by Darlene Koza

Created on: February 03, 2009   Last Updated: February 10, 2009

What a fantastic place to be during the holiday season - New York City! It's a magical land that the entire world peeks in on. Beginning with the televised program of the Macy's Day Parade on Thanksgiving, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, to the grand finale at midnight on New Year's Eve with the dropping of the ball at Times Square - the city is so alive and festive.

We enjoyed taking in all of the sights and sounds of the season. From Battery Park to Central Park, it seemed that everywhere we went we were in awe of the decorations and activities. I have never seen so many huge Christmas trees in my life. The most impressive was the enormous tree in Rockefeller Center. The NY Stock Exchange tree was the runner-up adorned with ornaments that said NYSE on them. There were also gi-normous wreaths all over the city. As well, the window displays at the retail stores were fascinating all the work spent on them was very impressive. Of all the numerous decorations throughout the city, I have to say that my favorite was a collection of huge round red ornaments that were sitting in front of the Chase building's fountain. They looked as though they were sitting there waiting for someone to put them on the world's biggest Christmas tree. They must have been at least 5 feet in diameter. They were awesome!

NYC truly is the city that never sleeps. But then again, there is so much to do there, how can you sleep?
To help keep you awake, there are many restaurants to choose from. If you go two blocks from any major attraction in the city, you can find a great restaurant that won't break the bank. We were delighted with the restaurants we ate at.

And what trip would be complete without seeing the touristy landmarks that are known throughout the world? So of course, we ventured into the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Both are a must see! Climbing in the Statue of Liberty was a good workout no working elevators in that tourist attraction. On the other hand, the Empire State Building has elevators and the view from the top of the building is glorious. We timed it so we could watch the sunset romantic and breathtaking. There are security checkpoints at both locations so be prepared for some wait time. The King Kong wannabe gorilla at the Empire State Building made an appearance and tried to scare me. After the crazy camel guy in Giza, Egypt I don't scare that easily. (See my article under Cairo, Egypt)

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