A few years ago, our family of four began our own tradition of traveling during the week of Christmas. Our very first Christmas trip found us in the bright and shiny city of New York!
I’ve been enamored with NYC since my first visit when I was 15 years old. Years later, my husband and I spent our 3rd wedding anniversary there in the summertime and later on, I experienced the enchantment of New York City at Christmastime on a girls trip with a friend. When we moved to Raleigh, I was over-the-moon to discover that one of my favorite cities was a mere 8 hour drive away. Our two kids had never been to New York! My husband and I agreed it was the perfect destination for our family’s first Christmas-away-from-home adventure.
On December 23rd, 2017, we set off to immerse ourselves in the Big Apple at Christmastime for 5 magical days. Yes, it was absolutely freezing. Yes, the word “crowded” took on a whole new meaning. Yes, our feet throbbed at the end of each day. And yes, it was totally worth it.
Day 1
We arrived in New York City after about 10 hours on the road, with bathroom breaks, food breaks, and some mild traffic. It was close to 9pm by the time we settled into our Astoria-area hotel. Motivated by sheer excitement and hunger, we decided to head into the city for a bit before bed. The Roosevelt Island Tramway made for an epic entrance into Manhattan. I will never forget the look on my kids’ faces that first night as they watched the lights of the city grow closer and brighter through the panoramic windows of the tram.
We enjoyed a late night pizza dinner (of course!) then wandered Dylan’s Candy Bar, a dream-come-true candy shop that could have been imagined by Willy Wonka himself! We left Dylan’s fully intending to head back to our hotel. But something happened. I didn’t realize it, but we were a few doors down from Serendipity 3, a famous dessert shop that had been on my NYC Bucket List for years. (On my previous trips, the wait time was 2-3 hours long.) It was nearly 11pm when we popped into Serendipity. We were exhausted from our day of travel and beyond ready for bed, but when the hostess told us she could seat us immediately, we just had to seize the moment. I was not giving up this chance to cross Serendipity off my list!
As I write this, my heart still flutters remembering this night. If you give your kids an ice cream sundae on any given day, they’re probably going to be pretty happy. If you give your kids the biggest ice cream sundae they’ve ever seen AND it’s nearly midnight, get ready to see a pair of the goofiest, purest smiles imaginable. I mean, look!
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My husband and I were pretty thrilled with our frozen hot chocolate and signature espresso drinks too. Our spontaneous, or perhaps I should say serendipitous, first few hours in the city made our first night in New York one we’d never forget. In fact, looking back, I think that first night was my favorite part of the whole trip.
Day 2- Christmas Eve
After several hours of much needed sleep, we set out for a full day aimlessly exploring the city. We visited the Holiday Markets at Bryant Park, Grand Central Station and later at Union Square, each with spectacular decorations and extravagant Christmas trees. We walked by the Empire State building on our way to the Lego Store in the Flatiron District. We popped in the famous 34th St. Macy’s and somehow ended up taking pictures with Santa without a reservation! We played “I Spy” with the gorgeous department store window displays. At one point we simply hung out at the playground in Union Square Park for an hour so the kids could burn off some energy.
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Knowing it might be difficult to find a last minute restaurant on Christmas Eve, I had made reservations at the whimsical Max Brenner Chocolate Factory about a week before our trip. This proved to be an excellent choice! My kids still talk about the kids meals with “paintbrushes” for their ketchup and mustard. The chocolate fondue dessert was even better.
Sidenote: We indulged in a lot of dessert. It’s New York. We may not surprise the kids with presents under the tree anymore, but we all really love the gift of a guilt-free “yes”. I have no regrets.
After dinner, we made it to Time Square and attempted to visit the tree at Rockefeller Center. Unfortunately, there was no way to get through the floods of people so we gave up and spent the rest of the night watching movies in our hotel room, excited for the adventures awaiting us on Christmas morning.
Day 3- Christmas Day
Our big Christmas Day surprise for the kids was a trip to the Central Park Zoo! The zoo was empty, which was a welcome break from navigating the crowded NYC streets. We spent a quiet morning visiting all the animals we could find. The silly sea lions, the snoozing grizzly bear, and the curious red panda were among our favorite inhabitants.
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From the zoo we headed downtown to the free Staten Island Ferry. The kids wanted to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry floats right by the monument. While it’s not quite the same as stepping onto Liberty Island, it’s a free way to see the statue. Plus, my kids love a good boat ride!
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After our Ferry ride, we headed to the World Trade Center. This moment was solemn as we explained to our kids the events of 9/11 and the significance of the memorial. Here, we were able to see inside the new One World Trade Center or “Freedom Tower”, which was designed with several architectural tributes and symbolism of the Twin Towers. We rode the “fastest elevator in the western hemisphere” to the observation deck of Freedom Tower for some spectacular nighttime views of the city. It was breathtaking!
Before heading back to our hotel, we gave the Rockefeller Center one more try and this time we managed to get through! At this age, my kids really only know the iconic tree as “the one in Home Alone 2”, but they were in awe of its grandeur nonetheless.
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Handsdown, this was the best Christmas Day we had spent together in years, full of surprises and joyful memories through the entire day.
Day 4
It’s nice to have some downtime built into busy trips like this. Thankfully, we have a couple of different friends who live in New York so this was our day to catch up with them over a hot meal. A portion of our evening was spent at The American Museum of Natural History which offers free admission during the last operating hour of each day. My kids could stare at dinosaur bones and replicas of habitats all day, so this museum was right up their alley.
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Day 5
We wanted to soak up just a little more of the city on our final morning in New York. We hadn’t spent too much time in Central Park up to that point, so it was the perfect place to let our wiggles out. The kids ran around the trails and playgrounds before we made the long drive back home.
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As we left the city, my heart was so full it could burst. This first Christmas trip fueled the holiday magic we had been seeking out for so many years. We created a New York Christmas story of our very own and that is worth more to me than any present under the tree!
Want your own NYC adventure without breaking the bank? Being a proud, self-proclaimed “thrifty traveler”, I have found that NYC can actually be done on a fairly low budget if you really try.
NYC Budget-Friendly Travel Tips:
- Road tripping will no doubt be cheaper than paying airfare for each family member. There are toll roads, bridges and tunnels so keeping cash on hand is smart. Even so, traveling by car cut our travel expenses down significantly.
- Staying outside of Manhattan offers more affordable lodging. As for our accommodations on this trip, I was surprised to find an incredible hotel rate of $100 per night. In New York! During the week of Christmas! Granted, there wasn’t anything luxurious about staying in a Sleep Inn in Astoria, but the Trip Advisor reviews were decent and the price was right. It offered all our basic needs: parking on site, clean room, comfortable bed, hot shower, free breakfast. Plus, it was one block from the subway station with only 2 stops into Manhattan. Sold.
- Using the Metro system keeps transportation expenses low. We found that purchasing a 7-day unlimited Metro pass per person was the best option. Although our trip was only 5 days, we made the most of those unlimited passes. I have no doubt that we would have spent significantly more if we opted for the pay- per-ride option or relied on taxis. At the time of our visit, our kids were also young enough to ride the trains and busses for free.
-Make a plan for what & when to splurge on food. New York is home to some of the biggest and best novelty treats, world renowned chefs, and hottest restaurants. However, at some of the pizza shops you can get away with a huge slice of NY pizza and a drink for $3.99. Pop into a convenience store and throw some crackers and fruit in your bag to sustain the family during the day. Eat for cheap as often as possible so that the novelties are special and won’t break the bank. We opted for one full meal/treat per day and ate pretty basic the rest of the time.
- Find all the free attractions and make them priority. Many museums offer free admission on certain days or during certain times. So much of the wonder of NYC lies in simply walking around experiencing the environment. Need some free ideas to get started? Central Park, the Staten Island Ferry, the High Line, the New York Library, and Grand Central Station are a few of my favorite stops.
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