After a good nights rest in, my friend Vicky and I headed out in the morning for our second day in New York. Our first stop was to go up to the Top of the Rock, at Rockefeller Center, so we walked the 8 or 9 blocks there and purchased our tickets. We had seen the Rockefeller Centre Christmas lights the night before, you can see some of them in my other New York post. Once inside, there was a film what was cleverly incorporated into the wait time for going up in the elevators, then we went up to experienced the great views!
View North from Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center.
View south from the Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center
We were lucky enough to have a great day for it, and we could see for miles in every direction, to the north was Central Park, and to the south you could see the Empire State Building and in the far distance the Statue of Liberty. We spent at least an hour at the top on the two different viewing levels because it was hard to pull yourself away from such an amazing view, but eventually we did and took ourselves off in the direction of Bryant Park.
I had heard from a friend that Bryant Park was particularly lovely in December as they have the skating rink and also a Winter Village with boutique-style shops. The Christmas tree there is also fabulous, and we spend a good while browsing the shops and making a few purchases, my favourite being a fun red hat which I wore for the rest of the day!
Bryant Park Christmas Tree and Rink
On our walk up to Rockefeller Center earlier in the morning we had noticed a nice looking French Bistro, so decided we would go back there to have a late lunch. The Restaurant was called Café Un Deux Trois and is on W 44th Street, it was fairly busy when we got there, but we were seated at one of the last available tables tucked in a cozy nook at the back of the festively decorated dining room. After ordering we chatted briefly with a couple on the next table and it turned out that this particular restaurant was popular with the Theatre crowd. I ordered the Croque Monsieur and Vicky had one of the Savoury Crepes, and of course I couldn’t resist dessert and cappuccino, all of which were delicious!
Croque Monsieur at Cafe Un Deux Trois.
Cafe Un Deux Trois
By now it was mid afternoon and I wanted to get the train back to While Plains before the after work rush, so we went back to Vicky’s hotel so that I could collect my bags. After saying our goodbyes, I left and started the walk back across Midtown to Grand Central Station. I took a good look at the boards with all the train times, and there was an express leaving just before 5 pm which I managed to find my way to, and jump on! However, just to make sure I was on the correct train, I did take a moment to ask a fellow passage, and once I knew I was good, I settled down to relax for the 35 minute ride.
Back at White Plains Station I walked the half mile or so back to our Cambria Hotel as my husband was still busy working at a nearby office and we would meet up for dinner later.
It really was a fun, albeit busy, couple of days in New York City. I loved getting to see it in all it’s festive wonder and enjoying it all with my friend Vicky just added to the fun!
December 2015