Christmas in NYC!

Davis' parents surprised us with a spur-of-the-moment trip to New York City as our Christmas present. The day started off very early, but we were in the Big Apple by lunch time!

We threw our bags in the room at the Marriott Marquis and all jetted off in different directions! Davis and I just decided to walk around since we didn't have any real plans! His mom had planned on us doing a Grey Line tour during our trip, but thank goodness, they no longer do those tours except for big groups!

The family went their separate ways, but not before taking a family photo in Times Square. Davis and I stopped by Rockefeller Center and then wandered up and down 5th Avenue checking out the Christmas lights and store windows. We ended up eating lunch at a little place called Maloney and Potcelli. 

Bergdorf Goodman

Davis's favorite store!

Saks Fifth Avenue

St. Patrick' Cathedral

We walked some more, and then met the family back at the hotel for a limo ride around the city to see the buildings lit up and the store Christmas lights. It was a great way to see the city at night!

South Street Seaport

After our limo ride, Davis and I had dinner at the Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center. The food was good, and we loved being able to see the ice skaters!

view from our table

On Monday, we hit the streets again with a suggestion from Hollie - Magnolia Bakery! It was such a cute little place, and the muffins were to die for! After our yummy breakfast, we stopped by the NBC Studios were Ann was giving an interview. Then we walked and walked up and down 5th Avenue. It was so fun to people watch and check out the Christmas windows.

Lord and Taylor window

library

Next, it was time for the Empire State Building! The line was pretty long and they view was a little hazy, but it was totally worth it for everyone! It is so neat to see the whole city from one building!

After a quick bite to eat, we were on to our next stop - The Radio City Spectacular Christmas Show! The props and music were outstanding! If you are ever in NYC during Christmas, I totally recommend it! Even though, Davis isn't really into shows, he commented how great it was!


Dinner was at the Empire Steak House not far from the Radio City Music Hall, and you would have probably walked right passed it, but the food was great!

Next, it was back to Rockefeller Center. Seeing that tree at night is just something you can't miss if you are in the city! After a quick drink at Bill's Bar and Burger (awesome milkshake by the way), we caught a peddy cab up to Central Park to take a carriage ride. Central Park was certainly hard to see at night, but our carriage driver pointed out every building and thing along the way. To him, every lit up building was a Trump Tower!

While we rode the carriage, Kingsley skated in the Rockefeller Center all by herself, and she says that we was her favorite part of the whole trip!

On Tuesday, Davis and I didn't really have any plans, so we just started walking, stopped by Macy's and then caught a cab to Wall Street. Once there, we walked into the Trinity Church. It was so beautiful! I remember this little church when my mom and I were in NYC the March after the World Trade Centers fell, and there were still signs of people looking for their loved ones. The church looked completely different this time around and was absolutely breathtaking! The cemetery was so interesting too with century-old headstones!

Macy's window

Inside Macy's

Trinity Church

Nativity Scene in the church

Church ceiling

Next, we walked down Wall Street. It was so clean and quiet except for the one protester in front of the New York Stock Exchange who was making no sense!

You can see the protester in the bottom left corner. He was shouting something about methane gas - nothing to do with Wall Street!

Next, we had lunch at Red in the South Street Seaport area. Then we were on to Dylan's Candy Bar! That place was insane with kids high on candy!! Davis had to step outside at one point because it was so crazy!

South Street Seaport

In my element!

You can't go to NYC and not visit FAO Swartz. Even as an adult, the store was fascinating! If there hadn't been such long lines, I'm sure Davis and I would have left with some toys! The rest of our day was spent walking again, and Davis and I had our one celebrity siting on 5th Avenue - Tommy Hilfiger! When we got back to Times Square, we happened upon a Flash Mob promoting the Star Wars movie!

When we were walking through Rockefeller Center on the way to the hotel that afternoon, we saw that NBC was getting ready for a concert. It was Tony Bennett filming a special for New Years Eve. We thought we would get to enjoy the concert, but you had to have tickets, and the police wouldn't let you stop and listen, but we did get a close up view when we walked by!

That night, we had dinner at the View atop the Marriott Marquis. The restaurant is the only revolving one in the city, and the view was awesome; however, the food was not so awesome! Guess we paid for the view!

The Kings ended their whirlwind trip with one last stop at Magnolia's Bakery, and then it was time to head home!

We had a blast, but there certainly wasn't enough time to everything we wanted to do! Oh well, there is always next time!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!