Must-dos for NYC in mid-December?
 

I'll be in NYC a few days in mid-December. I've been there a few times before and have visited all the major tourist destinations, but I've never been at Christmastime (mainly because of the crowds and costs). I'm traveling solo on business, and I'm arriving a couple of days early to have a little fun in the city.

My question - What are the Christmas must-dos in New York City? I'm staying at the Bryant Park Hotel, because it looks like there's a lovely Winter Village there, with food, ice skating, and vendors. I've got a ticket to Radio City Music Hall, so I can enjoy that show, see the tree at Rockefeller Center, etc. I was also thinking that I might venture up to 5th Avenue to see the pretty storefront windows, and I'll probably also hit a Broadway show or two, depending on what's available at the tkts booth.

What else? Keep in mind that I'm not used to the bitter, bitter cold (Southern girl!), so I'll probably have to take cabs most places. The Cloisters? I've never been there. Maybe return to the Metropolitan Museum of Art? (It's been a few years since my last visit there.) What do you guys recommend?

I have not been. But there is a miniature train village display at the botanical gardens, and that looks really neat:)


http://www.nybg.org/hts16m/


Please post a trip report! I'm jealous. I wanted to see the Rockettes perform but it's unfortunately done by the time I could have visited NYC so another year maybe.

There is so much to see and do, your plans should be around what interests you the most. Rockefeller Center and the store windows are a must. The view from 30 Rockefeller will give you a great view of the Empire State Building and the city--especially wonderful on a clear night. The museums all have some sort of special holiday display.

I would go to the 9/11 memorial and museum. I hear it is spectacular. It may be a little easier to get to be in an audience for one of the TV shows in the winter. Get tickets early.

What kind of things do you enjoy doing when you travel to a city?

The subway is a much more efficient and cost effective way to get around.
You can sign up for discounts at broadwaybox, playbill, and theatermania to avoid standing out in the cold.
I agree with the recommendation of the 9/11 Museum, which deserves 3 hours. Federal Hall, Museum of the American Indian and Jewish Heritage Museum are also in the area.
Have you been to the Frick Collection or the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art?

Agree about the subway. Taking taxis in midtown during the Xmas season can be a painfully slow way to get around. Take a little time to familiarize yourself with the subway and you'll reap the benefits.

I recommend the 9/11 memorial, though it's not designed to put you in an uplifting Xmas spirit. Get timed tix in advance.

As noted, you will have to wait in line at the TKTS booth. Consider other options for tix, or maybe get to the booth in the early a.m.

Bundle up! The skyscrapers block out warming sunlight and sometimes act as wind tunnels.

it is not "bitter, bitter cold" in mid-December. We don't get snow or below-freezing temperatures that early in the season. It could be in the mid- to upper-40s or even in the low-50s (though that may seem bitter cold to you). You'll still need a hat, scarf and gloves but you won't become an icicle. :-) I would also suggest thick socks which will keep your feet warm from the cold sidewalks. This always helps me to feel warmer. If you can't get wool socks where you live you can pick some up when you arrive. I think you will still be able to walk some.

The Bryant Park Holiday Market is wonderful. It's only a couple blocks from my office and I stop by at lunchtime a few times during the season. If you stand at the lower end, near the fountain, it is a beautiful photo op with the skating rink, and then the back of the Library, and then the tall buildings behind it. I would definitely suggest going to see all the holiday windows: Lord & Taylor on Fifth Avenue at 38th st.; Saks Fifth Avenue a bit farther north; Macy's on Broadway at 34th St.; even Bloomingdale's at Lexington and 59th St.

Enjoy!

TKTS does not open "early in the AM". It opens 10--2 for matinees and 3--8 for night performances (and doesn't cross-sell, which annoys tourists), and lines in mid-December are painfully long unless it's raining or snowing. The booth at South Street Seaport is open daily 11-6 for all performances and usually has shorter lines, but even though its downtown, it is not particularly convenient if you are visiting the 9/11 Museum since its on the opposite side of downtown Manhattan.

It's usually easier -- especially during the holidays -- to book your theater tickets in advance with a regular discount code, as all the New Yorkers have suggested.

Sorry ... I didn't finish my thoughts before I pressed SEND.

The three biggest time-wasters during the holidays:
1. TKTS lines
2. Taxis (always subway or walking, all the time)
3. Not planning ahead when you can.

The city becomes so crowded with tourists starting Thanksgiving week, that you really do have to make dinner reservations if you want to eat someplace good (though you can usually not do that for 1). Crowds are really heavy, especially at the major tourist attractions, at anything Christmasy, and particularly around Rockefeller Center, so you have to allow extra time to get anywhere. If you don't like really big, pushy crowds, it's not a good time to come.

If you haven't visited many of NYC museums, I wouldn't put the Cloisters on your must-do list. It will eat up a lot of time just getting to/from it and one of its purposes is to show Medieval gardens, which of course won't happen in winter. The M4 bus takes about 1.5 hrs one-way from midtown. Otherwise, you have to take the A subway line (which doesn't have a stop near Bryant Park) up to around 190th St or something and then transfer to the M4 bus. That wuold be less time than the bus the entire way. But there is plenty of Medieval art in the Met itself if that is your interest.

I would just put MoMA, the MET, the Neue Galerie, Guggenheim, Frick, as well as the Museum of the City of NY ahead of the Cloisters given it is winter and you only have a couple days. Or the National History if you like that kind of stuff, there are a few others, also (like NY Historical Society but I prefer the one on 5th ave)

Doug- is there a particular week that is less crowded than the others? I'd like to visit for the holiday stuff, but I already knew I had no interest in New Years.

The only week that is even remotely less crowded is the actual week between Christmas and New Year's. But the Christmas season is the absolute height of tourist season in NYC, when hotel rates double, everything starts getting hard to book, and crowds from around the world descend on our city. And it's a very big regional draw, so people in the immediate suburbs (or from as far away as Philadelphia) come in just for the day to enjoy the seasonal offerings. It's not all tourist from far away.

Last year, there was a break on hotel rates starting Christmas week, when you could find really good hotels for great rates through discounters. But if you want to see the city in its Christmas finery, you have to be able to accept that you are going to be doing it with alot of extra folks. This year, with Christmas on a Sunday, I'm not sure when that break might be, but I suspect it might include all of Christmas weekend.

The store windows are not pretty - the big ones: Lord & Taylor, Saks, Bloomies are fantastic animatronic displays worth of Disney. Also Saks has a light show on the front of the store. As well as the tree at Rock Center don't miss the skating rinks (consider a meal in one of the restaurants overlooking it - Sea Grill or Rock Center Cafe) and aisle of angels leading to Fifth Ave. Then head across the street to see St Pat's which is glorious.

Other famous trees:

The Met - antique neapolitan tree and creche
AMNH - an all origami tree

We always do the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center which is a great celebration of the holiday.

and yes, everything will be mobbed. Remember there will be 1.1 million NYC school kids on the street, many with parents with time off searching for ways to amuse them.

Following this too, as I will also be in NYC mid-December for business but will have a day and a half for fun and also have seen most of the major tourist attractions but not at Christmas time!

I have found discount codes for Something Rotten and Waitress (and others) on Broadway Box - are either of those worth seeing? Other recommendations?

Also, if I leave Manhattan (Central Park South area) at 4:00 pm on a Thursday, can I make a 7:30 flight at EWR, and what method of transportation do you recommend? All of this talk about extra crowds and congestion is making me a little nervous.

We were in NYC last year for the 2 weeks starting the 8th and then returned for 1 day a few days before Christmas. Due to our attending several plays and seeing our son's exhibit at the MOMA a few times, we were concentrated in midtown. Shocked at the crowds - not sure if it was the great weather last December - but it was just crazy! Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue to be expected, but extending several blocks out in all directions. If you know of some restaurants you really want to go to, make reservations soon.

Hadn't expected that, but I'm glad I know now! the regional crowds do make sense.

Owdo-Gace.... I dread going to my dentist. Not because of him, but his office is on Central Park South. Traffic there is always a nightmare. If I were you I'd call your hotel well in advance and get there advice on how to travel to EWR.
During December there are often what are called "gridlock" days when people are advised not to drive to midtown.

@Gwendolynn, oh my! I am attending a seminar, so if I have to leave a little earlier, I will. Is some form of public transportation a good option, assuming I have it well planned out?

>>it is not "bitter, bitter cold" in mid-December. <<

I have been there in mid-December, and have frozen my butt off.

Usually December is not deep winter yet - but you can get extra cold days - 20 degrees, damp and windy. Usually the worst weather is Feb - 2 years ago the average high for the month was 22 with a low near zero.

But Dec highs are usually much more like 40 - so not really cold.

Owdo.. it's been years since I flew from EWR but then there was a bus that left from the Grand Central area. Better to be stuck on a bus than in a taxi. A car service wouldn't be cheap but is the more sensible alternative to a taxi. If the bus is still an option you could take the subway at 59th and Lex (in Bloomingdales) to Grand Central. (Central Park South is really West 59th Street). In any event I would check with your event organizer or the hotel to get up to date info.

I have to agree with Vincenzo on the "bitter cold," especially for a Southerner.

I went to college outside NYC and felt very Holden Caulfield or something by going to the city to do my Christmas shopping.

I always froze, not because of absolute temperatures but because of the combination of wind and damp. In a city built on a grid, every corner is windy from one direction or the other. If that wind was also carrying drizzle or sleet, it was grim.

In general, Southerners don't get slush. In Richmond it snows, it looks pretty, it melts. The shock of stepping off the curb into slush up to my ankles is a memory I don't treasure. Will you get that much snow in mid-December? Not likely, but you can. Boots.

Will you enjoy yourself despite everything we have written? Absolutely! In addition to all the restaurants you have heard of, there are hundreds of great ones that you haven't. In addition to all the performances you can't get into, there will be hundreds of choral and chamber concerts by highly professional musicians that you can walk right up to.

My favorite image of NYC at Christmas is Mike and Kaye shopping in The Godfather. Everything about the glamour and beauty of the city -- and the cold weather -- is captured in those scenes.

You picked a great hotel location. Enjoy!

To get to EWR during rush hour the only viable way is to take the subway down to Penn Station (1 Train from Columbus Circle) then NJ Transit to the airport. That will take you about an hour. Any other way at rush hour during the Christmas season would be double. It's the cheapest option and the only one that makes sense.

doug... I recall the bus to EWR was easy and comfortable.. but agree that Owdo's situation calls for the train option.
And since she'll be on CPS Columbus Circle will be very convenient. I really don't envy her this trip. In fact, I have a dentist's appt. in December... think I'll cancel it -:)

I will take the train, and as long as I get there within two hours, I think I will be okay. Thank you all!

I'm not a fan of the midtown crowds so I tend to see the store windows from the bus, or I walk past them very late at night. Bryant Park is a lovely location at that time of year.

I love the Met in December because their Christmas tree and antique nativity are all set up.

Here are some of my recommendations on getting theatre tickets
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2016/...-for-less.html

Do the store windows late at night. We've been there (fairly recently) around 10:30 or 11 p.m. and could get "up close and personal" - no lines. Lord & Taylor are my all-time favorite.

"I'm not a fan of the midtown crowds so I tend to see the store windows from the bus, or I walk past them very late at night."

Great idea. I know what you mean. I don't like crowds either so I enjoyed Paris by flying over it in a plane.

I love this conversation! Thank you all for your wonderful advice and opinions! Based on this, I'm glad I'm at Bryant Park Hotel. It's already one of my fave hotels in NYC. At Christmas, I think I'll really enjoy the proximity of the Winter Village.

When I travel solo, I tend to visit museums, watch performances, and eat. Put that on repeat, and you have most of my solo trips.

Shows in advance - I'm fine with not seeing the "must sees." Beautiful is still on my list, as well as Avenue Q (off-Broadway). I've also heard good things about Drunk Shakespeare, which sounds HILARIOUS. (Other recommendations? I love straight plays as well.) I'll see what I can do to get tix in advance. Thanks for helping me avoid frozen lines at the tkts booth.

I'll gladly take your recommendations to skip The Cloisters this time and spend the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Check. I haven't been there in a few years, anyway.)

As a party of one, I doubt I'll make *too* many dinner reservations. Maybe just one or two for my must-dos (like the night I go to Rockefeller Center), and then eat on the run the rest of the time.

Hitting the shop windows late at night is a fab recommendation. Thank you! Will move my schedule around a bit to accommodate.

Other ideas besides Nutcracker?

Also, bundling up in 3, 2, . . .

<I don't like crowds either so I enjoyed Paris by flying over it in a plane.>


No need to fly over Paris NeoPatrick, I assure you most of it isn't nearly as crowded as midtown at Christmas ;).

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bradshawgirl1
The Jerusalem exhibit at the Met is really very interesting and the Beckmann in New York is good too. The Museum of the City of NY has just opened a new exhibit on the history of NYC which I haven't seen but is meant to be good.

The Merchant House Museum is nice if you're looking for something historical and I second the recommendation for the Frick and the Neue.

The Highline is quite lovely at this time of year and hopefully not quite as busy as when it's warmer. I like Wild Sons which is down at the end of it and has a charming feel, it's great for Brunch or a casual lunch

On the theatre front we just saw Othello Remix which is fun and we liked, a lot of the theatre we've seen this season has been rather disappointing or it was fine but nothing I'd really rave about (The Humans, Plenty, Poison, Roads to Home ) so I don't have lots to recommend and so far nothing that's a must see. Finns Rainbow was recommended to us and Love, Love, Love is on my list along with Coriolanus and Motherf with a Hat which both have great reviews on Show-Score.

I suggest the Today Tix app for theatre tickets or the Tix booth at Lincoln Center rather than the one in Time Sq. Why not enter the electronic lottery for Hamilton, it's unlikely you'll win but someone has to!

Have fun!

How does the lottery work - is it "day of"? We might have a free night on our upcoming short trip, can't hurt to try.

Lotteries are always "day of". Some are operated online (Hamilton), some require you to stand in line. Some are convenient, others time consuming. Most seats are on the front row, which is not the best place to sit for any show. Some are standing room. So you have to look at the rules and see what's what before you commit to doing the lottery.

Thanks - I've never even considered it before. The seats appear to be front row, which is of no interest to me (I'd rather wait).

I get where you are coming from @sf7307. The purpose of the lottery is to allow people who aren't in the 1% to see the most popular shows by giving them the least desirable seats for a really cheap price. If you can afford full-price tickets and have that luxury, you're correct in thinking you can always do better. But not for $10 to $25.

Following up - I have been to the Frick (and loved it). That may be a place I can return on this trip!

I went ahead and got discounted tix for Avenue Q, timed entry tix for the 9/11 museum, and a ticket for the Radio City Music Hall show. Also went ahead and pre-purchased a ticket for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as it may allow me to skip the line. There's a metro stop right around the corner from my hotel, so that's good.

Any ideas on what I can do on my last day in town while lugging my suitcase around? (To explain - I'm coming into NYC early for the weekend, then going to White Plains for a night on business, then flying back out of NYC - late - on that last day. So on the last day, I'm either in White Plains most of the day sans luggage, or I'm back in NYC WITH one rolling bag.) Suggestions? I'd love to go to the botanic gardens, but they don't check bags, and I'd hate to drag one behind me for the whole visit.

P.S. I also made dinner reservations at Lambs Club and db Bistro, as they look good and convenient to some of the shows I'm going to. I was surprised they took solo reservations, but Open Table accepted them!

You don't carry your bag. You check it at the hotel and pick it up immediately before leaving. Thus opens up all your possibilities and lets you do whatever you want. All hotels in NYC will hold luggage for you.

The long lives at the Met are not to buy tickets. That always moves quickly. There are two long lines: bag checks and coat checks. Avoid them by not carrying a bag and wearing your coat.