The 'Bombshell' Trip to NYC @ Christmas. Day 3...

charly77 · 24 Jan 15, 07:32 PM

Boxing Day!

As we were in bed so early last night we were awake nice and early this morning! We open the curtains and have a great view of a cloudless sky as the sun rose, perfect!

Once we were up and dressed and kids had done their check in with everyone back home we left, I was in desperate need of a cup of tea! Do you think I could get one…?! No chance. I ended up with a Chai Latte from Starbucks, it was pleasant enough but it wasn’t a cuppa! Anyway a wander across Times Square which was getting busy even at this early time of the morning. We headed to the Chrysler as I knew the lobby was open from 8am. We entered through the main doors on 42nd St and were awestruck by the interior it was floor to ceiling marble with an amazing mural of the building itself on the ceiling. I was really pleased I visited, to see it for myself.

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Next stop, Ellen Stardust… Not my choice but my daughter is a big Glee fan and this is also where we are meeting our tour guide for the Movie Bus Tour! We got seated straight away which was great, our waitress is part way through a song as we arrive but she is still attentive, brilliant! I will say the atmosphere is lovely, the singing is okay, the food was mediocre. It was expensive, compared to other places we ate breakfast. But an experience I’m glad we sampled as the kids loved it!

We meet our guide, Rosanne (like the show ;-) outside and are taken off to our tour bus. Now I know these sorts of tours aren’t to everyone tastes however it suited us. It was something we were all interested in and after all the walking we had done, it was nice to rest but still see the sights! We had an absolute blast and it was one of our highlights. Our tour guide was fabulous and very knowledgeable which made the tour interesting. My daughters all time fav show is Friends so she was in her absolute element, especially getting her photo outside the famous apartment block. Now as pitiful as it may sound I love Million Dollar Listing, so my high point of the tour was seeing the building opposite the Ghostbusters Firehouse up for renovation with Fredrik’s name on the boards! Sad I know!

We finished the tour on 55th street (opposite McGees Pub) so walked down to 53rd/6th and got in the queue for ‘The Halal Guys’. We waited about 20 minutes and got one chicken over rice and one mixed (chicken/gyro) over rice, it was certainly worth the wait! The boys sampled the red sauce and said it was lovely but rather spicy! My daughter couldn’t get enough of it and believe me she is one fussy eater. 10/10 all round!

As I walked the bridge yesterday I decided that I should attempt the Roosevelt Cable car so off we went! We used our MTA cards which was hassle free and waited for a car. They go every few minutes so we weren’t waiting long. The views were spectacular but I couldn’t look all the way and felt a little queasy for some of the journey. Now my plan here would have been to get off and walk up to the Freedom Park however during the movie tour we had stopped in SoHo, the kids had spotted some shops they wanted to spend their $$ at so we got on the returning cable car.

On our way to the subway we passed Serendipity, the kids wanted to sample a frozzzzen hot chocolate, however the wait was over an hour so we bypassed that. Then I spotted Dylans Candy Store so suggested there as I knew they offered fancy milkshakes and special cocktails but again the wait was 45mins to an hour. The attendant did say you could book which I was unaware of so bear in mind if you really want to sample a strawberry nerd mojito…another time for me! We had a quick nose around the store but found it quite pricey so we hastily left to catch the subway!

Of to SoHo we go…Oh my days we experienced Hollister, New York style! This for myself and hubbie was the worst part of the trip. The kids found loads of stuff which was great then we had to queue, I’m not kidding when I say it went round the entire top floor of the store! 50 minutes later we escape…no joke! And the staff were the grumpiest we endured for the entire trip. Never mind! The kids were happy and got some bargains. We visited a few shops, our last being Pandora. I know this can be purchased in the UK but my daughter wanted a memento of her trip, a NY themed charm for her bracelet. We gave our name and got into queue and waited… After 40 minutes we were no further up the list so we politely left.

We then grabbed the subway again and went to Macys. Our daughter wanted to purchase a Polaroid camera. We had researched online and found Best Buy sold them, unfortunately not in store. We found them in Urban Outfitters but at a ridiculous price ($100) Macys didn’t sell them which we found out on our visit but they recommended B&H just up the road, typically they close at 1pm on Fridays and all day Saturday. Note to self; Come back Sunday!

We passed a Five Guys on our way so popped in there for a bite to eat. We love this diner back home and it didn’t disappoint here, in fact the prices back home have put us off

After we had eaten we popped back to the hotel for a freshen up as we have a date with The Rockettes!

So we head off to Radio City, I love the look of this building and it’s more spectacular at night, all lit up! We fight through the crowds and eventually find the end of the line. I was surprised that it wasn’t better controlled here. You have crowds for TOTR, Rockettes and Christmas tree viewings it was crazy! Then you get the queue jumpers... Anyway we enter the building unscathed, the interior main chandelier is amazing and we got many a photo! We find a queue to the bar and get 2 frozen ciders (with alcohol) Boy they were strong :-O and the kids settle for Coke (very pricey, almost as much as the alcohol!) We scurry of to find our seats but not before our son spots a Rockette so grabs a photo with her, Happy Boy! Personally I was really looking forward to this show, the others were less fussed but I felt it important to keep our Christmas spirit up! I purchased the tickets back in October and managed to get 25% off so it was reasonably priced. The theatre was probably only half full but we did go to the 21.30 show.

The worst crowds we encountered…

My son and I really enjoyed it, we loved the magic of it. I did feel it went a little off with the traditional story at the end, though I understand the importance of it being in there. My daughter and husband dozed through most of it but enjoyed what they saw. I couldn’t believe they had livestock in it! I thought I imagined it at first

One of our plans was to get tickets for a show tomorrow night at TKTS (@ South Seaport) however we felt we were just too tired to manage it, I am glad we didn’t book anything beforehand now.

We meander back to the hotel, past a couple of theatres and think we saw Jake Gyllenhaal coming out of a stage door! It was really busy out tonight so guessing the crowds were heading in ready to celebrate NYE!

Today’s pedometer reading..23,956=11miles exactly!

Tomorrow…The Green Lady!

DisneyRoobs · 26 Jan 15, 10:50 AM

Yay another wonderful NY day..!

How funny that we had breakfast at Ellen's on 26th too (I share your thoughts!) and also saw the Rockettes that evening too, it was crazy busy! It was that busy around the Rockefeller Tree on Xmas Day evening too & I literally had to elbow my way through!

Love the look of the movie tour, will have to try that one next time & mmmmm Five Guys!

I guess like us, you were surprised with just how busy everywhere was in general, but good fun all the same :-)

TFS
L xxx

juliab · 26 Jan 15, 03:16 PM

Another lovely day, can't believe how busy it was but then I suppose it's to be expected.

Really enjoying your trip report

charly77 · 26 Jan 15, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by DisneyRoobs

How funny that we had breakfast at Ellen's on 26th too (I share your thoughts!) and also saw the Rockettes that evening too, it was crazy busy! It was that busy around the Rockefeller Tree on Xmas Day evening too & I literally had to elbow my way through!

How funny! I did look at your photos and kept an eye out for you, no sightings though! That really is spooky that we were in the same places!
They were the worst crowds I have ever experienced! Like you I knew it would be busy, however I thought it would be the shops that would be ridiculous...

xx

charly77 · 26 Jan 15, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by juliab

Another lovely day, can't believe how busy it was but then I suppose it's to be expected.

Really enjoying your trip report

Thank you Juliab xx

**jocat** · 26 Jan 15, 09:44 PM

You're a braver woman than me getting on the cable car!

Can't believe the crowds outside Radio City Music Hall. That's the only downside of going at Christmas I suppose. Am loving the decorations though.

abiknox · 27 Jan 15, 06:51 PM

Great read again. We had the same with serendipity, got there for opening thinking we would be ok but loads had booked for 11am and so there would still have been an hoirs wait

I might book for October. We did manage Dylans though which was great!

24 Jan 15, 07:32 PM	#1
	24 Jan 15, 07:32 PM charly77 Very Serious Dibber
charly77 Very Serious Dibber Join Date: Feb 08	The 'Bombshell' Trip to NYC @ Christmas. Day 3... Boxing Day! As we were in bed so early last night we were awake nice and early this morning! We open the curtains and have a great view of a cloudless sky as the sun rose, perfect! Once we were up and dressed and kids had done their check in with everyone back home we left, I was in desperate need of a cup of tea! Do you think I could get one…?! No chance. I ended up with a Chai Latte from Starbucks, it was pleasant enough but it wasn’t a cuppa! Anyway a wander across Times Square which was getting busy even at this early time of the morning. We headed to the Chrysler as I knew the lobby was open from 8am. We entered through the main doors on 42nd St and were awestruck by the interior it was floor to ceiling marble with an amazing mural of the building itself on the ceiling. I was really pleased I visited, to see it for myself. [IMG][/IMG]http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww312/charlyg77/P1010467.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Next stop, Ellen Stardust… Not my choice but my daughter is a big Glee fan and this is also where we are meeting our tour guide for the Movie Bus Tour! We got seated straight away which was great, our waitress is part way through a song as we arrive but she is still attentive, brilliant! I will say the atmosphere is lovely, the singing is okay, the food was mediocre. It was expensive, compared to other places we ate breakfast. But an experience I’m glad we sampled as the kids loved it! We meet our guide, Rosanne (like the show ;-) outside and are taken off to our tour bus. Now I know these sorts of tours aren’t to everyone tastes however it suited us. It was something we were all interested in and after all the walking we had done, it was nice to rest but still see the sights! We had an absolute blast and it was one of our highlights. Our tour guide was fabulous and very knowledgeable which made the tour interesting. My daughters all time fav show is Friends so she was in her absolute element, especially getting her photo outside the famous apartment block. Now as pitiful as it may sound I love Million Dollar Listing, so my high point of the tour was seeing the building opposite the Ghostbusters Firehouse up for renovation with Fredrik’s name on the boards! Sad I know! We finished the tour on 55th street (opposite McGees Pub) so walked down to 53rd/6th and got in the queue for ‘The Halal Guys’. We waited about 20 minutes and got one chicken over rice and one mixed (chicken/gyro) over rice, it was certainly worth the wait! The boys sampled the red sauce and said it was lovely but rather spicy! My daughter couldn’t get enough of it and believe me she is one fussy eater. 10/10 all round! As I walked the bridge yesterday I decided that I should attempt the Roosevelt Cable car so off we went! We used our MTA cards which was hassle free and waited for a car. They go every few minutes so we weren’t waiting long. The views were spectacular but I couldn’t look all the way and felt a little queasy for some of the journey. Now my plan here would have been to get off and walk up to the Freedom Park however during the movie tour we had stopped in SoHo, the kids had spotted some shops they wanted to spend their $$ at so we got on the returning cable car. On our way to the subway we passed Serendipity, the kids wanted to sample a frozzzzen hot chocolate, however the wait was over an hour so we bypassed that. Then I spotted Dylans Candy Store so suggested there as I knew they offered fancy milkshakes and special cocktails but again the wait was 45mins to an hour. The attendant did say you could book which I was unaware of so bear in mind if you really want to sample a strawberry nerd mojito…another time for me! We had a quick nose around the store but found it quite pricey so we hastily left to catch the subway! Of to SoHo we go…Oh my days we experienced Hollister, New York style! This for myself and hubbie was the worst part of the trip. The kids found loads of stuff which was great then we had to queue, I’m not kidding when I say it went round the entire top floor of the store! 50 minutes later we escape…no joke! And the staff were the grumpiest we endured for the entire trip. Never mind! The kids were happy and got some bargains. We visited a few shops, our last being Pandora. I know this can be purchased in the UK but my daughter wanted a memento of her trip, a NY themed charm for her bracelet. We gave our name and got into queue and waited… After 40 minutes we were no further up the list so we politely left. We then grabbed the subway again and went to Macys. Our daughter wanted to purchase a Polaroid camera. We had researched online and found Best Buy sold them, unfortunately not in store. We found them in Urban Outfitters but at a ridiculous price ($100) Macys didn’t sell them which we found out on our visit but they recommended B&H just up the road, typically they close at 1pm on Fridays and all day Saturday. Note to self; Come back Sunday! We passed a Five Guys on our way so popped in there for a bite to eat. We love this diner back home and it didn’t disappoint here, in fact the prices back home have put us off After we had eaten we popped back to the hotel for a freshen up as we have a date with The Rockettes! So we head off to Radio City, I love the look of this building and it’s more spectacular at night, all lit up! We fight through the crowds and eventually find the end of the line. I was surprised that it wasn’t better controlled here. You have crowds for TOTR, Rockettes and Christmas tree viewings it was crazy! Then you get the queue jumpers... Anyway we enter the building unscathed, the interior main chandelier is amazing and we got many a photo! We find a queue to the bar and get 2 frozen ciders (with alcohol) Boy they were strong :-O and the kids settle for Coke (very pricey, almost as much as the alcohol!) We scurry of to find our seats but not before our son spots a Rockette so grabs a photo with her, Happy Boy! Personally I was really looking forward to this show, the others were less fussed but I felt it important to keep our Christmas spirit up! I purchased the tickets back in October and managed to get 25% off so it was reasonably priced. The theatre was probably only half full but we did go to the 21.30 show. The worst crowds we encountered… My son and I really enjoyed it, we loved the magic of it. I did feel it went a little off with the traditional story at the end, though I understand the importance of it being in there. My daughter and husband dozed through most of it but enjoyed what they saw. I couldn’t believe they had livestock in it! I thought I imagined it at first One of our plans was to get tickets for a show tomorrow night at TKTS (@ South Seaport) however we felt we were just too tired to manage it, I am glad we didn’t book anything beforehand now. We meander back to the hotel, past a couple of theatres and think we saw Jake Gyllenhaal coming out of a stage door! It was really busy out tonight so guessing the crowds were heading in ready to celebrate NYE! Today’s pedometer reading..23,956=11miles exactly! Tomorrow…The Green Lady! __________________ Whistle-stop Tour Of Copenhagen Feb 2017 The Grand Tour (West to East trip) 2016 The 'Bombshell' Trip to NYC @ Christmas 2014 Trip report, Our first time to WDW Sept/Oct '08; Edited at 07:34 PM.