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Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
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December 2, 2013

Fun Holiday Sights & Tours in NYC

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The holiday season is in full effect and the streets of New York are as crowded as ever. Personally, I can’t get enough of the energy of the city now – with its festive, happy vibe – though it’s important to note that I make sure to clear my head and place myself in total zen mode before hitting the streets to take it all in.

But, taking it all in can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t exactly know where to start. This is when taking a list can be extremely helpful in not only getting you to the best spots to see in the city, but also to highlight some other things you might have not noticed or known about.

I took a couple of days of playing tourist in the city to check some fun tours and happenings in town.

Tours

The Holiday Sites and Lights Tour with On Locations Tours takes you to some of the city’s most popular holiday movie sites, as well as some of the best window display viewings in town. Film location spots from popular movies such as Elf and Home Alone 2, among others, are highlighted. You also get a chance to stop and admire some of the most unusual and beautiful holiday displays showcased by popular shopping destinations such as Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. You do all this while riding on a comfortable (and warm) bus, which covers a lot of territory during your tour saving you time, as well as keeping you safe from the cold and crowds. The guides are always fun and friendly, offering tons of behind-the-scenes information about the city and the films that celebrate it. I really enjoyed this tour at night especially because it’s when you really can appreciate the lights. The tour is about 2.5 hours long and adult tickets  are $35, plus $3 fee. The tour is family friendly. Tours run till beginning of January.

Lord & Taylor Holiday Windows_GirlGoneTravelLord and Taylor Holiday Windows

Barney's Holiday Window_GirlGoneTravelBarney’s New York Holiday Windows

Lincoln Center_GirlGoneTravelLincoln Center, favorite film location for many films, including holiday favorites.

The Ride Holiday Edition is a lot of what I already love about this unique tour, but with a holiday twist. See New York City in a way that few can, and meet fun New York City characters that help to make this city what it is. The tour is over an hour-long, but you really wouldn’t know it, as the fun never ends. By far one of my favorite bus tours in the city and definitely a must when visiting. The tour is a family friendly ride and, in my opinion, is best during the day. The holiday tickets are on sale till early January and are about $64.oo for a matinée excursion.

DSC04225Interesting NYC characters can be seen from The Ride

DSC04232City views from The RideThe Ride_girlgonetravelRocking out inside The Ride.

Exhibits

Discovery Times Square is a fabulous place to visit anytime of the year, so if you are looking for a cool place to visit with fun exhibits, this is a must on your list. The exhibits are always changing, but to give you an insight of how cool they can be, I wanted to share what they were showcasing when I last visited. (Updated 2018: This venue is no longer in business. We are searching for another epic venue to review in its place).

The Art of The Brick by Nathan Sawaya. If he is exhibiting at your city, I recommend you check him out. I took my little ones and we were in awe from the moment we walked in. Mr. Sawaya’s work using nothing more than LEGO is incredible – definitely put all my Lego projects to shame! I especially enjoyed seeing my children completely captivated by all the pieces and taking in every detail of how things were put together, how many bricks were used, and where the original inspiration came from, especially with the replicas of famous paintings by artist such as Van Gogh and Munch.

The Art of The Brick_GirlGonetravel The Art of The Brick_GirlGonetravel The Art of The Brick_GirlGonetravelThe Art of The Brick_GirlGonetravel

Go during the latter part of the day and you might avoid the holiday crowds and lines. Definitely aim to take your time there. The pieces aren’t for kids to play with, but admire, so it might not be best suited for little ones who may be tempted to touch.

Other Must-Sees

Of course, I have mentioned the rink and pop-up shops at Bryant Park. Another rink that just opened up to the public this weekend (till early March) is the rink at South Street Seaport. Pier 17 itself is under development, but the South Street Mall is in full swing with bars, shops, and now a fully lit Christmas tree and ice-skating rink to help celebrate the holiday season. Admission to the ice skating rink is $10, plus $6 for rentals. They also offer lessons and host birthday parties.

Don’t miss pop-up shops by Columbus Circle and the light display in the Time Warner Center.

Columbus Circle_girlgonetravel

We loved stopping into The Smith’s newest location on 63rd and Broadway for generous servings of comfort brunch food, as well as raw bar. Like all The Smith eateries around the city, this one doesn’t disappoint!

Needless to say, there are tons to see, plenty to do, and lots of fun places to shop in.

girlgonetravelReady. Set. Click! Get your camera ready for all the beautiful imageries of NYC during the holidays!

Wear comfortable shoes, dress warmly, and don’t forget your smile. Head out and see why the holidays in NYC are my absolute favorite time here!

All photos are property of GirlGoneTravel.com and may not be used without direct consent from the publisher. You can follow all my adventures while on the road or home thru Instagram (GirlGoneTravel).

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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4 Comments
  • Jacob
    December 3, 2013

    Thanks for this great report, me and my girlfriend will go to NY for New Years Eve for the first time and we are really curious to see the city :-).

    Reply
    • caincarol
      Jacob
      December 4, 2013

      Yay! So glad you will be in town! Have a blast and thanks for reading!

      Reply
  • Kerry at The Insightful Wanderer
    December 2, 2014

    I have been to New York, but not at this time of year. I plan to return, for Christmas, but probably not for New Year’s Eve. I would love to try that holiday light Display tour. Thanks for the post.

    Reply
    • caincarol
      Kerry at The Insightful Wanderer
      December 2, 2014

      Thanks for reading! I hope you make it to NYC during the holidays. It\’s so fun!

      Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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A message about yesterday’s event: Happy Monday A message about yesterday’s event:

Happy Monday, y’all. Woke up in time to enjoy the soft glow of sunlight that shines its way around our house in the morning, and sipped on a cafecito without being rushed for anything. So already today is a win. 

Yesterday we worked our longest day yet for our little coffee cart that could (7 hours!!!) at the Heritage Fiesta in Ithaca, NY. 

Though we were ready for a crowd, the reception was also unexpected because there was a popular coffee shop just steps away. 

But we had Cómodo Fam stop by, family (who also fed us 🙏🏾), and soooo many members of the Latinx and BIPOC community who were just excited to see a small business like ours representing. 

I want to share that we were ALL worried about potential harassment and assault by 🧊and fliers were handed out to prepare us. And you would think that it would’ve intimidated the community enough to not come out…BUT WE DID. In numbers. 

And for hours that little parking lot next to Press Bay Alley was packed with all sorts of Latinx and non-Latinx community members, eating, laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking all the cafecitos and refreshers we had to offer. Literally. We went home cleaned out!

All this to say that we are all aware of the threats but we also understand the power and importance of coming together as a community and a people. By no means are we all the same, and Lord knows a lot of Latinos have a lot of self-reflecting to do based on the choices they made, but yesterday was a testament to the best of us, and I thank @yenospina and @lcatompkins for putting together such a wonderful event, for inviting @cafecomodony to be a part of it, and to all the friends, old and new, who came out to support us and la cultura. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #cafecomodo #coffeelover
Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite lazy day pastimes of the season: market shopping for fall goodies - which in the Finger Lakes is especially bountiful. 

📍Joseph’s Wayside Markey, Naples, NY

#fingerlakes #newyork #octobermood #fallday
Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The proce Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The process is busy and noisy but also exciting and fun to watch. 

This cloudy morning seems to have calmed things down a bit, but not for long I am sure. These families work hard!

Bonus: they set up roadside stands so we can purchase and taste them 🍇 I highly recommend picking some up if you see some in your drive. 

#fingerlakes #lifeinthecountry #newyork
The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️ The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️
I want to take moment to send out love to my fello I want to take moment to send out love to my fellow Latinx and immigrant community. 

To send strength to my community of glorious misfits who are out in the world making good trouble and emboldening us to not give up hope on our dreams, our livelihoods, our future, our country, our people. 

The country our parents worked so hard to get to so that we could fly. A country they helped build and bring to prosper. A country our communities help to feed and house and care for. 

I am my immigrant parents dream come true, and my children are a continuation of that dream. 

I just want to remind all of us who represent the targeted, of our worth. Of the value of our contributions. In our languages, our culture, our insights, our work ethic and skills and knowledge. Of the things we bring to the table.

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or to us. But, as someone whose family lived through a dictatorship, I have an idea of how this story will end. And all I can advise is that we remain on the right side of it, our convictions unaltered, our core values untethered. Our spirits unbroken. In these stories, the monsters might scare us, and even harm some of us, but they never, ever win in the end. 

I am living proof of that. ❤️ And every time you succeed and feel joy, you are too. Pa’lante, mi gente.
Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes. Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes.

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