Rain, Photography and the NYC Holiday Scene

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I ventured out into NYC on a rainy day.

It wasn’t my intention to be out all day when light snow turned to cold rain, the kind of cold rain that sinks into your bones and gives you chills inside. But I had planned on touring the city to see what was going on, one of my favorite things to do this time of year.

After a business meeting, I headed out for lunch with friend and digital consulting goddess Alisha Miranda, who introduced me to The Smile, a coffee shop on the trendy Bond St. in lower Manhattan.

The place was hipster heaven. It hit you in the face like a ton of bricks the minute you entered. I can appreciate its cool vibe and cozy demeanor. But, it’s one of those places where when you ask if you can have your eggs over-easy instead of scrambled you actually hear the words, “Yeeeeah. We don’t do that.” Those words send chills down my spine, but alas. It’s too cool and not a diner, and duh, what was I thinking?

Aside from the silly rules and ridiculous limitations on the menu, the coffee was good. The food was fine. The server was nice. It was a great place to sit and chat for awhile and get out of the rain, and it isn’t a bad place to meet up with friends if you are in the area – but, you must all be together or they won’t sit you. Did I mention this was a coffee shop? Ok, well, now you know.

My next stop was Grand Central Terminal to check out this year’s holiday shops (which I think are much better than last year) and the NY Transit Museum’s train display, which for some reason was missing its Santa. Of course, just being in Grand Central is a highlight for me. I love that place any time of the year, but during the holidays especially.

I sought out warm shelter again at the NY Public Library on 5th avenue. Great place to tour, and wonderful place to catch a breath, catch up on your Internet needs, and use a bathroom. The tree is up and tourists lined up for a shot in front of it.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park lit up their tree last night and hosted an event as well. It doesn’t come with the level of fan fare that the Rockefeller Center’s celebration does (the lighting is tonight Nov. 28), but that’s one of my favorite things about it. You can really enjoy the moment. Plus, the shops are also open offering all sorts of goodies and gift options.

Don’t forget to slow down to check out the window displays!

Walking around the city, people watching and taking in the views never gets old for me. I’ve been here almost my entire life and yet still find myself in awe of its beauty and addicted to the energy.

Hope you enjoy some of the images I took and may your travels lead you to the Big Apple soon!

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