{"id":19021,"date":"2011-11-18T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2011-11-18T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=19021"},"modified":"2018-03-12T10:42:33","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T15:42:33","slug":"new-york-hotels-make-new-yorks-holiday-traditions-your-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/new-york-hotels-make-new-yorks-holiday-traditions-your-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Make New York’s holiday traditions your traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rockefeller Center, the axis of NYC holiday celebrations. Credit: Tishman Speyer-Photographer Bart Barlow.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Erin Behan<\/em><\/p>\n

Tourist or not, there\u2019s something special about New York come the holidays, and the excitement starts with the Rockefeller Center tree lighting<\/strong> on Nov. 30. The 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. event is not an affair for the agoraphobic, as it\u2019s attended by tens of thousand other like-minded souls, but the heart-swell when the Norway spruce lights up — illuminated by 30,000 LED bulbs — is well worth the frozen toes and shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.<\/p>\n

Even if you miss the tree lighting, you canview the tree through Jan. 7, 2012. And while you\u2019re there, follow even the most cynical of New Yorkers and take a head-clearing spin around the Rockefeller Center ice rink<\/strong>. Call (212) 332-7654 for hours and pricing, as they change throughout the season.\u00a0 Or, consider the Sky Skate ticket<\/a>, which offers skating and a tour of the Top of the Rock Observation Deck for $35.<\/p>\n

If skating isn\u2019t your bag, shopping on nearby Fifth Avenue<\/strong> always lift the spirits. Yes, there\u2019s shopping for the 1 percent at Bergdorf Goodman, Loius Vuitton and Harry Winston, but there are also stores for the 99 percent, such as FAO Schwarz, Abercrombie and Zara.<\/p>\n

For a more theatrical experience, get a leg up by booking tickets<\/a> to the \u201cRadio City Christmas Spectacular<\/strong>\u201d with the Rockettes (and an all-new show) early this year. The redesigned show emphasizes the Rockettes as strong powerful women; in one video game-inspired vignette, \u201cRockettes to the Rescue,\u201d a mother-daughter team battles through levels of obstacles. It runs Nov. 11 through Jan. 2.<\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s the Union Square Holiday Market<\/strong> that operates between Thanksgiving and Christmas and gives locals and those in the know a chance to find one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces for Christmas and Hanukkah. Unique knit hats, handcrafted jewelry, handmade ornaments and more fill the stalls and make holiday shopping just the sort of thing you want to do on a New York vacation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For a New York hotel convenient to all the midtown holiday action, the Algonquin Hotel<\/a> fits the bill, but it\u2019s not just about convenience. To enter the hotel is to step back into time — a time when literary and theatrical figures roamed the halls. Take a seat in the oak-paneled lobby with brass bells to summon wait service or head to the Oak Room for a cabaret performance. Holidays or not, it\u2019s hard to resist the storied hotel\u2019s charms.<\/p>\n

Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n