A magical Christmas ...
Day 3: Christmas Eve
First things first, Liberty Bagels! This time, I decided to indulge in one of their liberty bagels (multicoloured), because, well, why not? And let me tell you, it was absolutely scrumptious! After savouring that delightful treat, we hopped on the subway and made our way downtown to the enchanting Battery Park. Battery Park isn’t as big as we thought it was but its beauty, especially blanketed in snow, is truly gorgeous. We tried to get onto the Statue of Liberty boat but they were sold out that day, so booked it for the Friday instead. Next, we took the subway up to the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and embarked on the walk across. Wow, it felt much longer than I remembered! I was grateful for those brief pauses to snap pictures, and even more thankful for my walking stick. The bridge was bustling with people, making it a challenge to keep hold of Dan's arm the whole way! Once we reached Brooklyn, we ventured into Dumbo and, of course, had to capture the famous shot of the tower bridge framed between the buildings. It was a picture-perfect moment with the frosting of snow and the sun beaming. Afterward, we popped into the Time Out Market for a refreshing beer, even though we were still feeling full from the delicious bagels so couldn't fit in a treat! Every day around this time, we found ourselves wishing we had just shared a bagel, allowing us to indulge in more treats throughout the day. But I suppose in the moment, our eyes were indeed bigger than our bellies!
As the afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon, we headed back to the hotel for a little rest and to gear up for an exciting evening ahead. The highlight? Climbing to the top of the iconic Empire State Building to see the dazzling lights from above. Before making our way to the Empire State, we decided to indulge in a quick stop at Rose’s Pizza for a slice of pie. I opted for a square pepperoni slice, which was delicious, though I must admit, it still didn’t quite top my list of favourites, I’d rate it above A Slice of New York so far.
After our pizza pit stop, we ventured into the bustling aisles of Macy’s. Perhaps visiting on Christmas Eve wasn’t the wisest choice, as the store was packed to the brim with holiday shoppers. But we were curious to see what all the hype was about, and wow, it did not disappoint! If you had the budget, this would be the ultimate destination for a shopping spree!
Finally, we made our way up to the Empire State Building, and the city skyline at night was nothing short of breathtaking. I could have easily spent hours up there, soaking in the views, if only it had been a touch warmer. To top off the experience, we treated ourselves to a heavenly Ghirardelli hot chocolate at the observation deck. It was absolutely unreal, and the whole ambiance felt magical. I absolutely love just looking at the Chrysler building, its lights twinkling in the night sky. After a while, though, the chill began to seep in, and we decided to retreat back to the hotel bar. There, we warmed up with a drink and had a delicious prosciutto pizza, the perfect end to a thrilling day in the city!
Day 4: Christmas Day
You’ll never guess what we had for breakfast … yep, Liberty Bagels! This time we ordered ahead and took back to the hotel room. As it was Christmas Day, I had the special Xmas bagel – white, red and green, very festive!
We then got the subway up to Central Park to have a walk around to see a bit further up than we saw the other day. We saw the Betheseda fountain and terrace. There were two men playing the violin and a woman joined in dancing. The lake was frozen. It was just lovely, cold and sunny – just beautiful. I didn’t take my stick with me as we weren’t sure how safe it would be left whilst skating – which turns out they only had small lockers and you just leave your shoes anywhere on the floor or on top of lockers so I’m glad I didn’t take it. Good job Dan doesn’t mind lugging me about.
We watched the ice skaters at Wollman Rink for a little while and then decided to have a go. After 45 minutes in the queue, we got our skates on! We both haven’t been ice skating for at least 12 years so we were never going to be great but I had no hope with my sense of coordination! Dan picked it up after a couple of laps and got his confidence but I could not for the life of me lift up my left foot off the ice, I could with my right foot slightly but still was at snail pace and was far from elegant!! I think I lasted just under an hour and my legs had had enough. The skates were also fairly painful on your ankles! I was stiff and aching after it but it was amazing and I would definitely do it again. Dan just had more work to do with me hanging onto him when walking afterwards.
It felt surreal that you were in the middle of New York, in Central Park, ice skating on a beautiful Christmas Day – it honestly felt like you were in a movie!
After we’d given our skates back, we then leisurely made it back down to the hotel, had a little rest and got ready for the evening! We went to the Butcher and Banker Steakhouse (which conveniently was in the hotel!). He sat us at a table that was inside the old vault – very cool! We started off with a bottle of bubbly and had some yummy shrimp and calamari to start and then both a steak, very good but both very full! Finished off the night with a drink in the bar. Even though it wasn't a jam-packed touristy day, I think this was both our favourite day and a Christmas day we'll both never forget.
Thanks for reading and the following days will be uploaded shortly,
Ali x
[Instagram reel Day 3 & 4: instagram.com/alidaggett]
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