"I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food." Erma Bombeck
Day 1
We came for the food, well... I did. After watching an ad on facebook for deep fried pickles, hand tossed in Pickle Me Pete's own secret spice recipe, my taste buds took me on yet another journey. A trip to Manhattan ensued. My expectations rose with each passing moment, much to my daughter, Tas's, dismay, as she too often witnessed my cliff falling let-down, time and time again. As soon as we dropped our bags off in the room, Tas had to speed up in order to stay by my side as I raced to Bryant Park's famous outdoor Christmas Market, where Pickle Me Pete was stationed. With each eager step my heart beat faster, like a crescendo in a musical score, until, rounding a corner, I saw my journey's end. The cymbals chimed. Closer I rushed, pondering my good fortune of no line-up, until my reality struck, crashing all of my unrealistic high hopes. "I'm sorry, we're closed for the season," he said. "But I came all the way from Canada," I muttered, half-expecting him to make me my very own batch. "You can buy a jar of our pickles," he offered, to which I had no reply. Slouching, I slowly turned, and shuffled away, my spirits falling off the cliff. I could hear Tas sigh, and not because of the pickles.
Rebounding quickly, 'The Donut Project' made me smile again and I was thankful for their fun creations.
As our hotel, 'Hotel Mela', was situated close to Times Square, we spent the evening strolling around, ducking into the shops to stay warm, taking in the sights, and being part of this spectacular square, which is more like a circus show.
Not to be missed is the large M&M's store with a wide variety of flavors to choose from. Tas and I both filled up bags so we could sample each one.
Day 2
"Everything's magical when it snows. Everything looks pretty"—Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls, Season 1, Episode 8, Love and War and Snow)
Day 2 brought us to Macy's, the iconic department store loaded with options - there are 10 floors to explore! Rain drizzled all day and there was something magical missing - snow! Still, it was easy to imagine the festivities of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade happening here. Did you know that the Macy's parade is the world's largest and one of the world's oldest? Fun fact: In 1946, parts of the movie, Miracle on 34th Street, were shot live during the parade.
After Macy's we took the advice from the lady working at Lush to eat at Roastown Coffee, and were happy we did - the food was so authentic and delicious!
That evening we experienced another fantastic food encounter dining at John's Pizzeria on West 44th St.
Don't be fooled by the exterior, this pizzeria is housed in a stunning, old tabernacle gospel church, with a stained glass ceiling.
Day 3
Preferring to be outside to see as much of Manhattan as possible, Tas and I opted to purchase Hop On, Hop Off tickets from a seller on the street. (There are many, many sellers on the street, so don't worry if you didn't pre-order your tickets.) One good thing about riding the Hop On Hop Off bus in Winter is that you're likely to have the top all to yourself!
On suggestion from a friend, we hopped off the bus in Littly Italy to try the Italian restaurant, La Mela. This place definitely made me feel like I was at my Grandma's eating her mouth watering homemade Italian meals.
More Hop On Hop Off bus photos...
Later that night, we walked over to the Rockefeller Center Skyscraper to view the city from - 'Top of the Rock Observation Deck'.
Have you ever watched the movie, Home Alone or Home Alone 2? It's a staple in our house as it's Tas's favorite Christmas movie. Parts of Home Alone 2 were filmed on location in NYC. The brightly decorated Rockefeller Christmas tree, where Kevin's mom finally finds him at the end of the movie sits at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, amongst beautiful angels blowing golden horns. For more about the incredible history of this tree, go to this website: https://www.rockefellercenter.com/holidays/rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/
On the building of Saks, located on 5th street, directly across from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, you will discover a 10 minute light/sound show that pays tribute to Home Alone 2 with the Ukranian folk song, 'Carol of the Bells'. So, grab a coffee and sit or stand amongst the brightly lit angels to enjoy this incredible, free, event.
Day 4
Deciding to walk to Central Park, we weren't expecting, instead, to accept an offer from a pedicab driver to see Central Park from the back of his bicycle. We were happy we did. Our driver tucked blankets around us, took photos while we posed in front of important sights and gave us detailed accounts of famous landmarks. Other ways to see Central Park are: horse and carriage tour, walking tour, or renting your own bike. This website will explain it all and give you current rates: https://www.centralpark.com/tours
If you get to NYC and find yourself wanting to see a show, but didn't pre-book your tickets, don't despair! Same-day discounted broadway tickets can be purchased from a few locations. Today we stood in line under the red steps at Broadway and 47th
street. Once you're in front of the kiosk you tell the clerk your show option and then you will be informed of the best available seats at the time. We snapped up excellent seats for Paramour, Cirque du Soleil's first resident musical theatre show.
Day 5
I was grateful for all of the Starbucks gift cards Tas had received for Christmas. Everyday we warmed ourselves with a steamy cup of java, for there seemed to be a Starbucks on almost every corner.
It was time to go home and I was oddly excited as I always wanted to hail a cab like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. In my mind I was wearing a body fitting flashy dress, my fluffy, feathery scarf fluttering lightly as I delicately hopped forward, my high heels clicking on the pavement, my long, luscious hair moving seductively in tune, with my polished, delicate, hand raised, hailing the next yellow cab to come along, my other hand protectively parading my stylish Birkin. "Taxi," I called in a cheerful, song-like voice, knowing the driver would screech to a halt and consider himself lucky today. Instead, the driver that finally stopped, witnessed a frumpy, mid - 40s woman with frizzy hair sticking awkardly out from under her black winter hat, a long black coat hiding any curves that once existed, man boots that clumped loudly, as she hollered something unintelligible, smiling oddly, like she was stuck in a dream.
Helpful Websites:
NYC The Official Guide - https://www.nycgo.com/
I Love New York - https://www.iloveny.com/
Bryant Park Holiday Shops - https://bryantpark.org/eat-drink/holiday-shops
Times Square - https://www.timessquarenyc.org/
Macy's - https://l.macys.com/new-york-ny
Big Bus Tours (Hop on Hop Off bus) - https://www.bigbustours.com/en/new-york/hop-on-hop-off-new-york/. This company has maps of their routes online and don't forget to download their handy app.
Rockefeller Center - https://www.rockefellercenter.com/
Central Park - https://www.centralpark.com/
Broadway tickets - https://www.timessquarenyc.org/broadway/how-to-buy-broadway-ticket
Location and hours for same day discount broadway tickets - https://www.tdf.org/nyc/8/locations-hours
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