Christmastime in NYC

Although I’ve been to NYC many many times in my life, I had never gone during Christmas time.  It was wonderful to be able to wander around Manhattan taking it all in, in spite of the cold.  Since there is so much information on NYC out there, I thought I would just share some photos.

You can’t go to NYC in December without stopping by the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It was smaller than I had imagined, but looked just like it does in the movies.

Rockefeller Center

Just around the corner was the NBC studios at 30 Rock.

NBC Studios

With the tree at your back, you can see Saks on Fifth Avenue.

View of Saks & Co from Rockefeller Center

Fifth Avenue is arguably the most glamorous shopping street in the world.

View of Fifth Avenue

Because you really need a 5 story Louis Vuitton Store.

The Sephora on Fifth Avenue is much more beautiful than the one on the Champs Elysee.

Beautiful windows on Fifth Avenue

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

A view from Central Park of 59th Street:

Central Park

Wouldn’t it be nice to stay at the Plaza?

Plaza Hotel

A dose of culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

The Met

Temple of Dendur

Statue of Horus

Cat Statue in the Egyptian Wing

Tiffany Moonstone Necklace

A taste of European splendor in NYC (European Decorative Arts)

Perseus holding Medusa’s Head, Greek & Roman Statues Hall

New York City at Night:

Times Square

Rockefeller Center

Review: The Barclay New York (Intercontinental)

I stayed at the Barclay Hotel in NYC for one night in May 2008 on a business trip. Overall, I found it be a very nice hotel, both for business and for pleasure. The hotel is located right in midtown Manhattan on the East Side right off Park Avenue, near Rockefeller Center.

Check-in was quick and professional, although not particularly friendly. The lobby of this vintage Federal period hotel was elegant and beautiful.

(Sorry for the grainy pictures, I didn’t know that my camera was set to a high ISO.)

The room itself was pretty sizable for a NYC hotel room but smaller than most normal hotel rooms in the US. Everything was immaculately clean and tasteful, as one would expect for this class of hotel.

There’s no flatscreen TV, but the room had everything you need. The desk had high speed internet (for a fee I believe), a mini-bar, and the usual assortment of coffee maker, ice bucket, and cups.

The bathroom was pretty small, but nicely appointed. Good shower pressure.

All in all, this was a very nice stay. The corporate rate was pretty expensive, but according to some Tripadvisor reviews, some guests have successfully acquired a room at this hotel for $160 on priceline (last minute) and for $219 on Hotwire. Those prices must be an urban myth because they are just plain fantastic deals for this hotel. The average price on Tripadvisor for this hotel is much higher.  I would stay here again if I could score a room around $200 (or for business), although I’m sure that’s pretty much impossible.

New York City: A Small Bite of the Big Apple

Since NYC is so well known, no introduction is needed. I’ve been to the Big Apple several times but believe it’s still nice to visit (although I would never want to live here because of the astronomical real estate prices). I was only in town for 24 hours for work, but still managed to snap some quintessential NYC pictures. You can click on the photos for a larger view.

Our aircraft approached Manhattan from the south and we were rewarded with this view.

As we neared LaGuardia, this manhattan skyline pulled into view. I love that you can see the Empire State Building.

On my way to my meeting, we passed by Times Square. Here’s a view from my cab window.

I took a short stroll around midtown before heading to the airport. Here’s Grand Central Terminal.

I did manage to squeeze in some food in Flushing (Taiwan/Koreatown in Queens) before leaving. I sampled Lu’s Seafood House (66) for some Taiwanese fare and Joe’s Shanghai for some Xiaolongbao. Both were delicious! Be aware that NYC’s Chinatowns only accept cash.

On my flight home, I managed to snap this photo of the beautiful shoreline of Chicago. It is a great contrast to NYC.