Holiday Lights in New York City: A Walk in Photos

by Karen Rubin

Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Crowds flock to Rockefeller Center for its traditional scene of angels lighting the way to the giant Christmas tree © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

My favorite activity for the holidays in New York is an evening stroll to see the holiday windows and decorations. My route typically goes from Macy’s (this year’s theme, “Believe in the Wonder of Giving”), up to Fifth Avenue to Saks Fifth Avenue which is directly across from Rockefeller Center (from which you can see the amazing light and sound show that is projected onto Saks building, this year, a “There’s No Business Like Show Business” vibe) and across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral (stop in), up to Bergdorf Goodman (still the most artful, creative windows of them all).  Returning along Sixth Avenue, stop in at the Rockefeller Center skating rink and then to Bryant Park with a fantastic skating rink and holiday market.

Enchanted by Macy’s holiday windows with a whimsical snowy spaceman theme © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

My walk this year led me to “The Lifespan of a Fact,” a new (and timely) play at the reincarnated Studio 54. The play, based on what is apparently true events turned into an Essay/Book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale who play (respectively) Jim Fingal, an intern/copy editor, magazine publisher Emily, and prominent, respected writer John D’Agata.  I had been wanting to see it, intrigued by the subject (fact-checking an important essay) and the issues it raised (“What is truth?” “What is poetic (embellished) truth in the service of a greater good?” “What is truth and trust in the scheme of journalism business, liability and viability?”). And so took a chance, and walked up to the box office and bought a ticket. I was so delighted I did: it is smart, intelligent, extremely interesting and thought-provoking and oh-so relevant in light of truthiness, “fake news” and the Rolling Stone Magazine affair.

Seeing the play was a serendipitous and satisfying addition to my holiday stroll regimen, something that is oh so possible in New York.  Broadway and off-Broadway theaters add performances during the holidays, one of the most popular times of the year for theater.

Some of the best places to catch some discount tickets include Broadwaybox.com, Theatermania.com, Stubhub.com, and Tdf.org, and waiting on line at the TKTS counter at Duffy Plaza in Times Square (a happening in itself), with two other locations, at Lincoln Center and South Street Seaport. Some hard-to-get shows, like Aladdin (which we thoroughly enjoyed over Thanksgiving), offer daily lotteries for discounted tickets.

Here are highlights:

Macy’s “Believe” theme and Empire State Building, two iconic images of holidays in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Salvation Army guy, a familiar sight during the holidays, surprises with a spirited performance © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Chestnuts roasting © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Saks Fifth Avenue’s façade becomes the canvas for a dazzling light and sound show for the holidays © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Saks Fifth Avenue’s façade becomes the canvas for a dazzling light and sound show for the holidays © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
One of the imaginative holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
57th Street, with its crystal snowflake and Tiffany’s © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For more information regarding the most wonderful time of the year in the five boroughs, find NYC & Company’s official guide to the holidays in New York City at NYCgo.com/holiday.

_____________________________

© 2018 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com,  www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin , and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures