Christmas in Manhattan

     My husband and I have always wanted to see New York City at Christmas.  We celebrate our anniversary and my husband’s birthday over the Thanksgiving weekend, so this year we decided to cross off a bucket list trip.

     We got an excellent deal through Expedia for a direct flight into Newark and three nights/four days at the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue.  Also, thanks to opentable.com I was able to research, make all of our dinning reservations ahead of time, send to my calendar and map them out on my phone.

     I made arrangements through Leon Limousine Service (914.636.0406) who is used by many friends and associates to meet us at Newark Airport.  Victor, the owner, was waiting for us and drove with skill and care to the city.  We had never been that route before and were able to see the Statue of Liberty, the new Freedom Tower and the sights along the Hudson River.

     We arrived at the hotel in time to check in and admire the grand lobby.  The receptionist told us that as we were Hilton Honor Members we would receive free Wi-Fi and two choices from the minibar daily.  The bottled water from the minibar alone is worth the few minutes to sign up for hotel perks.

     We changed and caught a quick bite to eat before our scheduled “Holiday Light Tour” on the Gray Line Double-decker Bus at 6:30PM which I had reserved online weeks ago.

     While walking up 49^th Avenue towards 8^th Avenue, you could hear wondrous Christmas music.  Surprisingly we were in front of Saks Fifth Avenue and their magnificent 'Winter Palace' window display and light show with accompanying music was in process.  It was truly amazing and you can view the different store windows through this link.  

     Further up the street we came upon the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree which opened the night before.  Ice skaters whipped around the rink and crowds stood and gazed in awe.  It was truly a memorable site.

     We checked in at the Gray Line offices and choose a seat on the top level so we could get a good view and clear photos, as the weather was clear and tolerable.  For two hours the bus drove us around to see all the department store windows and displays.  There are longer tours available, however I found two hours was plenty, especially as most of the time was spent in stopped traffic.  The guide was informative and the driver did an incredible job of maneuvering that large bus through unbelievable traffic.

Park Avenue

Tiffany's

     After our trek back to the hotel we enjoyed a night cap at the very busy lobby bar - the Peacock Alley Restaurant - which had a very good wine list.

     The next morning we found one of the many coffee shops and had coffee and a banana, as we had an early lunch reservation at Del Frisco’sGrille in Rockefeller Plaza.  We ordered cocktails and I have to say the margarita was one of the best and strongest I’ve ever had.

     The steak salad with Gorgonzola and fresh bacon was delicious.  Husband had roasted chicken over mashed potatoes.  The decor was trendy and comfortable.  I really liked this restaurant and would recommend it for lunch.  

     We walked around the corner to get in line for our 1PM Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  I have wanted to see the Rockettes for 40+ years.  We had bought our tickets online and had them in hand when we were ushered into the doors.  Our bags where searched and our bodies frisked before entering the lobby where a grand chandler hangs and staircases lead to the different levels. 

     There are several gift shop areas upon entering in addition to refreshment bar areas offering cocktails and food.  You can have your photo taken with a Rockette to remember your visit.  We set off to find our seats which were on the third Mezzanine almost middle front row end – perfect seats to see the whole stage.  We had amply leg room, which I found interesting compared to all other Broadway theaters I’ve been in.


   
     The 1.5 hour show was truly spectacular and did not disappoint.  It included everything from a NYC bus to a live manger scene including camels, sheep and a donkey.  I cannot comprehend the hours of practice the performers must go through.  Every step, every line was perfect!

Macy's

Macy's

     After the show we took a cab ride to Macy’s which I found crowded and overwhelming.  After being accosted by the 10^th perfume salesperson, we decided to stroll back to the hotel.

   


     We avoided Times Square and ended up in Bryant Park which we’d seen the night before on the bus tour.  There were many stalls of artsy vendors set up for Christmas shopping.  We enjoyed a beverage at the outdoor bar before window shopping on Madison Avenue.

     Upon return at the hotel, exhaustion convinced us to cancel our reservation at the recommended Trattoria Dell’Arte across from Carnegie Hall, as we simply didn’t want to deal with the traffic.  We decided to eat at the hotel steak house, the Bull and Bear.  The nice Irish Maitre'd gave us an excellent private table in the very busy establishment.  I was extremely pleased, as there is nothing I dislike more than to be seated only inches from other dinners in cramped areas.  As I was still full from our early lunch, I enjoyed a small filet which was cooked perfectly and hubby had the filet and lobster with creamed spinach as a side dish.  We were not disappointed in our choices and afterward slowly limped back to our room.

     The next morning we decided to order room service – my FAVORITE part of vacation – as we had lunch reservations at noon.  Our pot of coffee and pastry basket arrived.  I heard from across the room, as my husband flipped the pastry basket napkin open, a loud curse word.  A roach had crawled out of the napkin fold.  After killing it, he called to complain.  Many apologies and three pastry baskets that I really had no appetite to eat followed. 

Bergdorf Goodman Window

Bergdorf Goodman Window

     Prior to our noon lunch reservation, we left in time to take walk through New York's famous Bergdorf Goodman department store - which was having a sale.  With nothing in my price range, we moseyed through Central Park to Tavern on the Green for lunch.  I was thrilled to learn that they had reopened in April of 2014, as I loved the ambiance of the Crystal Room and masculinity of the Hunting Room.  The food had been good, but I wanted to return to experience the old world romance of the beautiful Murano chandeliers hanging in the glittering Crystal Room.

     I was sorely disappointed to find that the restaurant has been completely redone.  In an effort to restore the establishment to its original facade of a sheep barn, it now resembles a trendy cafeteria.  I hated it.  The beautiful Crystal Room is now a glass box which on this glorious sunshiny New York day was more like a microwave oven.  After moving to three different tables to avoid direct glare from the sun, sunglasses and sunscreen we enjoyed a view of Central Park.

     To drown my sorrow I ordered a golden margarita and reviewed the menu.  Again to my disappointment the offerings of about 20 items consisted mainly of breakfast egg items rather than luncheon items.  As I hate eggs, my choices were quickly narrowed to Caesar Salad, salmon with aioli sauce (mayonnaise being my second most disliked food) or a burger.  Rather than following my instinct and ordering the salmon, I took the waiters recommendation and ordered the burger – a rare occurrence for me.  It was good, but later in the evening was so ill we were forced to cancel our dinner reservations. 

     Back through Central Park, we ventured into the Plaza 'Food' Hall in search of a restroom.  To our surprise, the whole bottom level is now a gourmet market and food court.  If only I'd known about that sooner!  Before heading back to the hotel, we checked out Bloomingdale's where I pointed out to my husband the Chanel purse with a price tag as much as some new cars.  He didn't leap to buy it for me!

     Not feeling well, with regret we cancelled our dinner reservation at Glass House Tavern, which I had picked because of the 4.2 stars from reviewers.  Hopefully next time!

     The next morning, still recovering from a rough night, we got up and found a French pastry shop and enjoyed fresh pastries and coffee for breakfast. 

     Upon returning to check out we reviewed our bill.  Unbelievably we had been charged for the room service ‘experience’ and the waters from the minibar we’d been told was included as Hilton Honor Members.  This is when I decided to add to the list of complaints regarding our room:  safe battery was dead and therefor unusable, towel rack in bathroom was broken, minibar waters had not been restocked but once in our four day stay, telephone on night stand didn’t work and the noise from the street coming through the A/C unit was unbelievable.  Even though we were on the 7^th floor, I could hear every auto, train and I’d say boat horn and smell every street vendor and exhaust fume for miles.  A huge disappointment after staying at the Waldorf in Boca Raton where everything was perfect.

     At promptly 11AM, Leon Limousine’s picked us up and we were at Newark Airport in 30 minutes.  We checked in and enjoyed a lunch at the Vanguard Kitchen which we ordered from electronic tablets at each table.  Being a gadget guru, I really liked that. 

     With exception to the few issues, we had a wonderful time and could not have asked for more perfect weather.  Seeing the Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was worth it and we are truly glad we made the time to experience Christmas in New York!