NYC

The Christmas trees of New York City

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By now, most of you know that I love New York City. I also have a slight obsession with Christmas. Luckily for me, those two things converge beautifully, and every December New York City becomes the most magical place on earth.

The trend is to put a gigantic tree in the middle of every public space and deck it out for the holiday. Everywhere you turn in Manhattan, you find yourself face-to-face with another Christmas tree. While the Rockefeller tree is by far the most famous, complete with a live televised lighting every year, all of the trees are truly phenomenal. This year, I’ve made it my mission to seek out as many as possible.

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The tree at South Street Seaport is decorated with a classic Christmas theme: tiny gold bulbs, silver and gold ornaments, the occasional snowflake. This was my favorite tree to visit due to the lack of crowds on a weekday afternoon.

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The tree at Bryant Park – which also features the annual Winter Village – has a more patriotic theme, featuring blue bulbs. It seems a little out of place with the season, but the weather has been downright balmy, so I could easily be tricked into thinking this is a Fourth of July tree.

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The tree at Madison Square Park is the ugly duckling of the bunch. It looks like it was hastily decorated by someone throwing leftover wrapping paper at it – sorry not sorry. I’m not even quite sure what they were going for here, but the view in of the Flatiron building is worth the visit anyway.

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I love the way the tree at Washington Square Park is framed by the arch – and although I grumble about the early sunsets, it’s lovely to walk past this one every afternoon on my way to the late shift.

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Of course I can’t post about the trees of New York without including the one at Rockefeller – especially since Rockefeller Plaza is my favorite place in the city. There is a reason this one is famous, and it’s worth squeezing past millions of bodies on a Saturday evening to get the perfect photo – once.

What’s your favorite tree in New York? Did I miss any?

Catching up via Instagram: 12/13/15

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The theme of my life lately has been Christmas in New York City – one of my favorite themes, as this place is pretty magical this time of year. The weather has been warmer than usual – even breaking some records – which, depending on who you ask, is either a miracle or a travesty. I’m firmly on Team Miracle, and have spent the (all-too-short) warm days outside as much as possible. Here’s a little peek (with more Christmas-themed photos to come this week!)

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As I said, the days are all too short lately, but that does mean there are more sunrises in my life – sometimes from the office on busy mornings, sometimes from my bed on lazy ones.

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Downtown Manhattan can be way too crowded with buildings and shadows for good views – but then sometimes a landmark peeks out from the concrete jungle and reminds you just where you are.

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I’m already knee-deep in planning 2016, and actually bought this beautiful Joyce Meyer planner while I was in South Africa and had some rand to burn at the airport! It matches my journal and complements all of the other bright colors in my life, and I can’t wait to use it to organize my life next year. It’s also got daily scripture and other little reminders to keep God first.

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I went for a lunchtime stroll with my friend Angela in Washington Square Park and was attacked by a flock of birds. Don’t let that grin fool you: I was scared for my life.

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She Reads Truth always has the  best devotionals, and their advent study is no exception.

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As usual, brunch is the name of my weekend game, and last weekend my friend Miranda hosted us, cooked all of our food, and served up mimosas. So much fun to visit with friends in a more casual environment, and to save a little money!

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Because there’s no better view that the Washington Square arch, a Christmas tree and the Empire State Building. If only this post-sunset photo wasn’t taken at 4:45 p.m.

You can keep up with my Christmasy pursuits in real time by following me on Instagram here!

Theatre: An NYC staple

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One of the first things most tourists do when they’re visiting New York City is book tickets to the theatre. The default, of course, is Broadway – there are so many amazing, well-known shows featuring the world’s best talent. But when you live here, well, it can get a bit expensive. Luckily, there are many options for acquiring cheaper tickets – and also thousands of other shows you can see off-Broadway! I’ve seen quite a few shows in New York – some as a tourist years ago and some as a resident. Here are the details!

Wicked

I saw Wicked on Broadway with my mom in 2008 when we were visiting the city. We bought tickets months in advance, read the book (well… I read the first chapter) and were ridiculously excited by the time it rolled around. Wicked is more than a show; it’s a truly incredible experience. The Gershwin Theatre is decorated like Oz, and the costumes and set are phenomenal. There’s a reason the show is still thriving after all these years.

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Hairspray and Mamma Mia!

I’m lumping these two together because my experiences were nearly identical, although years apart: I acquired tickets at the last minute (Hairspray with my mom again in 2008; Mamma Mia! this past spring), the shows were in basic theaters with minimal fuss, but the performances themselves were high-energy and all-around fantastic. Both shows are now closed on Broadway, but I’d encourage you to go see either if a traveling cast ever passes through. Unlike Wicked, the theater itself isn’t a part of the experience.

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Lion King

I saw Lion King with my sister in August. It was her second time seeing it on Broadway: She loved it so much the first time she begged our parents to buy us tickets for her birthday, which they generously did. Like Wicked (my Broadway standard, if you couldn’t tell by now), this show is exquisite in every sense: The music, the dancing, the costumes (holy crap, the costumes!) Plus, the Minskoff Theatre is enormous and features sweeping views of Times Square.

An American in Paris

Rounding out my experience with Broadway musicals so far, I saw An American in Paris with my parents and cousin in September this year. It was more or less made for me: Post-World War II European history, a cast that dances ballet, a sprinkling of humor. Still, I’m comfortable recommending it to anyone: It’s had a huge amount of success since opening earlier this year, and the music is well-known.

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The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps was my first experience with an off-Broadway show in NYC and it was incredible. Based on the Alfred Hitchcock film, the stage version of The 39 Steps features only four cast members for 150 roles, making it more of a comedy than a thriller. Plus, there are hilarious references to Hitchcok’s other works. Having the show off-Broadway makes it an intimate experience: Union Square Theatre is tiny and makes you feel like you’re a part of the action.

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Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Just this week I went to my first show at Radio City Music Hall! The annual spectacular features the famous Rockettes along with other performers, including live camels. I went on my sister’s recommendation and because we were both dancers growing up, I was thoroughly impressed. The Music Hall is a gorgeous (if overbearing) space, and as someone sitting on the far side of the second mezzanine, I can confirm that there are no bad seats!

If you want to see a show in New York, here are my favorite ways to do so: If you have a show you definitely do not want to miss, splurge on the tickets on the show’s website. Otherwise, TKTS ticket booths sell day-of discount tickets to both on- and off-Broadway musicals and plays. (Go to the one in Brooklyn for shorter lines!) Most shows do a lottery two hours prior to showtime: Arrive early to enter your name for a chance at 1 or 2 discounted seats. And many shows hold contests on social media, so pay attention and enjoy!

What’s your favorite show?

Currently: December 2015

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

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… but miraculously, it still feels like fall!

Reading: I just finished Burial Rites, book 35 for the year! It’s historical fiction based on the true story of the last person ever to be executed in Iceland, in 1829. It is, as you might imagine, completely depressing – but the writing is beautiful and the imagery has me ready to pack my bags and head to Iceland (my roommate went this summer and made it seem so perfect!)

Wearing: To be perfectly honest, as I write this on Saturday night I’m wearing bright striped pajama bottoms and a pink sweatshirt. It’s been a perfectly lazy weekend.

Buying: Christmas presents and only Christmas presents. I’m on a strict spending freeze when it comes to buying things for myself, until at least the new year.

Listening to: Nothing at this moment, but Christmas music pretty much 20 hours a day.

Eating: I ate a lot of garbage today but did have a Trader Joe’s salad for dinner. My meals have been boring lately, so please suggest cheap and easy ideas!

Watching: Literally watching How I Met Your Mother on my phone as I type this on my MacBook. Also still working my way through Veep and have added The Man In The High Castle. I’ve also watched all of Master of None since last month’s update.

Planning: Eek, still all those trips I mentioned last month. I really need to book some airfare, hotels…

Excited for: NEXT SATURDAY. My two best girlfriends and I are planning the ultimate girls’ day: cookie party, Sisters viewing at the fanciest theatre in Manhattan, wine, binging the first season of The Hills, and then watching Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host Saturday Night Live. 

Wishing: Still the two places at once thing – but the second place would be Texas with my family for the holidays. Well, and Arizona. And Africa too? Maybe I need to be in four places at once…

Looking back: Monaco

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One of my favorite travel days ever was last spring, when I spent two weeks gallivanting around western Europe. After our time in Switzerland, we moved on to Nice, France, and spent an evening in the tiny nation of Monaco. Monaco happens to have one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, and so it’s rather wealthy and fancy – a great excuse to get dressed up, have a fancy dinner and gamble (for the gents) or sip cocktails (for the ladies) at the famous Monte Carlo Casino. The experience was so far outside my everyday experience, but at the same time it was so fun to pretend to be sophisticated for an evening.

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Monaco also happens to be gorgeous, located on the French Riviera with cliffs and hills, and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We stopped at many points throughout the evening to snap photos from slightly different angles.

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It was also an interesting night because Grand Prix car race was coming up. Parts of the nation were shut off from traffic completely, and it took us an hour longer than planned to get to the restaurant because of the detours (and we had only planned on it taking a half hour or so from the hotel in Nice!) Still, we were perfectly happy to have such a surreal excuse for our tardiness: How many people get to say they drove – and then walked  – the path that the sport’s best drivers race on?

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Monaco is the second-smallest nation in the world – to Vatican City, which I explored in 2010! I’ve since thought about making it my mission to visit all of the smallest nations in order. The next two (Nauru and Tuvalu) are tiny Pacific islands. Yes please!

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Beyond the glitz, Monaco felt like any other European nation I’ve visited so far, albeit slightly fancier. The cobblestone streets, tiny alleyways and vibrant buildings are commonplace for most Europeans, yet I am enthralled by them every time. I do have to say, however, that after paying double what I had been for a cocktail, I was more than ready to head back to France at the end of the night.

Have you ever been to Monaco, or even thought about traveling there?