I LOVE Christmas in NYC.
They shopping, lights, decorations, and window displays are all amazing.
Once again, I will work on posting photos - need those visual aids!
Shopping: Two words: shopper nirvana! The city is hopping. Immediately after Thanksgiving you can feel the difference in how many people are in the city. The stores are packed and the subways are really busy. So many people come here to shop, on the weekends they even arrive on special bus tours. The shopping really is amazing, so I don't blame anyone - I have come here for Christmas shopping myself. You can find anything in this city. A favorite activity for me is to browse the Holiday Fairs at Grand Central, Bryant Park, and Union Square. They each have tons of unique products at great prices. One of the more popular booths this year is knit caps that have ear flaps that turn in to braids. The hats are adorable, I really want one - but they make my head look really round and funny. I keep trying them on, thinking maybe this will be the knit cap for me - but I always end up disappointed. They are great at keeping your ears warm, maybe when it's really really cold it just doesn't matter if your head looks funny.
Lights/Decorations: So many buildings, stores, hotels, and nice apartment building have decorations up for the holidays. Lots of big garlands and wreaths with lights at night. The stock exchange even has a great display with an American flag made out of lights. The Empire State building even gets lit in red and green for Christmas. Of course one of the most spectacular sights is the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. The tree is covered in lights and topped with a Swarovski crystal star. The star sparkles so brightly. An addition to the scene this year: The GE building (which sits directly behind the tree) has huge snowflakes projected on the front of the building and they fall down the front of the building to the top of the tree.
Window Displays: I've only viewed the Saks windows so far. Lots of sparkles - I'll have to do a separate post on the windows, to give them proper credit. Another weekend project!
