There’s nothing quite like the big apple in December and I’m so thankful that I finally got to revisit with Zach for his first time! We had so much fun running around the city for the long weekend and I wanted to share our itinerary.
WHERE WE STAYED
There are so many great areas to stay in when it comes to visiting NYC! One of the most important things to us was staying pretty central to the action. Being that it was Zach’s first time in the city I knew I wanted to stay in Midtown so that we could be close to most of the touristy things so that’s what we did! We stayed at Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel and felt like it was a great location for visiting all the most popular attractions- very walkable (especially if the weather is nice).
The hotel itself was clean, had a great lobby bar area that served a complimentary nightly cocktail to all guests, and the rooms were fairly small but very well-kept and comfortable. It was also pretty reasonably priced however, if you are visiting in December you should expect to pay a little extra as rooms are priced higher during this time of year. Overall I would recommend it to anyone visiting the city for the first time.
DAY 1
We took an early flight and arrived in the city fairly early- around 10am. After checking into the hotel and dropping off our luggage at the front desk we began our first day full of activities.
Breakfast/ Brunch: our hotel was located just down the street from a Liberty Bagels so we popped in for some authentic NYC bagels and they were everything we hoped they would be. I would recommend getting a bagel sandwich of some sort over a bagel with cream cheese. The cream cheese bagels are JAM PACKED with cream cheese and it can be almost overwhelming (still delicious obviously).
Sight-seeing:
- M&M’s New York: walk through the famous M&M store with floor to ceiling M&M canisters with every flavor possible. Pick a few of your favorite flavors and bring them with you as your sight-see around town.
- Check out Times Square & Rockefeller Center. If you’re a fan of ice skating, snag an ice skating time slot!
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral: this beautiful Catholic cathedral is a must-see landmark while visiting the city. The architecture is incredible!
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck: we ran out of time to check this one out due to a dinner reservation but I’ve heard amazing things! If you have small children you can also usually visit Santa at the top during the month of December.
- Finish the daytime activities off by walking down fifth avenue and looking at Christmas lights!
Dinner: head over to Little Italy and grab dinner at Il Cortile. This cute little Italian restaurant has been family owned and operated since 1975 and they serve up some incredible authentic Italian food.
Dessert: after dinner pop over to Ferrara Bakery– open since 1892!! This is absolutely a MUST DO if you are visiting Little Italy during your stay. They have an incredible selection of the freshest pastries, gelato, and delicious espresso. Order the Nutella gelato- yum!
DAY 2
Breakfast/Brunch: grab brunch at the ever-so iconic Sarabeth’s. We knew we wanted to spend the day near Central Park so we chose the Central Park South location and it was perfect! This is a very popular eatery so you will want to make sure to get a reservation far in advance.
Sight-seeing:
- Walk through Central Park! Check out some of the iconic Central Park attractions like the Gapstow Bridge.
- The Plaza Hotel: featured in some of the most popular movies including Home Alone 2, Eloise at the Plaza, Bride Wars, and more this hotel is incredible. It’s understandable why all the celebrities choose to stay here while visiting the city! Definitely a must-see. They also have tea times that you can reserve which would be so fun at Christmas time.
- The Met: if you’re an art guru you definitely need to buy tickets to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. With over 5,000 years of art this is definitely a spot that can keep you busy for awhile! Tickets are $30 per adult.
- Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes: This is definitely a must-see at least once while visiting the city. The show is incredibly entertaining and the Rockettes are absolutely amazing at what they do! Zach loved it! I would recommend attending the 4pm showing so that when it ends you can head right to dinner!
Dinner: we had dinner at Boucherie at Union Square and it was delish! This is a traditional French restaurant and they had so many wonderful entrees to choose from. We ultimately both ordered the filet topped with truffle butter and it was cooked to perfection. I would highly recommend! They also have a fabulous raw bar to order from.
DAY 3
Breakfast/Brunch: take an Uber to lower manhattan and pop in to Le Pain Quotidien. This was my favorite brunch of the entire trip- I ordered a ham and egg croissant and it was absolutely the freshest croissant I’ve ever eaten. Absolutely stop in here for at least a baked good!
Sight-seeing:
- Check out the 9/11 Memorial & Museum & World Trade Center
- Oculus – we didn’t get to check this one out but this shopping mall looks incredible!
- Go see a Broadway show! NYC and Broadway go hand in hand and I would highly recommend checking out a show while you’re in town. We saw Wicked (finally!) and it was amazing. The actors were incredibly talented and they put on a truly fabulous show. Be aware that this specific show lasts 2.5 hrs (including a 15 minute intermission) so keep that in mind while planning out your day! There are a TON of show options to choose from if Wicked isn’t your thing!
Dinner: head to Bryant Park for their Winter Village set up. Pick a quick bite to eat from one of their food booths (I would recommend a corn dog from The Lazy Dog- yum!) and take a seat near the ice skating rink to watch the skaters while you chow down. Finish up with a treat and some hot cocoa. This village pop up also has an awesome indoor/outdoor bar to hangout at that serves some incredible Christmas-y drinks.
HELPFUL TIPS WHILE PLANNING YOUR TRIP:
- Download the taxi app, Uber, Lyft, and Revel before your trip. Check all of the apps before scheduling a ride as they can sometimes be $10 cheaper than eachother!!
- Wear comfortable clothes/walking shoes. Despite staying in Midtown you will still walk a TON so it’s important to stay comfy.
- If you can, try and get a reservation at The Polo Bar for dinner. Reservations open up exactly one month beforehand at 10am EST and they go FAST. I tried so hard to get a reservation but just couldn’t get one. I’ve heard the burger is incredible.
- The pretzels on the side of the road are not good- haha! I wanted one so badly but they were dry and flavorless. 10/10 would not recommend.
- If the weather is rainy ask the hotel concierge if they offer umbrellas for the guests. Our hotel allowed you to take them out for the day which was a nice touch.