Merry Christmas from New York City

 I thought it would be fun this Christmas Day to spend it in New York City! Come with me as we enjoy the lights, sights and foods to be celebrated on this day. We start at the Peninsula Hotel, heading out after a good nights sleep..........

How can you not LOVE their gingerbread house of the hotel ? So fantastic 

Breakfast is calling on this Christmas Day, so we head to Financier Patisserie, one of my faves for a Almond Brioche and a wonderful latte......now off walking we go.......

Ahh, the front of Trump Tower with many stars all over the building looks so pretty 

The BEST holiday windows, in my opinion, are Bergdorf Goodman. We have seen so many of the major stores close this year like Henri Bendel and Barneys, but Bergdorf's is a staple. A great way to see the windows is with the Holiday Lights and Movie Sites tour with On Location Tours, this is available on Christmas Day, when there is very little to do in the city.  

Upon viewing this gorgeous jewel tree in Bergdorf's window, I bought one for myself on Etsy. So darn fantastic, I keep it up all year round! 

Walking some more, the big snowflake dangling from the sky....always so pretty ....I am getting hungry for some lunch, what about you ? 

Cartier....now this is just gorgeous but I am still thinking what to do for lunch on Christmas Day? 

Did someone suggest Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel? They are closed Christmas Day but you can do the festive tea any time prior or after. 

These little sandwiches look so yummy....I must thank the person who suggested this today.......

Dessert collection has ...cannolis flavored with gingerbread in the ricotta filling......it does feel like Christmas now, for sure!! 

Toy Soldiers are all at attention looking very regal .........

The Fendi store always looks so lovely during Christmas season 

The famous Radio City Music Hall ..........

Rockefeller Center is lighted so beautiful this time of year....you can hear the Christmas tunes, can't you?  

the oh-so-pretty angel......... 

the famous tree itself which you can view very easily from the On Location Tours holiday tour which I prefer than dealing with the crowds 

Ahh, finally a place to sit and rest my feet.....dinner will be at Bryant Park Grill which is so festive during the holiday season! 

Crab cakes are one of my favorites  

Mushroom ravioli is so delish 

we are back at the hotel now......... 

admiring their gorgeous Christmas tree and heading back to our room for a good night sleep in the big apple...........

Hope you all have a most wonderful Christmas with family, friends, good food and memories made to last a lifetime...........

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

My Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve was always my favorite part of the holiday. We always had our main meal this night, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and it was so yummy! My Aunts and Uncles would come over, we would open gifts after dinner, and there would be wrapping paper all over the place! It was fun to see them become kids again opening their presents. Once I became an adult, I was sure to give my parents stockings each year, filled with small gifts. When I was little, my parents actually put up the tree Christmas Eve after I went to bed. I find it interesting other countries do that as well.

Here are some traditions for this wonderful holiday from the fun website WhyChristmas :

Christmas Eve has many of its own customs and traditions. The one that mostly still exists today is going to a Midnight Mass Church Service. In many countries, especially Catholic ones such as Spain, Mexico, Poland and Italy, this is the most important Church service of the Christmas season. People might fast during Christmas Eve (not eat any meat or fish usually) and then the main Christmas meal is often eaten after the Midnight Mass Service in these countries. In some other countries, such as Belgium, Finland, Lithuania and Denmark the meal is eaten in the evening and you might go to a Midnight Service afterwards!

The Midnight Mass Communion Service (or 'Christ-Mas') was a very special one as it was the only one that was allowed to start after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so it was held at Midnight!

Christmas Eve is also the day when people in some countries, like Germany, Sweden and Portugal exchange their presents. Christmas Eve is also Santa's busiest day of the year when he has to travel over 220 million miles (355 million km) to get to every house on earth!

In many European countries including Germany, Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is the day when the Christmas Tree is brought into the house and decorated.

It was also traditional to bring the Yule Log into the house and light it on Christmas Eve. It was lit using a piece of the previous years log and then would burnt non-stop until Twelfth Night (6th January). Tradition also said that any greenery such as Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe should only be taken into the house on Christmas Eve.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas Eve! 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

My 10 Favorite Museum Gift Shops

I cannot tell you enough how much I love museum gift shops. You find some of the most unique items in these shops, and lucky for us, NYC has some fantastic museums. These are the 10 which I feel you should visit when in the city, and if looking for a gift for someone, you will probably find that special gift in one of these shops. I love original gift giving, I hate giving the same old stuff everyone else has, we want original, artisan items. You can also shop at many of these wonderful places without paying the fee to enter the museum if you are just looking to shop their products. The best thing as well is most of them have online shops so you can shop from your own couch, and have it shipped to you or direct to your favorite person!

In no particular order:

1. Brooklyn Museum
2. Metropolitan Museum of Art
3. MAD Museum
4. Cooper Hewitt 
5. MOMA
6. Neue Galerie
7. The Frick
8. Rubin Museum of Art
9. Museum of the City of NY
10. The Morgan Library and Museum 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting!  

The 86th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Has Arrived

This past Saturday a very special delivery came to Rockefeller Center! The 75-foot-tall Norway spruce arrived by truck in midtown Manhattan early Saturday and was lifted into place by a giant crane to its seat of honor next to the iconic ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza. 

• The 75-foot tall, 12-plus ton Norway spruce comes from the home of Jason Perrin in State College, Pennsylvania
• The tree arrived at the Plaza on Saturday and will be illuminated on live TV in a special on Wednesday, November 29
• The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up in 1931 by workers building the complex during the Great Depression

You can see more pictures of the tree's journey here . I am so proud it is a Pennsylvania tree!! 

The tree, which weighs more than 12 tons, comes from the home of Jason Perrin in State College, Pennsylvania. It was cut down Thursday morning before a horde of camera-ready spectators.

It is the 86th to grace the Plaza for the annual weeks-long display and the third from Pennsylvania.

"It's amazing, we've seen it just on TV and pictures of it, so to see it stand up is kind of a surreal moment," Darren Dickey, of Vancouver, said. 

Erika Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center, said Thursday that she saw this year's tree while driving nearly seven years ago and was quick to ask if the owner was interested in making his backyard evergreen the most famous Christmas tree in the world. 

"It's hard to find a tree that's nice and full that doesn't have any storm damage or is growing crooked or anything," she said. 

After being adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored lights and crowned with the iconic Swarovski star, the tree will be illuminated for the first time during a live television broadcast on Wednesday, November 29. 

It'll be on display until Jan. 7, 2018.

Last year's tree, a 94-foot Norway spruce from Angie and Graig Eichler in Oneonta, was the second largest ever chosen for the holiday celebration. 

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up in 1931 by workers building the complex during the Great Depression. The first official tree lighting was in 1933.

After the holiday season, the Rockefeller trees are cut into boards and donated to Habitat for Humanity. What a great way to use the tree after everyone has had the chance to enjoy it for the holiday season! 

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

Best November Activities in New York City

I have no idea where this year went! It really seemed to just fly by. I thought we would talk about some of the best activities in November in NYC. There are always so many events going on all year round, but these are those I felt were the absolute must-see for November.  I really love the holiday shops in Bryant Park, Union Square and Grand Central Terminal. I love when I can find unique gifts to give as presents. Hope you have a fabulous November!! 

In no particular order: 

1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade  - One of the most famous parades in all the world. You can check out the route and map where you wish to view this historic parade.

2. NYC Marathon - November 5, 2017 The world-famous New York City Marathon begins in Staten Island and runs through all five boroughs before ending at Central Park. Stand along Central Park South to cheer on the finishers. Free to watch.

3. Pre-Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Inflation - Get a preview of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the day before, with an expedition to see the balloons come to life. A tradition since 1927, the giant balloons—featuring beloved pop culture characters—are slowly inflated in the streets around the American Museum of Natural History, at Columbus Avenue and West 77th Street. Nets and sandbags are used to keep them from escaping during the night.

4. Renegade Craft Fair - November 18-19, 2017 Shop from 225 artisans, chefs, and vintage vendors at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Free.

5. Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Garden - Nov. 22 to Jan. 15, 2018 Watch model trains zip around miniature New York landmarks made of plant materials, and enjoy kids’ activities.

6. NY Comedy Festival - November 7 to 12, 2017  This festival features big-name comedians, special sketch and improvisational comedy, panel discussions, and benefits. Various locations.

7. Veterans Day Parade - This parade entertains 600,000 spectators as it goes up Fifth Avenue from 26th to 52nd Street. The opening ceremony is at 10 a.m., wreath laying at 11 a.m., and parade at approximately 11:15 a.m. Free. A great celebration to honor those who served for their country.

8. Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting  - November 29, 2017 and will remain lit until January 7th 2018 at 9pm. Admission FREE but on first come first serve basis.

9. Holiday Markets at Union Square and Grand Central Terminal - Wonderful handmade items from jewelry to gadgets; both open until Christmas Eve.

10. Cocoa and Carols Cruise from Chelsea Piers - A ticket to Cocoa and Carols Holiday Cruise includes hot cocoa, cookies, a bar drink, live music, optional sing-alongs, and 1.75 hours of city light views, leaving Chelsea Piers (Pier 62).

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche Metropolitan Museum of Art

As you know, the Met is one of my most favorite museums in the city. I have been visiting since I was a little girl, and am so glad I did. As an adult, I am still amazed by the place, and still get lost at times (thank god for the folks who work there) due to it's size. I was in the city right before Thanksgiving, and my friend and I visited for the new fashion exhibit which will be shown here shortly. I was so thrilled to see the tree was up as I hadn't seen it in quite a long while. It is so lovely and such a great tradition for the Met. I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took while admiring it's beauty! 

From the Met's website: 

Exhibition Overview

The Met continues a longstanding holiday tradition with the presentation of its Christmas tree and 18th-century Neapolitan crèche, a favorite of both New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. The installation is set in front of the 18th-century Spanish choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall (gallery 305). Recorded Christmas music and daily lighting events add to the enjoyment of the holiday display.

The magnificently lit, 20-foot blue spruce is gracefully adorned with 19 cherubs and 59 angels, while at the base an additional 71 figures represent the three elements of Nativity scenes that were traditional to 18th-century Naples: adoring shepherds and their flocks, the procession of the three Magi, and spirited peasants and townspeople. The display is enhanced by nearly 50 charming animals and by background pieces that create a dramatic setting for the Nativity; these include the ruins of a Roman temple, several quaint houses, and a typical Italian fountain.

Tree-lighting ceremonies take place at 4:30 pm daily, with additional ceremonies on Fridays and Saturdays at 5:30 and 6:30 pm.

If you have never visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, be sure it is on your to do list for 2017. You will not be disappointed!

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest 

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

Do you believe it is Christmas week? I don't know where the time went, let alone the whole year! I had the experience of touring the Dyker Heights holiday lights in Brooklyn. I did not take the tour with Tony at A Slice of Brooklyn tours, but I would recommend for you to do so. 

The neighborhood tradition first began in 1986 when Lucy Spata started decorating her house. Although her neighbors weren't thrilled, many of them started decorating their houses as well and this neighborhood tradition was born. I was sad to learn however many of the homes use a service to do the decorating. It can cost up to $25,000 to have their homes decorated, these are mostly very large homes so they take a lot of decor. I feel the joy of the holidays is decorating yourself, and using traditional items passed down from generations. I suppose everyone feels different about this, as I know of services where they will decorate the inside of your home as well. 

Well, let's see these famous lights: 

I loved this house. I am not a big fan of lots of plastic items in front of a house. I like lights and such, and I actually think less is better. Those toy soldiers were just so darn adorable!  

This mailbox opened to find good old Woodstock inside! Love the Peanuts gang and this is such a fun decorative item!  

I personally thought this was a bit much. It wasn't too crowded which was great until we got to the main street with all the very big displays. I was very lucky with weather as it was about 55 degrees which is not normal for December in NYC.  

This home was probably one of my favorites!  

I really loved those stars on the porch. Very pretty!  

I really thought this house was just too much. Could have been toned down quite a bit.  

This was very moving as a display for 09/11, and had all the flags of the countries where the victims came from at the bottom of the photo.  

I hoped you enjoyed a taste of what you will see at this famous holiday light display in Brooklyn. I don't know if I would go back, maybe in a few years, it is something to see for sure!


A Slice of Brooklyn Tours runs trips for this the whole month of December, and for $50 you can have someone who really knows Brooklyn show you around. They leave from Union Square, which I love, and then take you back when the tour is finished. Every tour I have done with Tony has been amazing, and I can't say that enough.


So, what do you think of holiday lights? Simple or  over-the-top - what is your preference? I like simple myself, and I love the light displays. It is fun to see the holiday spirit in my hometown as well as in Brooklyn.


I will also tell you these photos were taken with my new toy - the Sony A6000 - and I was very impressed! It is one of the mirrorless cameras, and I do plan a review of it after the holidays. Carrying around a large DSLR can be a bit of a pain, and it's nice to have a smaller camera with lots of power!

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for being a reader of this blog! 

Instagram / Facebook/ Bloglovin/ Pinterest