The Calm Before the Storm and a Little Surveillance

I find it necessary to write about this trip to New York somewhat chronologically because the scenery changed dramatically on the third day.  I don't want to be too confusing. 

So, there is just a little more calm before the storm, literally.

I'm not a huge fan of Ferrero Rochero.  However, Scott loves Ferrero's and apparently a lot of other people do too.  I have never seen Ferrero Rochero's so huge.  I should have had a normal sized chocolate for a point of reference.  This display is probably 8 feet tall.

Last year, when we were here at Thanksgiving we saw the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular and so we opted not to see it this time.  But I highly recommend it.  It's an amazing production. 

The show ends with a live nativity.  Complete with sheep, goats, camels, and, well, all of the other animals.

I could really bore you with all of the window display pictures.  But I will refrain from posting all of the crazy pictures.  But I really liked the handbag store with the champagne glasses.

Nothing high-tech.  Just giant ornaments and Christmas lights hanging out in Manhattan.

On our way home we took the subway and walked through the tunnel instead of up on the street.

  It was a little windy and very cold.

As we start walking toward the passage

 I notice a lot of signage stating that the tunnel was under surveillance. 

No doubt to deter craziness from happening underneath the street of New York.

As we walk further into the passageway I notice the mosaics on the walls.

They're all eyes watching us.  These eyes lined the tunnel.

Clearly this isn't the surveillance that was referred to.

But whoever was in charge of the art had a clever sense of humor.

Here's a little peace window in Tribeca on Christmas night.

Now that Scott has a view of the Empire State Building at night I sometimes ask him what color it is. 

If it's a color other than white, the ESB color, I look it up on the website.  In the past they've had it lit for the ING NYC marathon, for Autism, Hanukkah, and almost every night while we were visiting, for Christmas.



It's the Rock...The Magic Rock

I'm not sure what the top tourist destination spots are in New York City.  But if I had to make a guess it would be the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center.

Based upon real life experience if I had to guess the top tourist spot in New York at Christmas it would be "The Rock."  The magic Rock.

No doubt, the throngs of people in the picture below are tourists coming away from Rockefeller Center.

There were so many people, thousands really, on the plaza that I needed to raise my camera above everyone to capture the magical twig.  The Christmas tree that you are looking at has 30,000 LED lights and is between 75 and 90 feet tall.  The tree draws you in.  It's like nothing I've ever see before.  And the lines of people waiting to see it was somewhat like being at a World Series game (not that I would know, but I'm just saying... there were thousands of people taking in the magic).

The ice skating rink at the Rock was a very big draw on Christmas Day too.  There was a line from inside the rink, up the stairs, out to the plaza, around the trumpeting angels and down the other side.  Hundreds of people were standing in line waiting for their chance to skate underneath the Norway Spruce.

We did not stand in line.

We pushed our way through to find a spot on the edge that over looks the rink to see the Zamboni making the ice perfect.

See.  The tree just makes me want to take pictures of it.

Oh, the happiness on Christmas Day.

Nothing but smiles.

Maybe the magic of Rockefeller Center comes from this guy.

The gold statue of Prometheus who brings fire to mankind.

I don't know what it is but the statue is pretty cool too.

There were so many people that we really couldn't take a picture with the tree and us at the same time.

But if you'll notice the last picture I took of the tree has a random family in it...  I took the picture as we were walking away from the plaza.  Wanting to get one last look at the tree, I turned and took the picture.

It truly is a Rock.  A magical one at that.

In a Christmas State of Mind

For us, spending Christmas anywhere other than our own home was a big decision. 

 A big deal because I love Christmas and everything that surrounds it.  We are talking about familiar surroundings.  Not necessarily the surroundings of a big city with millions of people in it.  I will admit that I wasn't sure celebrating Christmas in New York was the best idea.  I wasn't sure that New York could offer me the same Christmas Spirit, if you will, that being surrounded in my own home offers me.

The decision was made.  The plane tickets purchased.  The bags were packed.

And once again, we found ourselves in New York City.  This time it was Christmas Eve.

Arriving at Scott's apartment was somewhat "Seinfeld-esque."  

We were living in Kramer's apartment, last door on the right.

A nice family lived in Jerry's apartment.

Christmas morning we woke up to a peaceful Manhattan skyline.

The Empire State Building in the distance.

We also caught a glimpse of the Manhattan Bridge everyday.

Are we really crazy to bring our dog on vacation with us? 

After opening a few presents, we were excited to get outside and hangout in the city.

Okay, I was excited to get out and about and do some adventuring.

Our first stop was the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center.

We checked the progress on the Freedom Tower. 

 The tower used to fit in my lense.  It doesn't anymore. 

I was surprised to see glass on some of the windows.  Very cool.

The weather machine says that snow is coming.

From the World Financial Center we took the subway to Herald's Square and began our self-guided walking tour of the Christmas window displays.

What I can say is that my camera doesn't capture the beautiful lights and the magic contained in the 2 mile walk...



And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”

“It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.

Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!”