Walking in a Winter Wonderland

They say that dreams come true. And this day in New York City has been a verification of that idiom. After weeks of weather reports promising no wintry precipitation whatsoever, the winds have changed. For an epic blizzard is currently sweeping through the city, covering everything in lovely white sheet of snow.

To christen this joyous occasion, Sally, Kelly, Amy, and I headed over to Bryant Park for some ice-skating on "The Pond". We strategically arrived just as the snow began to fall. We waited in a slightly length line, but were on the rink and skating to our hearts' delight within a half hour. The picture was truly perfect: we skated at a leisurely pace underneath the illuminated tree, framed by the light-falling snowflakes. And as much as I hate the song "Christmastime Is Here", I succumbed to its charm when it began to play mid-skate. We were just like the Peanuts gang in "A Charlie Brown Christmas". So yes, it was pretty much perfect. I was sad to leave the rink, but we had to move on. And besides, everyone loves a good Zamboni run. Me most of all...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

...Everywhere you go. Seriously, with this last week came the emergence of millions of mini-lights, an abundance of Christmas Trees, and even a little bit of snow! And we here at NY Arts have been taking full advantage of the seasonal opportunities.

On Friday, I finally made it to Rockefeller Center to see the wonderfully illuminated tree! It really is a wondrous sight - the lights do a little flashing dance sporadically, and the tree is topped with a nine-foot Swarovski Crystal star. Not to mention that Saks Fifth Avenue next door is bedazzled with with huge light-up snowflakes that do a dance to "Carol of the Bells". Of course, the tourists go mad around these parts and it's a mess to navigate through, but it's definitely worth the sacrifice.

On Saturday, we saw our first hint of snow. It really started off as rain, and turned into a wintry mix of sorts halfway through the afternoon...but there were definitely some clearly-defined snowflakes at times. Amanda, Kelly, Sally, and I used this as an excuse to visit Bryant Park and have a look at all the shops and the tree. Unfortunately, it was too wet out to ice skate, but we will surely return when the time is right. We then hiked on up to Rockefeller Center (yup, twice in two days for me) to have a look at all the madness before calling it a night.

And today, Fallon, Kelly, Sally, and I headed down to the Union Square Holiday Market. There are all sorts of fun shops in the square, selling knickknacks and scarfs and snacks and hats and ornaments and all sorts of crazy things. Sally and Kelly each purchased a delicious gingerbread woman, while I opted for the non-human-shaped form of same cookie. It was potentially the best cookie I have ever had - and paired with some delicious hot apple cider (or as I prefer to call it, wassail), it was exactly what I needed.

So New York has been transformed into a Winter Wonderland of sorts. Hopefully the snow will actually come down with conviction at some point in the next couple of weeks. And finally, coming up tomorrow night...the ultimate New York Christmas experience...The Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes! I cannot contain my excitement!