NYC in late December - questions!

gwen10

O.G.
Mar 15, 2007
2,606
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Hi all! I am taking my daughter to NYC in late December - we arrive NYC on 12/27. Her birthday is Christmas Eve, so this trip will be part of her birthday/Christmas celebration.

I have the hotel booked (Sheraton Hotel and Towers - good location, nice, reasonable, and recommended) and play tickets (Wicked and Legally Blonde :yahoo:).

I have a few questions for those of you who live in NYC (forgive me if they seem like dumb questions :smile:):

Will the stores still have their Christmas window displays up?

Will the Rockefeller Center tree still be lit?

What museums should we hit and any tips for not waiting in line?

We have been to NYC in the past so have already done the normal tourist sites (Statue of Liberty, Rikers Island, Sex and the City bus tour (LOL) and we have always wanted to go back for more of a theatre/shopping/museum trip. We are both very excited!

TIA!

PS We are departing on 12/31 because I just don't think I could handle the crowds on New Years Eve and we traditionally attend a big party at home.
 
I'm not a new yorker but I have been for new years eve and yes the windows and tree are still there.

My handy tip:- It was very very cold but the shops all have the heating on so make sure to pack layers so you can dress and undress as needed
 
I would guess the tree and the store window displays should still be up, just because I think they're like all of us, a little slow in taking down Christmas decorations :P

For first time museum hopping, I recommend the Met and the Guggenheim. I have never waited in any long lines at the museums, but I never went during holiday seasons. Have a good trip, NYC is so much fun!
 
Hi all! I am taking my daughter to NYC in late December - we arrive NYC on 12/27. Her birthday is Christmas Eve, so this trip will be part of her birthday/Christmas celebration.

I have the hotel booked (Sheraton Hotel and Towers - good location, nice, reasonable, and recommended) and play tickets (Wicked and Legally Blonde :yahoo:).

I have a few questions for those of you who live in NYC (forgive me if they seem like dumb questions :smile:):

Will the stores still have their Christmas window displays up?

Will the Rockefeller Center tree still be lit?

What museums should we hit and any tips for not waiting in line?

We have been to NYC in the past so have already done the normal tourist sites (Statue of Liberty, Rikers Island, Sex and the City bus tour (LOL) and we have always wanted to go back for more of a theatre/shopping/museum trip. We are both very excited!

TIA!

I lived in NYC for 13 years and Christmas was always my favoite time of year.

The tree will still be up and I think all the windows still in tact. One of my favorite things to do was to check out the store windows. Macy's, Saks, Bloomies etc... If you check out the windows on the 6th ave side of Macy's those are always the best. be prepared to wait in line though. There are alwasy stantions up.
The tree is beautiful and although it gets crazy around there its easy to get a glimpse.

Just walk down 5th Ave.

Ice skating is always fun. I always wanted to go at Rockafeller Center but never did. I did however go in Central Park. The rink there is bigger thus less congested. I don't know how much it is but its cheeper.
you get an amazing view of the city over the tree tops in the area of the park. Even if you don't skate check it out.

I haven't been to a museum in years but check out the Metropolitan museum of art...

Wicked is Wonderful and Legally Blond is Great fun. you will enjoy them both.

if I can think of anything else I will let you know.
 
We just returned today from NY and we did the met and the guggenheim this year. It took us roughly three hours to get around the guggenheim, although there is reconstruction going on so it might take longer when that's finished. With the Met, I would suggest checking some of the areas that you really want to visit. We were there for hours and hardly saw any of it-it's huge!
They are both great museums.
 
Will the stores still have their Christmas window displays up?

Yes, they stay up until after New Years.

Will the Rockefeller Center tree still be lit?

Same as above.

What museums should we hit and any tips for not waiting in line?

You could probably hit up any of the museums because most people go in the warmer weather. I would look on the different websites for MOMA and Guggenheim museums to see what special showings they will be having at that time.

We have been to NYC in the past so have already done the normal tourist sites (Statue of Liberty, Rikers Island, Sex and the City bus tour (LOL) and we have always wanted to go back for more of a theatre/shopping/museum trip. We are both very excited!

:roflmfao: You went to Rikers Island??? You probably could get a free ride there if you misbehave!

Have a great time.
 
oh yes! NYC at christmas time! it's the BEST time to go and i LOVE it! i'm always there a couple days before christmas to stay over a few nights and celebrate my birthday also!

yes, the tree will be up till about the middle of january. skating rink there until middle of april. window displays still up, everything still up. don't know much about the museums because personally it's not my forte, i just play in the stores and hit some AWESOME restaurants and bars along the way. i've been spending a lot more time in manhattan as of late...everytime i go i love it more and more!!!!
 
We went to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular and it was great fun....I suggest you go if you haven't been inside Radio City Music Hall yet.

Great idea! We will do this for sure! That gives us Wicked and Legally Blonde on Broadway plus the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall - perfect! Thanks so much!:heart:
 
I would also recommend the Museum of Natural History if you have never been. The Hayden Planetarium within the Rose Center for Earth and Space has some wonderful shows that you both would probably enjoy.
 
yep, definitely you can go to rockefeller center and watch the ice-skating (it's frigging crowded there, especially around christmas/new year's). but wollman rink is a lot more fun for ice skating, and i think citibank might make another ice rink in bryant park this year (it's a huge square at 42nd and 5th that they built a makeshift ice rink for last year).

also, the MoMA for modern art is tons of fun. i honestly don't get modern art, some of it is gorgeous, some of it is wacky, and some of it (to me) utterly ridiculous, but it's so much fun and right near rockefeller center (if you want to visit a bunch of places in the same location, which i highly suggest since nyc is hard to get around during that time. cabs are reeeeally hard to get around the rockefeller area, and subways are kind of a hike depending on where you are, so if i had limited time to visit nyc i'd try to hit sites that are all in the same area.)
 
yes the displays are still up and the tree is still lit. as for museums go to the MOMA, Guggenheim, Met, Natural History. To get discounts have her show her student ID all she would need to give is a donation of any amount. If you have any friends in NYC see if their companies over employee perks to museums. My company lets me take up to five people for free to the museums in the city.