https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSs6KqX42ns 0:00 Introduction to New York Holiday Landmarks 0:23 St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Historical Origins of Christmas 1:34 New York Christmas Firsts 1:54 St. Patrick’s Cathedral Midnight Mass History 2:35 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree History 4:27 Radio City Music Hall History 4:48 The Rockettes History 5:56 Bryant Park History 6:30 Bryant Park Winter Village 6:57 Macy’s Store History 8:02 Macy’s Day Parade History 9:08 Macy’s Holiday Window Display
New York City Travel Tips
The Other Booth Brother: Exploring America’s Strangest Theatrical Family
To understand why John Wilkes Booth decided to gather a group of conspirators together on Good Friday 1865 to undermine the nation – killing the president alongside the failed assassinations of other members of his cabinet – one must look towards his life on the stage. John Wilkes Booth was beloved by all, especially women, as a strikingly handsome figure with a face audience members would drop money just to look at, regardless of what show was on the playbill. He was also a bigot who considered African-Americans less than human and was furious that Lincoln would grant freed slaves...
A Look Inside the Exclusive Players Club and Gramercy Park
New York’s wealthy elite took to the charming area just North-East of Union Square in the 1880s. During what is now known as the Gilded Age, the wealthy top tier of NYC society lived in lavish mansions and brownstones while a large percentage of the population lived in abject poverty. Constantly trying to carve a piece of the city for themselves out of sight from the poor, the neighborhood of Gramercy came to be a permanent home for wealthy and powerful individuals. Today the area is still full of well-to-do residents but now is also known for its cultural centers...
Five Broadway Shows we are Excited for this Winter
The weather outside may be cold, but what could be a better way to spend a winter evening than at the theater? Broadway has some amazing shows entering previews in the next two months and we could not be more thrilled! What is especially neat about this round of shows is that most are original musicals and plays. We have seen a lot of jukebox musicals and revivals this past year and it is always a treat to see something new. Up first, a show that has been taking the British theatre scene by storm the past few years: Six-...
Making the Most of Your Winter Visit to NYC
Many tourists avoid NYC in the winter months because they think it won’t be any fun in the cold. But NYC is always a good time and there are a lot of benefits to visiting in February and March. Even if the temperatures are frigid, there is still plenty to do. Here are some ideas for your next winter trip! 1. Visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island It seems like the activity you would want to do least this season but winter is one of the best times to go to the Statue. It can be very cold...
Pages and Pints: Five Great Literary Bars in NYC
How To Enjoy a Drink and Maybe Pen the Next Great American Novel. For a good chunk of history, writing and boozing have gone hand in hand. Some of the best books to ever have been written were penned because of, in dedication of, or in spite of the Devil’s drink. According to Lewis Hyde, four of the six Americans who have won the Nobel Prize for Literature were alcoholics: namely William Faulkner, Eugene O’Neill, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck. It comes as no surprise, then, that in the last century, if you had wandered into one of the many...
How to Turn Your Family NYC Trip into A John Wick Vacation Without Them Knowing
People cannot get enough of John Wick. Between the three movies, the upcoming fourth installment, spinoffs, video games, and inexplicable inclusion in Fortnite, John Wick has relaunched Keanu Reeves’ career and turned into the action sleeper hit of the past five years. But Derek Kolstad’s franchise is not just a rollicking good time full of blood, bullets, and regret over having to regress into the cold-blooded lifestyles we swore we’d forgo because Theon Greyjoy from Game of Thrones killed your dog. It also provides a perfect opportunity to visit New York City to see where they filmed everything! Problem though....
Five Places to See Theatre in NYC (That Aren’t Broadway!)
When most people think of New York City theatre, they think of the flashy lights and big names of Broadway. But the truth is that the entire city is brimming with quality theatre for all audiences! In fact, the term ‘Broadway’ as we know it today just means the theatre can hold more than 500 people--it has nothing to do with the quality of the show going on inside! Check out the five theatre companies below for some incredible performances that may be off the beaten track. New World Stages Home to five different performances spaces in its convenient midtown...
A Walk in Central Park
The weather is finally starting to turn around here in NYC and spring is officially here! On a nice weekday afternoon I decided to join many other tourists and New Yorkers for a stroll through Central Park. I spend a fair amount of time in the park as a local, but it is never enough! The park is amazing in every season, I even got lost in it during a snowstorm a few weeks ago! That being said, spring is one of the best times of year to visit since the temperature is more moderate than the summer or winter....
Walking Through the American Revolution
Downtown Manhattan has always seemed cutting edge and modern. A favorite location for skyscraper designers, the Financial District (now sometimes known as FiDi) attracts as many tourists and trendy locals s it does bankers and businessmen. All this new development cannot change the fact that Downtown is the oldest neighborhood in the city. It is even older than America, having been settled by Native Americans for many generations before the Dutch established a shipping port and fort in 1625 known as New Amsterdam. Wall Street was originally as far North as the settlement extended! New York City also played a...
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