Christmas in NYC

The weather outside was frightful...but we braved it anyway. This morning we left at around 9:45 to spend the day in New York City. Of course, we took tons of picture, so that will make up the majority of this post!

We bundled up nice and warm, since it was in the 20's when we left the house around nine. Here's Elijah modeling his new Christmas sweater.



Elijah's favorite thing in the world, riding the train!




After getting off the train in Grand Central, we took a bus down to the East Village to check out an enormous bookstore called The Strand (18 miles of books, or so they claim!). Of course we spent forever there, since Matthew had some Christmas money to spend. He found some really good deals and Elijah got a copy of "The Polar Express" (which we read on the train home).

We left the bookstore around 1:15 and noticed that the predicted snow had begun. Now, don't get me wrong, walking through snow is COLD. But it was so beautiful and so Christmas-y that none of us minded. We walked south down 5th Ave in the snow, through Washington Square Park, and then ducked into John's Pizzeria on Bleecker St at 7th Ave in Greenwich Village. If you are ever in NYC you must go. (In fact, that's what we heard, and that's why we went there!) It is super affordable and super yummy!

Can you see the snow?

Pouting. You get a lot of this at 3.5. Too bad he doesn't believe in Santa, we can't threaten him with the naughty list!


A little root beer cheered him right up!

Elijah had to join in on the hand holding.


After we finished our pizza (and yes, we ate a whole pizza, just the three of us!) we walked a little ways more through Greenwich village, stopping for a few pics along the way.




Then we hopped back on a bus to go back to Rockefeller Center to check out the tree and other Christmas decorations. On the ride back we could see all the Christmas lights on the buildings lit up, and the snow was still falling!

Macy's! We were still on the bus when we took this, but you get the idea.

Radio City Music Hall! (Like my purple gloves? Elijah calls them my "Joker Gloves" but they are so warm!)




The next few pictures were all taken on the Avenue of Americas and Rockefeller Center. (I think you might recognize a few, at least the giant tree!)









This is what we really came to see! It was so hard to get a decent picture, since there seemed to be hundreds of people there trying to get a good picture too. I guess we forgot to take a picture of the ice skaters, but I think Matthew took some video of it. While we were there a guy proposed to his girlfriend at the ice rink! How cute! (Matthew and I got engaged around Christmas time too, December 23.)


Matthew took this picture, and I think it's amazing! The tree is really amazing, definitely worth the trip!

Saks, I loved the snowflakes!




We had planned on catching the tree at night, but when we got there it was pretty much dusk, and because of the weather it was fairly dark. After checking out all the sights in Rockefeller Center we were getting pretty cold, at least Elijah and I were, and decided to head back to the train station. After stopping for a cup of coffee to warm us up, we got on the 5 o clock train back to New Haven.

I'm always a little bit sad to leave New York City because it seems like there is always so much more to see. Today we got to see everything we wanted. It may have been a little chilly, but I wouldn't have traded the snow for anything. It really was a magical and memorable trip! Hopefully we'll get to go again next year, even though we'll have a four and half year old and a seven month old!