in Boston, home of the original and best First Night celebration, with scores of exciting things to do?

bruce

Have to agree with the other person who liked New York. Can't be beat especially for Christmas Spirit. I have never spent New Years Eve, but it looks like one heck of a good time. <BR> I have been to NY frequently at Christmas, this past year was the best. Stayed at the New York Palace, a great hotel. Did the Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City, strolled through Rockefeller Plaza, dinner at Le Bernardin (not as good a LeCirce, in my opinion). <BR>Email me if you would like more info. but I would suggest NY.

mj

Yet another vote for NY City, especially if you've never been here at Christmas.<BR><BR>I live in the NY Metro area. Over the years, family ties and business have found me in London, Hamburg, Munich, Turino, Luzern, Vienna and several US Cities during the holidays. All are simply spectacular at the holidays, but (and this is biased, I know) there is _nowhere_ I'd rather be than NYC. <BR><BR>If your heart is set on travel for the holidays, The Big Apple, IMHO, will imbue in you a Christmas Spirit like no other place on earth, except for Bethlehem, Holy Land that is <BR><BR>4 of my siblings have moved out of state or the country. Every year or two, at least one, sometimes all come back, with family in tow, to NYC for a dose of Christmas/New Year cheer.<BR><BR>It's tough to beat Rockerfeller Center at Christmas. With St. Patrick's Catherdal on on East side and Radio City Music Hall on the west, the entire area is awash in lights. A walk down 5th Ave from 59th to 34th Sts, aside from seeing beautiful retail store displays, gives one a chance to view Christmas in other countries as 5th Ave. is home to many foreign tourist boards and they seem to compete for the most elaborate window display depicting Christmas in their country.<BR><BR>And there are literally 100s of other places to see just in Manhattan alone; Central Park, Lincoln Center, the Met, just to name a few. <BR><BR>And where else can you pay $1.50pp for a trip to another country for Christmas? Hop a subway to another boro and visit one of ethnic neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, 'da Bronx or Staten Island. We go to Greenpoint for Polish Christmas and the Woodside for Christmas in Ireland.<BR><BR>Where ever you decide to go, have a great trip.<BR>hth,<BR>mj

xxx

Thanks for the advice on NYC. Any other great places to visit for christmas? Is Switz. and Alsace region a nice Christmas locale? Easy to get around or roads difficult to drive?

Sheila

Edinburgh for New Year. Christmas anywhere your family is

Jane``

I live in NYC and NYE is freaky here unless you have a lot of money to spend at really exclusive hotels and restaurants. Sure, there is spirit but you will be spending the night with over-zealous tourists, the NYers are either out of town or hold up in their apartments hiding from the craziness. If you are crazy enough to go to Times Square your evening highlight will be finding a bathroom to use and if you go to the bars you will have to fight your way through the drunk, screaming 21 year olds from the burbs. I love NY and I live here but on NYE I try to get the heck out of here. This past New Year's I had to work so I spent the night being awakened by the sound of vomit splattering on my sidewalk out side my window. My advice, come to NY for Christmas then go to Paris for NYE.

c

I haven't done this but dream of it-Christmas in London, staying in a really fine hotel . Then chunneling to Paris for New Years Eve. Maybe someday~

brrrrrr

Ice hotel for Christmas (you'll never forget it - sleeping on reindeer skin beds, drinking out of ice glasses).<BR><BR>New Year in Edinburgh.

Andrea

The year before last, we decided to go on a vacation over Christmas & New Year instead of going home. We wanted to pick a place that would be really "Christmassy" - and thought that the perfect destination would be Switzerland. (We're city people, not scenery people, so we were thinking of the city lights of Zurich, not the mountains).<BR><BR>Well, as it turns out, it was a poor choice for that time of year. EVERYTHING is closed from about 2 days before Christmas until several days into January. Those "crazy" Swiss seem to want to spend the holidays at home with their families instead of working to earn an extra buck from holiday shoppers! (Heavy sarcasm intended). On December 23, Zurich was absolutely, positively a ghost town. NO people on the streets, NOTHING open. Beautiful, granted, but deserted.<BR><BR>We hopped on a train the very next morning to Milan and spent the rest of the trip circling back to Zurich - by Jan 3 things were just starting to open back up.<BR><BR>I have heard the MOUNTAINS are a great place to be for the holidays, but if you're looking for "Christmas in the City," I don't think Switzerland is your best bet. <BR><BR>Milan, on the other hand, was gorgeous. We were lucky enough to catch a light snowfall on Christmas Eve, and walking around the duomo (that looks like it's covered in a thousand icicles itself) and the narrow shopping streets was wonderful. Museums were open, too, as were restaurants and shops.

m

Another vote for NYC! I have spent two Christmas seasons in NYC and it is so great! You can spend hours walking up and down 5th Ave looking in the store windows and then then go to Rockfeller center to get an awesome view of the tree. For NYE, go to New Orleans. It is warmer, and you can listen to some great jazz in Jackson Square. It is so fun, without the craziness of NYC!

Judy

I saw a special on PBS from Bavaria this past Christmas. I was really enchanted by the place. It looked like my "ideal" of every Christmas. Just an idea, Judy

arista

Don't listen to that Jane person, she's a fuddy-duddy on all the posts. And her graphic descriptions are rude and unnecessary. <BR><BR>New york at The Holidays is great fun but so is London.

r

Christmas in Santa Fe is very special. There are traditional events at the pueblos and in town that are unique in the U.S. Very lovely. <BR><BR>I have spent Christmas in London, many times, and love it. Staying at Brown's or the equivalent (I also like the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge) is very Christmassy and shopping in London is very satisfying. This past Nyer's eve and Christmas we were in Paris and that, too, is very charming. <BR><BR>If you don't want to go that far New York City at Christmas time is one of the best. I used to live in the West Village and window shopping on Bleeker street with soft snow flakes coming down is one of my happiest holiday memories.

J

For New Year's, I vote for Madeira, Portugal. It is a small island off the coast of Morrocco. Warm, sunshiney, wonderful people and a party that lasts all night, plus the best fireworks display that I have ever seen. We spent Christmas in Obidos in Northern Portugal...also wonderful but quiet. My all time favorite Christmas was Montserrat in the Carribean, but that is not an option any longer!<BR>Enjoy!