There are so many things to do in New York City during the Christmas holiday, but I have tried to list my personal best for you all in one post. They are in no particular order as that would be quite hard indeed!!
Department Store Windows - walk from Macy's up Fifth Avenue to Lord & Taylor, Saks, Henri Bendel, Tiffany, Bergdorf Goodman then over to Madison Avenue for Barney's & a few more over to Lexington for Bloomingdales.
I stayed away from the Radio City Show as that is pretty common to most, but kept in the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center as it is a gorgeous site to see, especially for your first time in the city during the holiday season. Expect very large crowds around the tree, especially at night, as everyone wants to see the beauty of this holiday NYC tradition.
What are some of your favorite holiday events in New York City?
They had a tutorial from PicMonkey on how to make a turkey HERE. Notice mine looks a bit different. He's a bit fatter (he's Italian of course) and decided to wear shades on this Thanksgiving Day! I think he looks pretty fun to me!
I would like to wish all my readers who celebrate Thanksgiving a wonderful day. This year is rather different for me, as Mom is now residing in a nursing home. She is being very well taken care of, and is close to my house, but it isn't the same. I fondly remember Thanksgiving as a big food day in our house. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on the television, with my Mom in the kitchen making it smell amazing. She was a fabulous cook, and somehow, I inherited that from her. It made me very happy when I was cooking for her this year while she was home when she said I was a very good cook. Memories are a wonderful thing to have as no one can take those away from us. Making new memories can also be very rewarding as well. I am very thankful on this day that Mom is still with me, we will celebrate at her new residence this year, and I will enjoy every moment of it. We never know what the future will bring, but we should always remain thankful for "the now" and embrace it as much as possible.
I had organized a charity bus trip to the city in October and we made a stop at the newly opened LEGO store in the Flatiron district. I really love that area, and was happy to allow our bus to spend a good 4 hours checking out all the great shops and cafes. LEGO began in 1932 as a Danish carpentry workshop, I never knew it started that long ago. They have another shop in Rockefeller Center, but this flagship is much larger with more merchandise. I would assume lots of LEGO will be around the Christmas tree in 2014!
LEGO murals depicting iconic city scenes and a Miniland model of NYC, plus snap photos with an 8-foot Statue of Liberty replica. Keep an eye out for a life-size brick model of the flagship store's mascot, Brickley the Dragon, whose long body winds around the store. The 3,535-square-foot space will also be equipped with a pick-a-brick station featuring some brand-new LEGO colors and a LEGO Lounge area with LEGO children’s books, a LEGO building carpet, free charging stations and oversized couches for families to relax on.
Lego Systems Inc. signed a 10-year lease for the space, for $500 per square foot, Real Estate Weekly previously reported.
These scenes were just adorable!
Outside they had fabulous statues made out of LEGO and they were really just too awesome, even for an adult like myself.
This fireman was just fabulous
Superman was really a super man !!
On the first Tuesday of every month, the store will host Mini Model Builds, where kids ages 6-14 can learn how to build a cool mini model, then take it home-for free! A new, seasonally themed model will be available every time. The store will also have monthly LEGO Club Meetings, with themed building activities. Space is limited to 25 children per meeting.
LEGO Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10am-8pm, Sunday, 11am-6pm.
200 5TH AVENUE and EAST 23rd STREET
NEW YORK NY 10010
HOLIDAY HOURS
CLOSED Thanksgiving. Open Nov 28 8a-10p, Nov 29 9a-9p, Nov 30 10a-7p, Dec 5&6 9a-8p, Dec 7a 10a-7p, Dec 12&13 9a-9p, Dec 15-18 10a-9p, Dec 19-23 9a-10p.
Are you a LEGO fan ? If you have children, this is a great stop while in the Flatiron district and it's right next to Eataly too!
Marvel at homemade gingerbread houses that are drafted, designed, baked, planned, built and decorated by chef Jon Lovitch over the course of an entire year. GingerBread Lane, a 1.5 ton, 300-square-foot village made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy, is a contender for the Guinness World Record for the largest gingerbread exhibit. Located in the New York Hall of Science until January 11, 2015. A very easy subway ride away from Manhattan, the #7 train, which I take to the US Open grounds in Flushing Meadows Corona Park!
photo from NYSCIU
The village includes an estimated 1,900 lbs. of icing, 400 lbs. of candy, and 500 lbs. of gingerbread dough. It is comprised of 152 gingerbread houses, 65 trees, four gingerbread cable cars, five gingerbread train cars, an underground candy subway station, candy trees and sugar signage. A behind-the-scenes window gives a peek into the makings of GingerBread Lane with ovens, models and ingredients made entirely from royal icing. Five two-foot-high nutcrackers, also made of royal icing, stand guard over the exhibit. Free with NYSCI admission.
Check out our other gingerbread-themed events:
GingerBread House Workshop – December 7 and 28 Make your own gingerbread house to take home. Free with NYSCI admission. Limited capacity; signup on day of event beginning at noon.
GingerBread Lane House Giveway – January 12 Take a piece of GingerBread Lane home with you. Gingerbread houses will be given away, while supplies last. Limit of two houses per person. Line opens at 10 am, giveaway starts at noon. Free with NYSCI admission.
Take 7 train to 111th Street Station. Walk three blocks south. Please Note: For the most up-to-date subway service advisories, please visit www.mta.info.
Bus
Q23 or Q58 to Corona Avenue and 108 Street. Q48 to 111 Street and Roosevelt Avenue.
I have walked through this exhibit many times, in awe. I felt it was time to photograph some of the splendor for you. These displays are amazing in person, and the museum does a fabulous job of educating and well as exciting the visitor.
Arms and armor have been a vital part of virtually all cultures for thousands of years, pivotal not only in conquest and defense, but also in court pageantry and ceremonial events. Throughout time the best armor and weapons have represented the highest artistic and technical capabilities of the society and period in which they were made, forming a unique aspect of both art history and material culture.
The principal goals of the Arms and Armor Department are to collect, preserve, research, publish, and exhibit distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, swordsmith, and gunmaker. The focus of the collection is on works that show outstanding design and decoration, rather than those of purely military or technical interest. Unlike the great dynastic armories now preserved as museum collections in Vienna, Madrid, Dresden, Paris, London, and Stockholm, the Museum's collection is a modern one, formed through the activities and interests of curators, trustees, private collectors, and donors over the past 125 years. The collection comprises approximately fourteen thousand objects, of which more than five thousand are European, two thousand are from the Near East, and four thousand from the Far East. It is one of the most comprehensive and encyclopedic collections of its kind.
The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Arms and Armor Court offers the most extensive selection in the United States of rare and finely made sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European armor for men and horses, created for kings and noblemen to use on the battlefield and in tournaments.
The gallery features a group of elaborately decorated Greenwich armors, from the English Royal workshops founded by King Henry VIII, and one of Henry's personal armors, made in Italy and worn by the king in his last campaign against the French at Calais in 1544.
So cool to see these up close and personal.
The following text will attempt to correct some of the most popular misconceptions, and to answer some of the questions most frequently asked by the public during guided tours of the Museum's arms and armor galleries.
Misconceptions and Related Questions Relating Armor
1. Armor was worn only by knights.
2. Women of earlier times never fought in battle or wore armor.
3. Armor was so expensive that only princes and rich nobility could afford it.
4. Armor is extremely heavy and renders the wearer immobile.
5. Knights had to be hoisted into their saddles with cranes.
6. How did men in armor go to the toilet?
7. The military salute originates from the raising of a visor.
8. "Chain mail" or "mail"?
9. How long did it take to make a suit of armor?
10. Details of armor: the lance rest and the codpiece explained.
11. Did Vikings wear horns on their helmets?
12. Armor became obsolete because of firearms.
13. The size of armor indicates that people in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were smaller.
14. Men's clothing usually closes and buttons left over right because early armor was closed in such a manner.
You can go to the Metropolitan Museum's website HERE for the answers to questions above which are very interesting!!
Armor Garniture of George Clifford (1558–1605), Third Earl of Cumberland
Made under the direction of Jacob Halder
(British, master armorer at the royal workshops at Greenwich, documented in England 1558–1608)
Date: 1586
Geography: Greenwich
Culture: British, Greenwich
Medium: Steel, gold
Dimensions: H. 69 1/2 in. (176.5 cm); Wt. 60 lb. (27.2 kg)
Classification: Armor for Man
What's On View
Approximately eight hundred objects from the collection are on permanent display in the arms and armor galleries located in The John Pierpont Morgan Wing. These date from about the fifth to the late nineteenth century and offer a broad range of the best examples from Europe, America, Japan, India, and various Islamic cultures. In addition, the Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gallery has periodically changing displays that focus on varied aspects of the collection.
Leave it to me to find a Smith and Wesson with Tiffany "jeweled" silver. I suppose if I were alive in 1891-1892, this would be my revolver of choice!
I hope you enjoyed this little visit to "The Met" with me. There are so many various displays here, it really can target many interests. When you visit New York City, be sure to find some time to stop by this amazing museum and enjoy all it has to offer!!
