It's Christmas Time in the City: A Holiday Tradition

Both Connor and I grew up just 40 minutes outside of the city (coming from opposite directions), so you’d think this takes the magic out of New York City. For me, a trip into the city was just like a normal outing to see my eye doctor on Park Ave, Sunday brunch at Isabella’s, or a visit to the treasure trove of museums during Museum Week. Despite the regularity and easy accessibility to the Big Apple, Connor and I have made it tradition to make a trip to the city after my incredibly late finals finish. It started from last year when it was part of my birthday present when I thought it was clever to ask for Christmas for my birthday in October. And as an avid lover of Gossip Girl, it wouldn’t be Manhattan without a sprinkle of my favorite Manhattan socialites in the experience.

Getting into the City

If you’re planning to squeeze a trip into the city around the holiday season, it is no surprise that literally everyone else has this on their agenda. Here are some money saving tips for transportation.

Get into the city early. This is a pretty obvious tip to avoid the crowd (food, museums, etc), but if you go in early on a Sunday, you might be able to take advantage of free street parking all day. My family has always managed to find a spot by getting in before 11AM and you’ll avoid gridlock this way.
If you prefer garage parking, most garages honor an early bird special of about ~$21 before 11AM, or book a spot using the icon parking app - it’ll be cheaper and save you a lot of frustrating aimless searching.

Central Park

We’ve managed to take a stroll through Central Park each time we’ve gone to the city because it has been in between the parking spot and the museum of choice. Last year, I really wanted to visit the Pulitzer Fountain were Blair and Serena had a fun photoshoot (season 1) and stand under the same arches in the beautiful Bethesda Terrace where Chuck and Blair hurriedly wed (season 7) so she could not testify against her husband. This year, we watched Home Alone 2 before coming into the city, which was based around the Plaza hotel and featured many scenes in the Park. I love the touch of nature that the Park provides, as well as its annual holiday market that includes an assortment of local art and food stands from around the city.

Museums

The bulk of the time that we spend in the city is always at a museum. Last year, Connor and I chose the Frick Collection which is easily accessible from Central Park and a lot smaller than we anticipated. The museum has a curated collection of artwork, as well as a special exhibit located at the bottom of a spiral staircase, but only takes an hour or two to admire everything. This year, we went to the Museum of Natural History, also right off of the Park and about a mile away from Times Square. Though packed, we visited their impressive taxidermy collection in which I had never processed the fact that the animals looked so real because they were truly alive at one point. The only way I figured it out was because at the bottom of each plaque, the person who prepared the animal was acknowledged which got me thinking as to what “prepared” meant. My other favorite halls include the one with giant whale and the hall of biodiversity. I was impressed by how the museum delved into a lot of subjects covered in my Anatomy class (ie counter current mechanisms, how the man of war is made up of multiple organisms, and energetic tradeoffs). Next year, we’ll have to hang out on the steps of the Metropolitan to complete the gossip girl experience, but I would also highly recommend the MoMa and Whitney.

Connor, mimicking the highly mobile pharyngeal jaw of eels, necessary for capturing prey much bigger than their mouths.

Rockerfeller Center

It simply would not be at trip to the city without a visit to the tree. Connor and I always visit during night time to get the full effect of the Christmas lights, so we head over after the sun has gone down and we’ve exhausted the museum. They say it’s about the journey and not the destination, but I think it’s the best of both worlds in this case. We always walk down Fifth Ave where all the luxury department stores have Christmas window displays and ginormous sparkling wreaths. Last year, we went into Tiffany’s and rode the elevator up to the different floors, Henri Bendel, a childhood favorite and iconic for its brown and white stripes, and Bergdorf Goodman. Despite the pushing crowds and waiting for the walk sign at each block, there is something that adds to the holiday spirit in which we’ve all gathered to this place for a magical moment.

Bryant Park

After seeing the tree at Rockerfeller Center, Connor has tried for two years in a row to find his favorite cranberry Bavarian cider in Bryant Park, but has yet to succeed. Nonetheless, Bryant Park has an outdoor skating rink and its own big Christmas tree adorned in blue lights, as well as a holiday market. Because it is a little less crowded, I prefer it to the one in Central Park, and it also features a lot of patio seating to rest your feet and enjoy a snack from the food stands.

Din Din

To grab a quick snack, it is so hard to find a place to eat without a line during the holiday season. For this reason, Connor and I usually warm up in a tavern because we have not had an issue without finding seating. This year, we also had some spare time before dinner reservations, so we went to an Irish pub called O’Donoghue’s in Midtown for a drink and a snack before the main event. We couldn’t wander in my friend Hanna’s neck of the woods without a visit and so we met up with her and her boyfriend at one of their favorites, Butter. I was initially excited for Butter because of the executive chef is Alex Guarnaschelli, a judge on one of my favorite Food Network shows, Chopped. I later learned that Butter was the classic school night hangout spot for drinks (zoom ahead to (0:40) in gossip girl. Notable dishes include their decadent gnocchi mac, a perfect balance in rich sauce and pillowy gnocchi, and their raspberry beignets, airy, fluffy, and filled with fresh raspberry sauce. Be sure to note that the fish on the menu, branzinO, is not branzini, to prevent you from looking like a fool. The service was absolutely incredible and it was the perfect, sophisticated midtown experience to bring in the holiday cheer.

Appetizers that we dined on included spicy cavatappi pasta, gnocchi mac, and a crispy brussel sprouts salad.