My mom and I travel best together - we have perfected the traveling weekend. We know just exactly how far we can go, how flexible we are, and the perfect mix of plans vs. spontaneity. Plus there is endless chatter. There are endless "let's try this!" moments. There is always so much fun to be had. And NYC during Christmas is all the better.

On a recent trip, we were filled with all sorts of NYC Christmas spirit. There is no denying that Christmas in New York makes up the quintessential splendor of the holidays. It's romantic. It's classic. It's every great Christmas movie and Christmas song. The spirit is contagious and as strong as a whiff of pine. It's a dash of red velvet and white fluff. It's a state of mind. It's so easy to let yourself get swept into all of the holiday cheer with all of the Christmas lights bedecked on every light post, tree, and window front. On every city block, dozens of bundled up pine trees are patiently waiting to be picked out and taken to a new home. Store displays, garnished in tinsel and gold, stop people in their tracks. Christmas songs come in and out of earshot amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. And shopping is taken to a whole new level! 

During our quick trip, we traversed many city blocks and found ourselves all over the place. Times Square, Central Park, the Upper West Side, and Lower Manhattan. We walked a lot (my fitbit was loving it) and met all sorts of people.  NY may have a reputation for its impatient or nasty characters, but we were surprised to find that every single interaction we had with strangers turned out to be really, really pleasant. People talked to us about everything from directions to shopping to cameras to coffee to politics (civilly, at that!). 

Trip Highlights

• Christmas Shopping - I crossed so many gifts off my list!
• Happy Bones Cafe - see the coffee diaries post! I was swooning over their spoons.
• A morning walk to the Flatiron Building followed by a tempting trip to Eataly.
• El Centro - we found this by chance after passing it in one of our Uber rides. El Centro was popping, definitely a youthful and hip place - but so worth the wait! I ordered fajitas.
• The 73 Spring Street Shop - I was a little starstruck after meeting Roxy from Society Social! :)
• A tour around the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid - sooooo awesome and a great educational experience!
• Rockefeller Center photo op by the tree with my mom! I'll treasure this photo for a long time :)

 Despite all of the Christmas magic, we decided - and this may be an unpopular belief - we like New York, but we also felt overwhelmed by the vastness of the city. It is absolutely delightful this time of year, but it is draining and exhausting. I suppose what I mean is that we love the newness of it all. Speaking for myself, it's easy to get eager over all the potential sightseeing and things to do. We barely scratched the surface! We love the fact that the city brims with glamour and possibility and opportunity (and history!). I envy the friends I have that have made a life here. But it is big. It's expensive. It's crowded. It was so nice to come home to a nice, comfy, cozy and quiet house faaaaaar away from all of the city buzz and noise. I am such a countryside girl at heart. It doesn't mean we didn't have a great time. NYC is always filled with so much to see, but I feel like it is even more special in Christmastime.