Ah, Manhattan at Christmas time, gotta love it. Of course when I lived in Times Square and my roommate worked at Rockefeller Center, she swore we “lived in Christmas hell.” The crowds can be rather aggressive, you know? But still, it’s very pretty.
And I’m proud to report that I even got a little snow when I visited this weekend. I felt just like that Alabama song.
“By now in New York City… There’s snow on the ground…” Christmas in Dixie
Anyway, as a former resident and current tourist of the great city of New York, I have a few observations to share.
Things I Noticed About Christmas in NYC This Year:
1. You won the World Series! Does anyone remember that? Because Philly does, painfully. Yet you can walk around Manhattan for days and see no evidence of the Yankee’s accomplishment. There are no signs in the windows, no banners in store displays, no flags on cars. If the fans really care that little, I think we should take back championship.
2. We found a rockin’ four-star hotel on Lastminutetravel.com for $179. Considering NY prices, that’s practically free. And our place had a bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a dining room! I’m not joking. It was extended stay that was bigger than my friends’ apartments.
3. Takashimaya, the Japanese department store, has the best selection of under $25 Pollyanna gifts ever! There was a Lego calculator, a funky paper wallet, an engraved silver NYC subway map, typewriter key cufflinks. You name the random crap, and it’s got it!
4.The tree at Rockefeller Center has no ornaments. Was it always that way?
5. The price of a caricature in Central Park has gone down from $20 to $15. See, the economy has affected everyone.
6. We found three—count ‘em THREE—free parking spots over the weekend. We didn’t pay for parking once. The odds of that happening are about as good as me winning the lottery, maybe I should play…
7. If you go to the Met, you don’t actually have to pay $20 per adult (as the sign says). It’s just a “suggested donation.” You can just give them $5 if you want. Really.
8. There are “bridal consultants” in the J.Crew in Rockefeller Center.
9. The ring that inspired my engagement ring is no longer at Tiffany’s. (Six years ago, my DH took the Tiffany specs of that ring to a jeweler in the Diamond District and had the ring recreated for much less. He’s so smart.)
10. I’m mad old. At one point while visiting a college friend, I realized we had just spent thirty minutes discussing furniture and the prices at Pottery Barn. That’s sad, folks. We used to do shots.
POP CULTURE RANT: Shrek the Halls
Okay, I think this is officially the best modern Christmas movie in existence. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. Now. It’s really funny. And as always, my favorite character is Puss ‘n Boots. If you’ve got a cat, you’ll find this clip funny. “I’ve shamed myself.”
