As the headlines scream the bad news about the Omicron virus and its impact on our lives,  I feel grateful that I had a chance to go to New York City with my husband and 10-year-old grand daughter in early December.  

At that point, the city was opening up while observing strict rules about mask wearing, showing vaccination proof, etc. etc.  We felt pretty safe as we followed all the rules. 

But now, Broadway is shutting down, the Rocketts canceled their traditional Christmas performance and I imagine it is less comfortable to visit museums and restaurants.  Avoiding indoor restaurants is advised….

I did one blog post about the that trip:  New York Highlights.  In this post, I will touch on  a few more fun things to do  in the Big Apple in December.

One highlight, for sure , was a visit to the Natural History Museum on the upper west side of Manhattan.  It is an older museum in a large imposing structure.  We waited on the front steps to check in with our vaccination records.  The crowd gathered on a sunny day and was lively and happy. 

On another trip to this museum,   I learned a  strategy for visiting.  Since it is huge with some pretty outdated exhibits, I quizzed my grand daughter on what interested her the most, looking at the web site to see what was available.     Loud and clear came the response: Dinosaurs!

They were located on a top floor so we headed right there once we got through  the check in proceedure.    

We basically had the huge exhibition area to ourselves for the hour we were there.  As we were leaving the exhibit halls that holds marvelous dinosaur and other prehistoric bones, the crowds started pouring in.  

Having had our fill of dinosaurs and their buddies,  we went to a special exhibit  on color.  It was fantastic.  If you are taking children or grandchildren, don’t miss this. I hope it stays up well past the current Covid crisis.    We probably spent an hour working our way through this not very big  area with its many interactive and fun exhibits designed to teach the role of color in our lives.  I loved it.  So did my companions.  

Two hours at the museum was plenty so we headed across the street to Central Park.  We were fortunate to have a lovely sunny (although cold) weather so a walk through the Ramble was especially pleasant.  I’ve been to Central Park dozens of times but never in this part so it was interesting for me.  You’d never know you were in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world. 

We lunched at the Boat House.   It was light and bright and festive.  It’s probably pretty touristy, but I didn’t care.  The food was reasonably good and we enjoyed people watching and  the view.  

We made a quick stop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we saw the big Christmas tree traditionally installed there and a brief look at an exhibit on Surrealism.

Later in the day we made our way down Fifth Avenue marveling at the Holiday Decor. 

BTW, for more Holiday Decor, both in New York City and in Grand Rapids, MI, check out last week’s blog post called  Deck the Halls with Holiday Lights. 

We  stood on the sidewalk observing and enjoying the  Light and Sound show on the front of Saks Fifth Avenue.  It was fantastic.   As a former retailer I wondered about the impact of the show on sales or reputation of this venerable once-stuffy Grand Lady of the retail world. 

The store, once a girdle and gloves type establishment, has redone its main floor with lights and escalators that no longer have that prim and proper image.  

  This adventure ended at Rockefeller Center—a must do for any one going to NYC in December.  The skaters were a delight to watch, while the tree was stunning as always.  I had a delightful surprise while we were lined up around the rink watching the skaters.

The young couple next to me  got engaged.  

Yep, a handsome young man got down on his knee and proposed.  It all happened too fast for me to take a picture, but I loved being one of the first to congratulate the couple and admire the sparkly ring.  

Truly a holiday trip to remember.  

Do share your most memorable experiences in NYC in the comment section below.