Bright Lights Big City

Today I wanted to share a little recap of my weekend in New York!  If you read Friday’s post, you know I LOVE New York during Christmas time.  There’s just something so magical about the city.  The hustle and bustle of everyone filling the streets to finish up their Christmas shopping, the festive window displays of all of the shops, the Salvation Army bell ringers who are SUPER enthusiastic (most blaring Christmas music), and the tree in Rockefeller Center – you just can’t beat it!

Friday night we met up with friends for dinner at Whitman’s and drinks at Drexler’s.  I highly recommend both!  Get the Juicy Lucy at Whitman’s and try the Beat Surrender or any of the craft cocktails at Drexler’s.

Saturday morning we started in Bryant Park at Blue Bottle Coffee.  Their iced coffee (the New Orleans to be specific) was outstanding.  We snagged a bagel from a little place next door and sat in Bryant Park to enjoy breakfast.  This time of year Bryant Park has a Winter Village that hosts an ice rink as its main attraction.  As I’m sure you’ve heard, it was close to 70 degrees in NYC this weekend, but that definitely did not stop the ice skaters!  There was a line wrapped around the park of people waiting for their turn out on the rink.

Blue Bottle CoffeeBryant Park

After fueling up, we headed up 5th Avenue.  We walked past Radio City Music Hall and the line of people waiting to get into the Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes.  We talked about seeing this iconic show, but we just didn’t have the time.  I saw it years ago, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a fun Christmas show to put you in the holiday spirit!  As we made our way up 5th Ave., we had to stop and stare at every window display outside of Saks.  Wow.  They are amazing.  The theme this year is The Winter Palace so everything is very regal and very white.

Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue

Next we made an impromptu stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It is absolutely stunning (inside and out)!  We checked out the window displays at Bergdorf’s, which are amazing.  It was hard to get any good photos of these, but they are super artistic and full of sparkle and bright colors.

St. Patrick's CathedralSt. Patrick's CathedralSt. Patrick's Cathedral

Next on my list of place’s to hit, was Ralph’s coffee for a little pick-me-up.  Ralph’s is actually inside of the Ralph Lauren store on 5th Ave.  It is the most adorable coffee shop you have every seen.  Obviously it’s very Ralph Lauren-esque.  The coffee hit the spot and the baristas were super friendly!

Ralph's Coffee

Probably my favorite part of the day was our stroll through Central Park.  The weather was absolutely perfect and the park is just beautiful.  It was nice to get out of the crowds for a bit.

Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park

For lunch, we popped into The Plaza, which has had quite the upgrade since I last visited years ago.  Just a side note – You aren’t allowed to enter into the lobby anymore unless you have an actual hotel key.  They now have an entire underground Shops at The Plaza.  There are tons of delicious food options if you’re looking for something easy and relatively fast.  We opted for ramen and dumplings.  It really hit the spot.

The Plaza

Our afternoon consisted of taking another stroll through Central Park to check out the boat house, which was adorable.  At this point it was starting to get dark so we made our way back down 5th Ave. to check out Saks’ amazing light show.  It was pretty neat, but I have to warn you, if you’re heading to NYC to check this out, be forewarned that there are a TON of people also trying to see the show.  It was a bit chaotic in front of Saks all the way to the tree in Rockefeller Center.  Definitely worth seeing, just be prepared.

Tree at Rockefeller Center

We ended the night with friends at one of my favorite little spots in the city, Trattoria Spaghetto.  This is a little gem in the West Village.  The food is delicious, it’s reasonably priced, the atmosphere is cozy, and the staff is always super friendly and welcoming.  Wine, pasta, and lots of laughs was the perfect way to end our day in the city!

 

2 Comments

  1. Chris Horne wrote:

    Ashley I just love love love reading about your adventures! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

    Posted 12.16.15
    • Ashlee wrote:

      Thanks so much Mrs. Horne!! Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!

      – Ashlee

      Posted 12.17.15

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