Christmas in NYC – 2 Day Itinerary

Ok! I just got back from a week in NYC at Christmas, which was amazing, but what if you only have a weekend? Is it even worth going??

YES!!

Here’s my “Must-Do” list in NYC at Christmas with a two-day itinerary below! If you need recommendations for where in the city to stay, check out the map I posted on my Navigating NYC blog post! To be close to the action and have shorter walks, I recommend anywhere in Manhattan from 35th St. – 74th St. between Park Ave. (4th Ave.) and 9th Ave. For reference, Rockefeller Center (tree, Radio City Music Hall, Top of the Rock), begins at 48th St. between 5th Ave and 6th Ave.

See the Rockettes – This is my favorite thing about Christmas in NYC and my husband, Travis, said it was his too even though he wasn’t excited for it. For cheaper tickets, sign up for emails, get discounted tickets with promo codes or get tickets on a weekday morning or afternoon show. I’ve sat up front but all the way on the sides twice and it’s been just as good of a view as in the center!

Bryant Park Winter Village – The cutest little area with ice skating, shops, and food. Think if someone turned a Farmers Market into a Christmas village.

Rockefeller Center – Definitely make your way here to see the tree. There are shops around and underground as well. It’s right outside of the entrance for the Rockettes, The Today Show, and the light show that Sax 5th Avenue puts on at night!

5th Ave & Sax 5th Ave Lights – There’s plenty of great shopping along 5th Ave. and you need to make sure you see the light show the Sax puts on. You can actually station yourself between 49th St & 50th St. along 5th Avenue and see the Rockefeller Tree and the light show at the same time. The show starts at sundown and runs continuously every 15 minutes or so.

Top of the Rock – This was my favorite view of the city! More so than the Empire State Building because Top of the Rock includes the Empire State Building in the views and, because of the way the building is designed, it has views that aren’t blocked by plastic to keep people safe. Go early if you’re going for sunset. I recommend two hours in advance because the line will start to get really long and will lengthen your wait time around 60-90 minutes before sunset. There should be three levels and I recommend climbing to the top. Most people don’t realize you can go to the highest level via the skinny outdoor escalators near the middle of the building.

Central Park – An obvious must-do. There are plenty of places to walk and it’s honestly just so beautiful. Both years I’ve been there mid-December have had fall colors and leaves on the trees still!

High Line & Chelsea Market – Go to Hudson Yards (also more great shopping) to see an up-and-coming area of NYC. it’s also how to get to the start of the High Line (around 30th street). Walk the walking path that goes above the city and the cars and see some really cool views of the city! You can also see the Statue of Liberty near the end of the High Line if you have a clear day. Around 10th St, take the stairs down to the street to get into Chelsea Market. They have a ton of great food and more unique shopping. It’s mostly food but it’s a fun market even if you don’t eat!

Statue of Liberty – An obvious must-see. If you have a clear day, you can see it from Brooklyn, the High Line, or downtown but if you want to get closer, just take the Staten Island ferry across the water. It’s free and you can see the Statue of Liberty. I’ve never felt to pay for a tour to get closer to it. Maybe it’s worth it but you just can’t beat the convenience and the price of the ferry!

Brooklyn Bridge – Take the subway down to Brooklyn Heights and walk around the park if you’d like. They have a great view of the NYC Downtown skyline! Even if you don’t want to go to the park, I recommend taking the subway to Brooklyn Heights and then walking from Brooklyn to NYC downtown. It’s a gorgeous view the entire way!

Chinatown/Little Italy – Chinatown and Little Italy are both within walking distance of the Brooklyn Bridge. They are very close to each other so if you do one, definitely swing by the other! One shop I like that’s close to both is Rice to Riches which has different flavors of rice pudding but, more importantly, is in the movie Hitch.

Times Square – This one is obvious! You can go to Times Square AT ANY POINT IN THE DAY! I recommend actually going very late at night. There will always be people in Times Square and the later you go the less crowded it will be. There will always be enough people (and police) in TImes Square to make you feel safe – regardless of the hour! You can’t go to Times Square without getting a slice of pizza from Joe’s Pizza. It’s just off Times Square on 40th St.

Below you’ll find my 2-day itinerary that will cover *most* of what you need to do in NYC at Christmas!

Day 1 – Midtown Day

Some things to know about Midtown: it’s a very touristy district that also doubles as a second “downtown” for New York City. When I was in NYC for a month for work, our offices were in Midtown. Most business people start work at 9am or later and most tourists are sleeping so if you get up early, you can catch it at a quieter moment…even in December when it’s very, very crowded!

8am – grab a bagel! And coffee…you’ll need coffee

Where should you go? Most places are good but be weary of the stands on the streets. Here’s a list of places I’d recommend!

• Downtown – Leo’s Bagel
• Garment District – 34th Bagels & More
• Upper West Side – Bagels & Co or Pick-A-Bagel
• Upper East Side – Pick-A-Bagel or H&H Bagels

Here are some places I’d recommend for caffeine:

• Blue Bottle Coffee – all over the city and the best coffee! I recommend the Waffle too. You don’t need anything on it. Just the waffle.
• Bluestone Lane – coffee, lattes, and fancy health lattes like the beet latte, turmeric latte, and matcha latte
• Cha Cha Matcha – great matcha
• Dr. Smood’s – vegan health shop with organic coffee and juices

8:30am – Central Park

Take some time and walk around Central Park. If you grabbed a bagel close by, eat it here! There will be plenty of benches to sit on or paths to walk and enjoy the trees! The fall leaves have still had their leaves and colors both times I’ve been in mid-December! Head back to Midtown at 10 to get in line for the Rockette’s.

10:15 – get in line for the Rockette’s 11am show

As I noted above, when you see the Rockette’s on a weekday for the 11am or 2pm show, tickets are discounted! You won’t regret doing this! It was our favorite thing we did for NYC at Christmas!

12:30pm – after the show, grab lunch!

• Little Beet – located all over but there are several in Midtown, think like Chipotle but with superfoods
• Halal Guys – food stand on the street. Make sure it says Halal Guys!! Not just halal food
• Slice of pizza from anywhere but Joe’s and Koronet are my recommendations
• Beatnic – vegan place with amazing food, juices, etc.

1:30pm – dessert & walk around Rockefeller Center/5^th Ave

On your way back from lunch, grab a treat at Magnolia Bakery! Then, walk around Rockefeller Center and hit the shops on 5th Ave.

3:00pm – get in line for Top of the Rock

In the winter, the sun typically sets at 4:30 in NYC. That means the sun has set at that time and you’ll want to be in your place to see the sunset colors by 4:00. There is usually a longer line at sunset, especially if the last couple days were rainy or snowy, so be sure to beat the crowd by getting there an hour before the colors start. I love going at sunset because you can see it during the day, at sunset, and at night if you stay long enough. It’s perfect.

6:00pm – dinner reservations

• Momofuku Noodle Bar – Columbus Circle (Midtown) or Lower East Side
• Piccola Cucina – Midtown/Upper East Side or SOHO
• Morandi NY – Italian place recommended
• La Esquina – tacos bar in SOHO
• Tessa – great place for pasta and good eats on the Upper West Side

8:00pm – dessert at Bryant Park Winter Village and ice skating

To cap off the night, walk around Bryant Park Winter Village and grab dessert. If you’d like, make ice skating reservations and ice skate under the stars!

10:00pm – Times Square

Like I said, you’ll want to go to Times Square early in the morning or late at night. If you can stay up, 10pm is a great time to go to Times Square. If you’re still hungry after your day full of eating, grab a slice of pizza from Joe’s Pizza just south of Times Square! you won’t regret it!

Day 2 – Downtown Day

7:30am – leave for Dominique Ansel Bakery

You’ll notice every other food thing comes with options. Bagels, pizza, dinner, etc. This pastry shop is the best pastry shop in the world. This is not a drill. You’ll want to get there just before open (8am on weekdays & Saturday, 9am on Sundays) and get in line. Otherwise, it’s still worth the wait but this will help you get a leg up. You can also order online I believe, which should help if there is a long line. This place invented the cronut. Get the cronut and the D.K.A. plus a host of other treats!! You’ll thank me later!

8:00am – get pastries and…eat them

9:00am – walk through SOHO and then subway to Brooklyn Heights Park

Feel free to walk around SOHO and see the shops. Then take a subway to get to Brooklyn Heights. As I mentioned above, you’ll want to subway to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge and walk into NYC on the bridge. It’s a really pretty view that way!

10:00am – walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

11:00am – walk up to Chinatown and Little Italy

From the Brooklyn Bridge, walk up to Chinatown and Little Italy. Grab a bite to eat before heading back downtown. You can’t go wrong!

1:00pm – NYSE, Wall Street Bull and Fearless Girl

Take a subway back down to Downtown and see Wall Street, The Bull, Fearless Girl, and the NY Stock Exchange. There are plenty of historical buildings and building paramount to our nation’s justice system if you’d like to see those!

2:00pm – Staten Island Ferry & Statue of Liberty

Next, get in line for the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. If you’d rather skip this part, then head to the Chelsea Market to walk up the High Line.

4:00pm – grab a bite at the Chelsea Market

When you get back, walk up the west side of the city along the water and go to the Chelsea Market. There are plenty of places to eat and little shops in the market. You’ll love it!

5:00pm – walk up the High Line

From there, go upstairs to get to the High Line path. Walk north along the High Line towards Midtown. You can see some great views and may even get a great view of the sunset if you time it right! You’ll find yourself at Hudson Yards where there’s another place to go shopping!

6:30pm – grab a bite to eat

When you finish walking the High Line, you’ll be around 30th Street. That’s near Macy’s if you want to see Macy’s at Christmas! It’s huge and really fun to stop in. You’ll be back around Midtown if you want to grab a bite from the list above.

8:00pm – grab dessert

Lastly, grab dessert anywhere in the city. Here are some favorites:

• Laderach – the best Swiss Chocolate! It’s the best in Switzerland and there are a number of shops in NYC. Be sure to take some home!
• Milk Bar – a place with milk-flavored ice cream that you top with cereal
• Anita La Mamma del Gelato – great gelato in the city
• Magnolia Bakery (if you haven’t already)
• VanLeeuwen’s Ice Cream – the best!!
• Swing back to Bryant Park Winter Village or the Columbus Circle Christmas Market for a fun treat!

That’s it for my 2-day Itinerary in NYC! For more readings on Travel, click here.

Maybe you stumbled here for the NYC Itinerary but you’re walking through a time in your life where you’re wondering if God sees you. You want to make sense of the hurt that someone caused that you just can’t seem to quit replaying. You’re wondering if it’s time to take justice into your own hands and if God even cares. I wrote a book to help you answer those questions. You can read more about it here and get a copy here.