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It is SO important to step back from our busy lives and take time just to savor the sights and sounds of the holiday season. On Friday, I did just that, and hopped on a train into the city. I LOVE New York at Christmas…it is a pretty amazing city all of the time, but at Christmas it comes alive.
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Grand Central is SO majestic and is the perfect welcome mat for New York City…I wish the airports here had an ounce of the grandeur of this train station (but that is a WHOLE different blog post for another time).
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My first stop…the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) where I met my friend Crista to see the Matisse Cut Outs. This is a MUST see if you are going to be in New York. It ends February 8, 2015 and is definitely worth a trip to the city! It was a treat to get in before the crowds with the Members’ early admission hours. Here is a little secret: a membership to MoMA is $85 for the year. Two tickets to get into the museum are $50 – why not pay a bit extra, get early admission to the museum (including special exhibits) with no crowds, PLUS all the other benefits of membership for the next year? And, you are supporting an excellent cause!
After our eyes adjusted once again to “Manhattan grey” after the bright and cheery colors of Matisse, we headed uptown to a small museum on Fifth Avenue – The Neue Gallerie. This museum is worth a visit just to see the gorgeous landmark building where it is located – once the home of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. Their collection is dedicated to early 20th century Austrian and German art (the jewel of the collection being Gustav Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer) and also features many rotating exhibitions – we saw the exhibit of Egon Schiele portraits which was very interesting. We were on our way to lunch or we would definitely have stopped into Cafe Sabarsky at the Neue for some Kaffe Creme and Viennese pastries!
Next on the agenda of the
day…visiting a couple of hotels! I am obviously in the right business
because this is one of my favorite things to do. Crista (who is a
fellow travel advisor) says my eyes light up like a kid in a candy shop
the minute I walk into the lobby of a luxury hotel.
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We visited two New York City gems – the Plaza Athenee and The Lowell. They are both on the Upper East Side just steps from Central Park and Madison Avenue shopping, and both are absolutely beautiful. I will be featuring them in a separate post where I will show you many more photos, but I am smitten with both of these properties – they are quite different but share similarities as well. I can’t wait to share them with you in detail.
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In an embarrassment of riches, we were hosted for a delicious lunch at Arabelle at the Plaza Athenee and then afternoon tea at The Lowell’s Pembroke Room. Absolutely delicious food, delightful spaces and great company – what could be better! I didn’t know about afternoon tea at The Lowell, but it is now my preferred destination for this occasion. The Pembroke Room is cozy and elegant at the same time – the perfect place for high tea for the Holidays…I already plan to return with Caroline when she is home.
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| Tiffany & Co. lit up for the holidays including their famous Snowflake |
Even though it was drizzling freezing rain, I decided to walk the twenty plus blocks back to Grand Central so I could enjoy the essence of New York at the holidays – the decorations in the store windows, the twinkling lights everywhere, the smell of roasting chestnuts, the Rockefeller Center tree, and the bustling crowds. I have lived in the NYC area for a many years but I never get tired of “Christmas time in the city”!
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| The windows at Bergdorf’s, Tiffany’s and Barney’s are always amazing! |
I
hope you will come visit me at The Enchanted Home today where I am joining with
several other lovely blogging ladies to share a few of our holiday
faves! It will be a virtual Christmas party…without the calories from
the cookies and cocktails!
hope you will come visit me at The Enchanted Home today where I am joining with
several other lovely blogging ladies to share a few of our holiday
faves! It will be a virtual Christmas party…without the calories from
the cookies and cocktails!
Coming on Wednesday…Hong Kong…finally!!
Good morning Sandy, At 5:45 on a Monday morning I just enjoyed the most delightful tour of NYC, one of my favorite cities too. Your images capture the sights and displays just perfectly. Oh yes, to brunch and tea at swanky hotels…simply fabulous! Can hardly wait for more images of your spectacular day in this festive city all dressed up for the holidays!
xx
The city looks beautiful at night with all the lights in winter. I'd love to go someday 🙂
One of the most beautiful places at Christmas time. No-one does it quite like NY 😉
Bonjour,
Je découvre avec délice l'ensemble de vos photos… Un joli périple artistique le tout mêlé à une très belle balade où l'esprit de Noël règne partout.
Gros bisous ♡
Hi Sandy, Just stopped by Tina's and wanted to say how much I enjoyed your holiday post! Happy Monday:)
There is nothing I love quite as much as I do NYC at Christmas – the holiday windows, amazing brunches and dinners and shopping galore…great tour!!
Oh, how I love that Tiffany window scene! I just saw it at our Tiffany (yeah, like if it's MINE!) over here at the Edina Galleria! And the rest of the cities here my friend, GORGEOUS! Christmas is gorgeous in the country, in the city, in a cottage or in a castle. JOY TO THE WORLD!
New York has one of the best in the World in terms of Christmas decor, windows and lights. So magical.
Except for the crowds on week ends, New York is Fabulous at Christmas!!! Grand central is amazing, and I agree about the airports. Little ol Savannah has a clean, sleek, easy airport that puts the big dirty, crazy airports of New York to shame!
New York looks like a dream during Christmas! I loved all your photos, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Good morning, Sandy! Such beautiful pictures of the city all adorned for the holidays! I can imagine that the visual contrast between the Matisse exhibit and the dreary sky must have been quite stark. Grand Central Station is such a special place. My mom has told stories about riding the train in from Connecticut when she was a young girl, visiting the big city for a day of shopping. How wonderful that they have maintained the beauty and grandeur of the place!
Oh I love New York at christmas! It is like a winter wonderland. Between the windows, the shopping and all of the lights it is hard to pick a favorite.
I love you beautiful photos and cannot wait to see more of these hotels.
Savor the season my friend!
Heading over to TInas!!
Visiting NY during the holidays is one of my dreams Sandy, and hopefully I get to do it soon! I still remember your wonderful series last year on the store displays (I think that was how I started getting hooked on you and your blog)!
Ohhh that's so fantastic!!! I really miss that place…