59 hours and a Plan -- Bright Lights Big City

So I made it out of Central Park as the sun set on Day 1 in New York, and I consulted my map and decided I could walk back to the hotel from Central Park.  The closer I got to Times Square, the more Christmas decorations I realized I was seeing.  This was the real reason I had to get to New York at this particular time -- the Museums and sights were on my to do list, but after seeing Boston one December and New York last New Year's Eve, I am convinced that nowhere looks more festive than the Eastern US at Christmas.

Perhaps it was just because the light was low enough when I got there, but Radio City Hall was where I saw my first Christmas lights, although I just now realized I should have stuck around the park a little longer to see if any of it lit up.

First lights at Twilight

After that, it seemed like there were lights and decorations every couple of paces outside of every office building.  So this blog will be a bit of a photo blog -- and I know at least one fan (OK, coworker) is looking forward to NYC Christmas decoration photos, so here they are.  There were giant ornaments....

sparkly...we know i love sparkly things

Giant string of lights...

I thought these were really cool

Giant reindeer....

OK, I was so tired AND excited that I can't even level the camera by this point

And then I knew I could take my tired little feet another 10 blocks south to Macy's...because the Macy's window displays at Christmas are almost worth the trip on their own.  So, I paddled along on in my little Sketcher "Go Walk" shoes, guaranteed by the sales clerk to be the safest bet for putting on miles without blisters when I went to NYC last year.  I had not eaten yet, being so happy to be in North America again that I was saving my appetite for a chain restaurant or fabulous hole in the wall place that I could feast in, but I hadn't seen any yet.  That meant I was not able to resist the temptation of Crumbs Cupcake shop when I found it.  Sadly they did not have my favorite, Cotton Candy flavored cupcakes, and the cookie dough flavor did not compare.  I finally settled on the Heartland Grill for some good old American pub food when I was within sight of Macy's.

Macy's storefront

Macy's is decorated inside and out.

The Believe-O-Meter amidst the boughs of holly

There is a whole Santaland area set up, and I think one of the elves was schmoozing me.  Should have gotten a picture of THAT.

Macy's Santaland Entry -- too late at night for all the kiddies, or too early in the season

But the best displays are their window displays.  As you approach the windows you are greeted with the sound of music.  Not traditional holiday sounds, but a unique musical score that belongs in a fantasy winter wonderland movie.  The windows are lit of up with an LED background, and animated with moving characters...fairies (or possibly sugarplums), animals, and a little boy who lay asleep but in his dreams moves about the wonderland in each window.

Window 1 -- a young boy asleep -- notice the sugarplum and wonderland surrounding his slumber

And the displays are interactive -- if you stand at certain places, you can choreograph the window, the snowfall and background tailored to your body movements.

Window 2 -- Wonderland and its creatures beckon to the sleeping boy

Window 3 -- he delights to awaken into this winter wonderland

Window 4 -- he frolicks and makes snow angels beneath bears, bunnies, squirrels and fairies

Window 5 -- lessons from the sugarplums perhaps?

At Window 6 he bids farewell to brightly falling snow

It's an amazing backdrop.  And NYC celebrated it by blockading the nearby street and setting up tables so that people can meet, visit, and sip warm beverages with Macy's as their festive backdrop.  Macy's seems to love Christmas just as much as the rest of us.

From there I made my way back north.  There was not very much on my shopping list for this trip.  A Christmas ornament had been requested by Alison, and Christmas ornaments were all that I wanted to pick for family as well, so it was off to the evening markets at Bryant Park.  They were also having their Christmas Tree lighting and skating rink set up for the season.

Bryant Park Christmas tree, rink, and sight of the night market

Mission accomplished, I headed back to my hotel.  After a long but happy 10 hours of hiking around NYC, I was very happy to get back to my little hotel.  Initially I was a little sad that it was so small.  But when I walked back to its warm little Christmas wreath sign, and was handed a steaming cup of hot chocolate on my arrival, I smiled all the way to my little shoebox, turned up the central heat (a luxury for us Bermuda dwellers who live in stone homes without central heat) and decided it was the coziest, snuggiest (new word), and most centralized shoebox in the city...that hot chocolate went straight to my little travelling heart and lulled me into the best sleep I had had in weeks.  Hotel Mela was actually a nice little place.

Hotel Mela