The Big Apple is always hot but when the cold sets in, it has a little shot of sparkle about it too. Department stores are aglow with kaleidoscopic light displays; a huge ice rink pops up in Central Park; the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is resplendent on the plaza. The streets could also be covered in snow — if you play your cards right, you might walk right into a setting from all those heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movie.
Still, winter in the city isn’t all holiday cheer and snow. Markets are everywhere, from Brooklyn’s Dumbo District to Bryant Park, and, the same as hotel prices and tourist crowds post-Christmas, just like the mercury. The hallowed halls of institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Modern Art will be that much more tranquil, while over at Hudson Yards — Midtown Manhattan’s newest neighbour hood —farm-to-table dining options are ever-present. What Not To Miss On a Winter Break.
Day one
Morning
Start your first full day with a typical Big Apple breakfast: a bagel filled with cream cheese and smoked salmon. While there are a variety of locations, Ess-a-Bagel in Midtown East, Murray’s Bagels in Greenwich Village, and Russ & Daughters in the Lower East Side and Hudson Yards are some of the best. If time allows, digest your morning with a walk through Central Park, stopping at the John Lennon Memorial, Strawberry Fields, and the Bethesda Fountain at the top of the angel. Next, head to Fifth Avenue, where the flagship stores of various international clothing designers compete for your attention with Christmas-themed window displays. While you’re in the neighborhood, put on your ice skates at Rockefeller Center, where the rink is set up in front of a giant Christmas tree and festive tunes blast from the speakers.
Afternoon
Winters in New York can be very cold, so after hours of walking and skating, you’ll want to cozy up inside. Visit the Museum of Modern Art, also known as MoMA, located in Midtown Manhattan to see works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe. Spanning six floors, the extensive collection takes three to six hours to browse and can be supplemented by a visit to the MoMA Design Store to purchase aunique memory. Next, visit the Modern, which holds two Michelin stars and is known for its haute cuisine, with dishes such as lemongrass-roasted lobster and dried duck with poached yellow peaches. For a more casual experience, dine at the bar and order a la carte.
Evening
New York has no shortage of hilltop viewpoints that offer spectacular, unobstructed views. For some of the best photo opportunities, head to Top of the Rock at sunset: its three indoor and outdoor observation levels reveal a number of iconic Manhattan landmarks, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Afterward, visit one of its eight top-rated restaurants, such as Le Rock, a French-style bar from the chefs of Tribe ca’s ever-popular Fléchette restaurant; or Jupiter, the Italian restaurant from the team of female chefs that King gave us in Soho. Another amazing observation deck in Midtown is SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, 435 meters high, near Grand Central Station. Consisting of three levels, this transcendent experience includes various rooms and exhibits that combine lighting, mirrors, sound and technology with the amazing view of the tower to give the illusion of floating above the city. Visit us after dark for a spectacular light show and incredible night views, with a cocktail in hand at the on-site Acres Bar.
Day two
Morning
The second to Hudson Yards, a Midtown neighborhood recently built on railroad tracks. Here, a complex of glass towers houses a shopping mall and various restaurants, including Mercado Little Spain, a large Spanish food market run by world-renowned chef José Andrés. Feast on different specialties such as tortilla de cantatas (Spanish omelette made with eggs, potatoes and onions) and tornado spumoni (espresso with steamed milk). During your stay, take the elevator to the 100th floor to reach the Edge, a triangular cantilevered platform that, at 335 meters, is the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. Brave souls can stand on a large transparent floor and wave at passers-by in the distance or choose to climb the building itself in the new City Climb experience.
Afternoon
Accessed by stairs directly from Hudson Yards, the High Line is a 1.5-mile elevated rail park. Along the boardwalk, admire art installations, murals, billboards, videos, food stalls and street performances by emerging artists, as well as the surrounding skyscrapers built by some of the world’s greatest architects. The street ends at the southern end of Chelsea, right next to the Whitney Museum of American Art. Here visitors can see avant-garde exhibits they show the most famous artists of today and admire the view of the horizon from the four external terraces of the museum. A trip to New York is incomplete without a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Located in the southern tip of Manhattan, the museum is a multimedia collection of carefully curated artifacts and personal accounts of this historic day. Outside, the memorial, Reflecting Absence, consists of the footprints of the two towers of the World Trade Center, inscribed with falls and the names of each victim.
Evening
New York is not just Manhattan. There are four other boroughs to explore, including Brooklyn, connected by the Brooklyn Bridge. Be sure to time your walk on its pedestrian bridge at sunset to admire the downtown Manhattan skyline as the sun pours liquid gold over the horizon. End your second day in New York by strolling the leafy, brown streets of nearby Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn’s prettiest neighborhood. Afterward, stroll along the boardwalk to the trendy Dumbo district, whose cobblestone streets and converted warehouses provide the perfect setting for independent boutiques, upscale restaurants and trendy cafés.
