I hadn’t been to New York in years. My holiday plans were in flux this year and I decided to use the time to get out of town. I spent time with friends and family early in the week so I could leave town with a (mostly) clear conscious. I got weird looks when I told people I wasn’t spending Christmas with loved ones, but everyone was polite enough not to call me crazy to my face.
After researching places that exuded the spirit of Christmas, I narrowed down my list to North America (due to price for last minute trip) and then picked New York over Quebec (due to travel time). I usually try to be a traveler rather than a tourist, but I went into full tourist mode and made a list of every holiday-esque stop I could find. Rockefeller Tree? check. Holiday store windows? check. Lots of skating rinks and a picture of the red/green Empire State Building? check and check.
Here are a few things I was reminded of – or learned this time around:
- Times Square is overrated. Central Park is not.
- The food really is better here than most places.
- The people are actually very friendly. (although they might tell you to F*** yourself if you accused them of it out loud).
- If I was forced to stay in one building for the rest of my life, I think I’d pick The Met.
- No matter how long I stay or how many times I visit – I’ll only ever see a fraction of it. And that’s okay because it’s a reason to go back again, and again…..
As we head into 2016 – here’s wishing everyone safe travels. I haven’t decided yet where the next trip will be, but am already looking forward to it. And I’ve also discovered that sometimes it’s okay to be a tourist.