NYC Christmas 2013
It has been quite a few years since Maggie and I made it back to NYC for Christmas but this year we were determined to get the boys in to see the tree. Our day started out with an early morning train ride from my parents house on Long Island which got us into Penn Station a little after 8. After a quick sprint across the street and into Macy's we were in the elevator on our way up to the eighth floor and into Santaland. After about a 30 minute wait we were on the train to see Santa. I have to say the line moved faster than expected and was a much better experience than being at the mall. A quick swipe of the credit card to buy a family photo with the jolly fellow and we were on our way back outside to start our hike up Fifth Avenue to see all the holiday window displays on our way to Rockefeller Center.
I have to say that the window displays were not that impressive. Aside from Macy's and Lord & Taylor's I don't think there was a single store that I was really impressed with and it certainly wasn't what I remembered from growing up. Be that as it may it is more about the experience than anything else as walking down the city streets with the smell of chestnuts and the hint of snow in the air really brings me back to my childhood.
After about fifteen blocks and a quick stop for some pancakes and eggs the boys were real excited to see the tree. However, nothing could keep there attention for long as they knew the FAO Schwarz was just a few more blocks uptown. FAO Schwarz was a madhouse and already had a line out the door to get in. The boys enjoyed seeing all the toys but we couldn't wait to get out of the crowds and back into the less crowed city streets.
All-in-all we had a great trip and hope to continue the tradition throughout the years.
If you are interested in the route we took you can find the details below.
Macy’s Herald Square
151 West 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
Lord & Taylor
424 Fifth Avenue at between 38th and 39th Streets
Saks Fifth Avenue
611 Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets
Rockefeller Center
30 Rockefeller Plaza between 49th and 50th Streets
Henri Bendel
712 Fifth Avenue at 56th Street
Tiffany & Co
727 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street
Bergdorf Goodman
754 Fifth Avenue at 58th Street
FAO Schwarz
767 5th Avenue at 58th St.
Barneys
660 Madison Avenue at 61st Street
Bloomingdale's
59th Street and Lexington Avenue