It's been a while, hasn't it, since my last travel post? This Christmas marks mine and Peter's 20th anniversary. Years ago, when we talked of how we would celebrate it, there was travel to somewhere exotic planned. Since we did a lot of exotic travel last year, Peter's idea was to stay closer to home and spend the weekend in New York City.
There's something about a city all dressed up for Christmas. Last year, we saw London in all its holiday splendour. Sloan Square was particularly beautiful with all its Christmas lights. Last night we flew in and had the chance to do some wandering after settling in at The Algonquin Hotel on W 44th street, very close to Central Station, 5th Avenue, the Metropolitain Museum of Art, Times Square - all the big stuff. The Algonquin is NYC's oldest hotel. It opened in 1902 and they have maintained the charm of yesteryear. There's even a resident cat, Matilda, that we are hoping to meet at some point during our stay. Dinner at The Round Table last night was terrific - attentive staff, beautiful well-appointed dining room with that olden days feel - very elegant.
After dinner, we went for a wander. We started in Times Square. From our entry point at 44th street, it felt a lot smaller than it looks on tv at New Years. If you wander away from the building where they drop the ball, the space fans out, but it still doesn't seem very big.
Next we stumbled upon Rockefeller Centre, its big Christmas tree, and the ice rink. Today, we will go back there to spend some time at the Metropolitain Museum of Art.
Next stop - 5th Avenue. Sak's does a movie in the same style as the Christmas movie on the Konstmuseet in Göteborg, but less detailed. There's a clock that counts down to the next presentation, and people (like us) stop to gaze up at it and wonder what's about to happen. It's a lot of bubbles and opening and closing windows. Somebody did a lot of planning. All the big fancy department stores have wonderfully detailed. Bergdorf's and Tiffany's were my favourites.
The weather is supposed to be colder today. We'd love to have snow, but bright sunshine will be just as nice.
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