12.21.2022

We have really lucked out with weather this week and enjoyed a chilly but sunny day!

We walked from our hotel to the Empire State Building and had timed reservations to go to the 86th floor observatory at 9:45.  

We really enjoyed walking the streets of the city.  So much to see and many storefronts were so decorated for the holiday.

The entire Cartier building was lit at night and looked like a giant gift.  So pretty!

Rockefeller Center

The New York Public Library

After showing our cards and ID we were ushered into the building where we able to take some time to go through the museum about the Empire State Building and how it was constructed.

It is 102 stories and was built from 1930 to 1931.

It is 1,454 feet tall which includes its antenna.

It is an Art Deco architecture and is a National Historical Landmark.   The first 85 floors contain office and commercial space.

Ess-a-bagel was a delicious lunch spot!  It had so many delicious cream cheese spreads and sandwich choices to choose from.  We got our lunch to go and ate it at a small local green space outside with the pigeons.

Famous Macy's Square.  The largest Macy's had such great window displays and decor inside and out.

We got some mid afternoon coffee and walked a bit in Central Park.  It was clearly not enough time to explore which is 2.5 mi long by 0.5 mi wide.  

It has exposed bedrock throughout, sidewalks, wooded areas and grassy lawn, lakes and a zoo.  There was an ice rink just inside the south entrance and many people walking, exploring or taking a carriage ride inside.  

The sun started going down around 4:30 and the city certainly glowed at night.

Our Rockettes show was sadly cancelled because of covid.  We hope to see it at some point on a return visit during the holiday!

I booked tickets for The Rink at Rockefeller Center a few months ago and I was really excited to do this!  The famed tree was really stunning and being there was just so fun!  Right before our slotted time at 5 pm they cleared the rink and there was an engagement!  Really sweet.

We had an hour time frame on the ice and it was so much fun.  Our feet certainly aren't used to the ice skating but we all stayed upright!

We ventured into Times Square!  There were tons of people there, loud, bright and many solicitors on the streets.  Fun to see, but we were all ready to get out of there.  Isabelle mentioned that she thought it would be so different!