Bucket List Check! My dreamy Thanksgiving in NYC!
Hi! Happy Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, I am STILL on cloud 9 from my dream Thanksgiving last year in one of my favorite places in the world - New York City! So while I'm dreaming of being back there, I wanted to share my experience last year! Enjoy!
{can you tell from all of my !!! how excited this makes me??}
Y'all will eventually see my love for New York City overflowing in this blog. It is such a big love.
Why? Not really sure. I was raised on a farm way out in the country in Tennessee, moved to Nashville and experienced a mini big city life for a few years, lived in Atlanta for a year and eventually settled in an in between big/small city of Knoxville. Through all of those years, every single time I have set foot in NYC, a wave of peace and a sense of being at home overwhelms me. Whatever it is and why, I'm so glad New York has a part of my heart.
So it worked out that another NYC-loving friend of mine would be able to make a trip that year. We had originally talked about a quick Labor Day visit, but I'm so glad other plans caused that trip to not work out because then came the opportunity to go during Thanksgiving! Y'all - the chance to see THE Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and kickoff the Christmas season in NYC?? You just don't know how much of a dream that would be for me. When my friend and I first discussed it 3 months before, it was a go and I went ahead and started planning!
I was moving back to Knoxville from Atlanta and I was hopefully about to start a new job (no job offer at the time of planning though!) so there was this tiny little voice in my head trying to bring me back to reality... reminding me that really, there was no way we would make that happen. I planned carefully and realistically - booking refundable hotel rooms and just scouting out deals, watching flights and keeping the money set aside and ready to buy when and if it was for sure a go!
And guess what?! It. Happened!
This is long, but if you want to read about things I checked off my bucket list, Jesus and Christmas in NYC, my inner nerd and love of history, baseball and plays - keep reading!
Grab some coffee, hot chocolate, or some warm apple cider and come with me as I re-tell one of my favorite adventures!
November 22: To New York!
{Thank you Snapchat for the filters to hide my tired eyes}
We flew out of Charlotte, NC (CLT) via Delta (my favorite airline!), and landed Wednesday night in JFK.
On the night before the parade, you can head to the starting location {until 8pm} and watch the float set up as well as the balloons getting pumped up {literally} for the next morning. The rain had stopped so we decided to walk from our hotel on 36th street up to W. 77th St to check that out. But as we got closer, a NYPD officer let us know they had shut it down early.
While I was super sad, I just added it to my list of things to see on my NEXT trip. Positivity right?!
The best way to stay positive about a missed opportunity on a trip is to say - "I'll just do that next time!"
It was starting to sprinkle again at this point AND we were starved, so we headed back towards our hotel planning to stop at a restaurant on the way. After going about almost 20 blocks, I hadn't realized on our way to see the floats that there wasn't a single restaurant - only residential apartment buildings. Oops. So we grabbed a hot dog from a vendor in Columbus Circle and started making our way down Broadway hoping the next 20 blocks would have something. As we crossed W. 56th St, we saw this:
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| Photo Source: Trip Advisor |
What does that look like to you?
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My first thought? Gentleman's club
...and I almost walked on past.
But we were so hungry PLUS it was getting late, it was Thanksgiving eve (so we had to get up early for the parade), I knew there wasn't much around our hotel, and did I mention we were hungry?? We decided to walk on over and check it out. You know, just in case they did have some kind of edible food.
Y'all - I could not have asked for a better meal. Not only did they have edible food - it was Italian (my favorite!) and it was so good.
It was also absolutely beautiful in there! That outside look was incredibly deceiving.
We walked in and it was so packed! I realized we might have to look again for somewhere to eat when we were asked if we had reservations. Again - oops. I totally did not think about restaurants being full on Thanksgiving eve. Thankfully, they made room for us - not on the main floor though. We went up these gorgeous stairs with a mirror wall to the 2nd floor where it was much quieter, relaxing and cozy. It had just a few Italian families who {I'm assuming} were eating out before cooking their big Thanksgiving dinner the next day. |
| Photo source: Business Insider/Talia Avaklan |
I found out later that the same upstairs we were seated in was normally reserved for celebrities - so they could still have the "small restaurant feel" but eat their dinner privately. And we got to experience that perfect little area!
{And no we didn't see any celebrities that night or I would totally be talking about it!}
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| Meal choice: Spaghetti & Meatballs |
When you get a chance - read this fun article all about this little gem we came upon by accident and go visit the next time you're in Manhattan!
{bonus: there is a hilarious story from our dinner experience involving the bread basket, and one of the glasses on the table. It's one of those "had to be there" stories, but definitely must be told in person. So next time you see me or Ria - if you haven't heard this story - you should ask about it}
November 23: Thanksgiving Day!
I don't know about everyone else, but in my world, on Thanksgiving - I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
I honestly don't have any idea where the tradition started - I believe my dad's sisters would always have it on when we went to my Nana's house? I must've fallen in love with it from a young age because it became (and still is) a must for every Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving, I have always watched a part of the parade. I haven't always had time for all of it - as I got older I would be getting ready, or helping my mom with last minute cooking or cleaning up, or loading up the car, or traveling. I still always found time for some of it. It is one of my favorite traditions and I have always wanted to be there in person to see it!
But - let me back track a little before we get to the parade. I was absolutely terrified of over sleeping for this day. I had just started a job a few weeks before this where I actually had to wake up and be at work which I hadn't done in over a year and a half. So mornings or alarms even were a real struggle (check out my blog post on my discovery on how I was able to overcome my "not a morning person mindset").
I set my alarm for between 4:30-5am to make sure I was ready by 6:30am (in case the streets started filling up earlier than expected and I needed to rush out and get a place for the parade). I knew I would hit snooze a few times - which is why my alarm was set soooo early. The actual plan was to be out there between 7-7:30am, as long as all went well.
Turns out - I didn't have to worry about over sleeping at all!
Did you know...?
the bands that are performing during the parade
PRACTICE all night,
the night before Thanksgiving?
Yeah. Neither did I. Nor did I ever read or hear anything about that happening.
{But serious question - to my current band members & band alumni}
Is that really necessary?? Or even beneficial?
If you don't have it down by then, is one more practice really going to help?
Is that not just going to cause all of those kids to be so exhausted the next day?
- Sincerely, tired parade goer
So there you go - here's YOUR warning (since I didn't get one) - bring some earplugs or be prepared to be up all night if you're staying anywhere near the parade route!
With no sleep comes bags under the eyes, so when you notice them, now you know. I wasn't out all night in the big city - I just slept about 3-4 hours because unfortunately live band music is NOT the best kind of lullaby.
I was up and ready to go right on time, we made it outside with our coffee by around 7:20am.
There were already 2 lines of people on the sidewalk at that point - I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be any farther back on the sidewalk - there's only so many people you can see around - but where we were was really perfect because you're looking up most of the time anyway!
We were at the corner of 36th St. and 6th Ave. which was literally feet from where we were staying. Walked right out the door of our hotel, and then to our spot. Since we were almost at the end of the parade route, the beginning of the parade didn't get to that block until a little after 9:30am. But, that also helped out in being able to be out on the street a little later so "sleeping" in a little bit later than most as well. The only thing was...
We were in the quiet zone. Since we were only 2 blocks from the performance square at Macy's, once they get to that point, they stop performing so the noise doesn't interrupt those already performing. If you look at the website for the parade, it will tell you avoid this area. But, let me tell you - I thought it was perfect! You got to see and hear the performers right as they got up to our area and then they were able to interact with us since they weren't performing!
I'd totally go back to that area again!
But y'all! I cannot express in words my excitement when I started hearing the cheers getting louder and louder, which meant the moment that I would get to see - with my own eyes - the beginning of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, was getting closer and closer!
If I hadn't been so cold, I think I would've cried!
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Macy's 91st Thanksgiving Day Parade
...and the part I look forward to every year, that mean one, creeping through the city!
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| Mr. Grinch! |
Then, for the Grand Finale and the start of Christmas!
It's Santa!!!
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Bonus tip: DON'T FORGET YOUR FEET
As you can tell from the pictures - we were bundled up. Scarf, ear warmers, hat, gloves (and make sure they're the ones with the device friendly fingertips! It is just too cold to take your gloves off to take or post a picture!). I am no stranger to cold weather and normally know how to perfectly dress to stay warm. I wore ski socks and boots y'all. But I didn't account for the fact that I would not be moving my feet those 5 hours. Ski socks and boots work great if you are moving - like walking or skiing. Trust me when I say, you're gonna need an extra pair of socks - even with the thickest and warmest of socks - when you are just standing in the cold for that long.
Once we got back in the room, cranked up the heat and started thawing out, I said, "If I had to go home right now - it would've all been worth it. Everything else from here on out is just a bonus!"
It. Was. Amazing!
I'm not kidding when I say it took a couple of hours to thaw out. But we were finally warm and charged back up to head out for more Thanksgiving adventure!
We had tickets to see The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes at 10pm that night which is near Rockefeller Center so off we went! With Christmas officially kicked off with the arrival of Santa Claus, so I was ready to see all the Christmas-y things!
Rockefeller Center to mark another item off the bucket list! Check!
Skated for over an hour and we didn't fall once! Again - so worth it!
I knew the tree wouldn't be lit yet since the lighting of the Rockefeller tree is always the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. So I was not expecting the breathtaking decorations all around Rockefeller Center. I hardly even missed the decorations on the tree because of all of this gorgeousness!
This light display on the outside of the Saks building - and it was a Disney theme!!
We walked towards the display to see if there was more what we found was even better than a light display! We found the iconic window display from Saks that people travel from around the world to see each year! Along the entire building, in each window, was an animation of a scene from Snow White and designs from some of the largest names in fashion to celebrate its 80th anniversary!
"Once Upon A Holiday"
Read more here on Elle
Wanna check out the video to feel like you're there?! Click here!
...some of the modern designs inspired by Snow White from a few of my favorite designers!
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| Monique Lhuillier |
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| Marchesa |
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| Oscar de la Renta |
I think I was the literal version of the "hearts eyes" emoji looking at every single display. <3
Next stop! Minus 5 Ice Bar!
In another trip to NYC, I had been to the minus5º Ice Bar and it is such a fun frozen experience! Everything is made out of ice! It is -5º and everything is made of ice - the seats, the walls, the glasses! There are furs on the seats and benches to keep you warm, you get a parka & gloves for the time you're in there and can hang out as long as you want! The only negative: they do make you leave your electronics (phones, watches) in the lockers of the lobby - they say the cold will cause damage. But for a keepsake, I thought it was worth it to pay for the picture of such a fun memory!
Tip: Bring your own gloves and a maybe a hat or ear warmers. The gloves they give you are obviously low quality and don't keep your hands warm for very long. I put theirs over the ones I brought.
Christmas Spectacular with the Radio City Rockettes:
This was completely unplanned but oh my, am I so glad we did this! Watching the Rockettes perform on TV has always captivated me. They are all so gorgeous and then add their amazing sychronized talent?! And whoa, those leggggsss - for days!
I saw a last minute deal for this show and I asked Ria about it. It wasn't a must see, but I thought if she wanted to see it, then why not?!
Y'all! This far exceeded any of my expectations!
First of all... look at how gorgeous this chandelier is, right inside Radio City Music Hall!
Pictures do not even do that place justice!
If you like musicals, go see this!
If you've ever seen the Rockettes (or haven't and are curious about what they do or who they are), go see this.
But most of all, if you want to see the reason we celebrate Christmas - the birth of Jesus - in real life, GO SEE THIS.
There are no pictures or videos that can come close to the overwhelming feeling I felt watching this come to life - and in New York City at that. A city that is known for the over-commercialization of Christmas (true, but let's be real - it's in every city) - did something I never expected. On a massive platform at Radio City Music Hall, they showed the story of all types of people (the shepherds, the wealthy wise men) coming to see Jesus. If you're a child of God, and that doesn't give you goosebumps and make you excited - you need to go see it for yourself and let that moment overwhelm you!{If you don't know Jesus - I'd love to at least talk to you about this hope that is within me! He loves you and I do too! <3}
In LOVE with NYC.
November 24: Black Friday - Adventure Day 2
I'm sure for you shoppers out there Black Friday in NYC might've been a dream (or maybe a nightmare) for you.
I wouldn't know.
I am not much of a shopper (even though I have a HUGE love for fashion). I definitely do not "shop" in NYC.
And thankfully, my travel buddy for this trip feels the same!
So in case you're wondering: No, we DID NOT go shopping on Black Friday in NYC.
We did something better.
I have this huge love for history, artifacts, art and the Met Gala (remember I love fashion?).
...So you know what that means?!
Another New York bucket list item that I hadn't checked off in any of my other trips -
The Metropolitan Museum!
I didn't research any of the rooms or items on display (except for the featured one) because I wanted to be surprised and just wander through. I knew it was a ginormous place and I knew it would take a long time to go through it so we got there early-ish and 6 hours later... I felt like I could have spent another 6 hours!
We walked through rooms and rooms of art - paintings centuries old.
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| Claude Monet "Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies" 1899 |
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| Vincent Van Gogh "Wheat Field with Cypresses" 1889 |
I was mesmerized by this early sketch from Leonardo da Vinci (circa 1480s).
See how he was focusing on the detail of the paw?
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| "Study of a Bear Walking, Sketch of a Forepaw" |
In the arms & armor wing, I saw battle armor belonging to Henry VIII, attire of the great Genghis Khan and so many other titans of history, guns designed laden in ivory and others designed by the founder of Tiffany's (yes, the jeweler!), but my inner pirate-obsessed nerd was screaming with delight at all of these beautiful swords!
The Egyptian wing was a special surprise.
When I was elementary school age (3rd or 4th grade?) - my mom did an Egyptian history study with my brother and I. All I knew about Egyptians were what I had read and learned from Exodus in the Bible. Everything about it all just drew me in and stuck with me. Seeing the Nile and the pyramids have been on my bucket list ever since. So when I walked into this room and saw these stones, my mouth dropped open. Real Egyptian stones, with real hieroglyphics carved into the sides! I had to pick my mouth off the floor! |
| Isis & Osiris |
When we walked into the "tomb" room - I was really geeking out. This was one of the most interesting things to me. The Egyptians knowledge in embalming is fascinating. There was a sarcophagus, canopic jars, and shelves of other items that could be found with the body that the deceased may need or use in the "after life".
Then there were the rags. As I read the tags, I started seeing that these weren't just any rags from Egyptians - these were rags from Pharaohs! The KINGS of Egypt! I started frantically searching for one specific one - and finally found it!
Y'all - Pieces of rags belonging to Rameses II - the Egyptian (adopted) brother of Moses! I love seeing history pieces and places because with my imagination, all of those stories come to life in my head whenever I get to experience those things so I especially love to see those historical elements tied to the Bible in real life!
On to the featured display!
Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer
The man behind the massive masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was such an interesting person to learn about.
He was an incredible sculptor, the hands behind the iconic "David".
I couldn't take my eyes off of his "Brutus" - I kept going back to it - amazed at the incredible detail.
He had an odd infatuation with the faces of elderly men, oftentimes putting them with the body of younger physically fit man. He practiced body parts over and over to get them just right with every muscle ripple or wrinkle in the skin. Out of all of this talent, I also learned ...he was a bit of a copycat. His "smooshed" nose that you can notice in the few pieces of him was from another artist breaking his nose with a punch to the face!
Ladies & Gentleman - Michelangelo.
All good things must come to an end though.
The Met Steps.
No gown here today, but maybe someday I'll walk these in a breathtaking gown on the way to the Met Gala!
{I have gotten some serious practice this year - post coming soon to tell you about those!}
That was it for this time! I can't wait to back!
We rushed to a cab to get to the theatre district, grabbed a quick slice of pizza and then and headed to our Broadway show for the trip!
Cats!
It was definitely not what I expected but such a fun show!
If you have kids - especially ones that love animals - and you have the opportunity to see this show, do it!
The cast is very interactive, roaming throughout the audience during a lot of the show. There were multiple times one of the cats were inches in front of us!
Seating tip: We sat in the first row of the balcony - no way were there better seats in the house for that show!
After the show, we found a little karaoke bar a few blocks from our hotel - and may have even participated! Such a fun end to the day!
November 25: Adventure Day 3
After two long days - including one very early morning, and one very late night - we slept in on our last day.
The weather was absolutely perfect as we hopped on the train and headed to the Bronx! Time for another bucket list check!
Yankee Stadium!
Perfect day for this adventure!
Ria is die hard Yankees fan.
I love baseball, Babe Ruth (lefty thrower), Yogi Berra (I was a catcher).
Growing up I played in the youth Babe Ruth League for t-ball and softball and that will forever be my favorite sport.
Did you know the first World Series winners' "prize" was not a ring?
In 1923, it was a pocket watch!
Through my years of softball, I was a pitcher and eventually a catcher. This was such a cool display to see a glimpse of THAT historical Perfect Game. The Larsen and Berra statues were set up the exact distance of their positions of that game and the ball casing (you can see the beginning of it below) was shaped in the trajectory of the final pitch!
Stepping onto a baseball diamond brings back so many memories for me.
Seeing these jerseys, bats, and gloves belonging to a few of my favorite legends was magical.
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| Lou Gehrig |
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| Mickey Mantle |
"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." - Babe Ruth
After the tour, we walked over to the location to the original Yankees park. It has since been turned into a four field baseball park for inner city youth. I was hoping to find the location of the original home plate where the legends stood - but supposedly, it's in the outfields of one of those parks so, maybe next time.
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| View of the original Yankees park from Yankee Stadium |
Tip: Probably isn't the best idea for two girls to be in the Bronx after dark. It felt like a scene from a horror movie trying to get on the train as the sun was quickly setting. But we made it
I could hardly contain myself on the train heading back to our hotel to get ready for this evening's event.
Y'all.
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We were headed...
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...to Lincoln Center
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to see The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet!
Bonus tip: Make sure you go to the right performance hall at Lincoln Center!
Did you know - there are more than one performance halls at Lincoln Center? Ha, neither did I! I assumed to see the New York City Ballet for The Nutcracker on Thanksgiving weekend I could just follow the crowds - right? WRONG. I promise I'm not normally this ill-prepared. I just trusted myself too much!
As you may know, for many events like an opera, ballet or even a play, - you can't just be wandering in late. I was aware of this and since we were running a little late through weekend holiday traffic, I had our driver drop us off around the corner since I felt like we could briskly walk faster to get in line than him dropping us off. We didn't have much time to get in our seats before showtime!
We made it inside finally and it was such a maze to figure out what line to get in, so after 2 lines and less than 10 minutes to spare, we seemed good to go (with tons of people filing in behind us).
Then my heart sank.
We were not only in the wrong line, we were in the wrong building! The ballet was in the David H Koch Theatre of Lincoln Center across the square! I lost ALL class at this very moment.
We had THREE minutes to be in our seats.
I knocked over two rope poles jumping out of line.
I RAN. In my dress and heels.
In front of some pretty fancy people, at Lincoln Center, in New York City.
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I was almost in tears. I could not be late to the beginning of this ballet.
My friend especially was so excited for this and we could NOT be late.
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We ran in, and thankfully, there were no lines.
I felt this sinking feeling though that there was no way we were going to make it.
Had to hop in the elevator and they were closing the doors (it was 1 minute after the show start time).
BUT WE MADE IT!
I have seen The Nutcracker performed numerous times, but it was absolutely breathtaking to see it performed in that stunning venue!
After the ballet, we walked just down the street to The Smith House for some local late night dinner for our last night in this city.
November 26: Homebound
Traveling makes my heart so happy. I love adventure and seeing new places. But so does my Tennessee home.
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I'm so thankful for the opportunity to travel to all the places I have been and especially thankful for this amazing trip.
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I can't wait for the next one!
Now - Y'all go enjoy some Thanksgiving dinner and I'm going to finish watching this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (92nd!)
Happy Thanksgiving Friends!
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