no matter how many times you have been to New York the city can always
overwhelm you with the crazy amount of things to experience but what is there
to do in New York City during the winter my name is Eric Conover and in this
video I'm going to share with you my comprehensive expert list of the top
things to do when living or visiting in New York City
during those long cold winter months
number one on my list is visit the Rockefeller tree the Rockefeller tree is
a holiday beacon for New Yorkers and the 750,000 that daily visitors expected the
first tree was put up in the 1930s during the Depression era construction
of Rockefeller Center when workers decorated a small 20 foot tall fir tree
this year's tree is a towering 72 foot tall Norway spruce from the town of
wallkill New York the tree is lit either during the first week of December or the
last week of November and stays up until January 7th and when the tree is taken
down the lumber is donated to Habitat for Humanity now the best times to visit
the tree are super early in the morning or very very late at night as it's the
most visited spot in New York during the holiday season
oh thank you I've actually fallen over there right now the Rockefeller tree is
definitely something that everyone should experience at least once in their
lifetime next on my list right across from Rockefeller Center is the Saks
Fifth Avenue the tradition started in 2004 and has continued now for over two
decades the theme this year is the theater of dreams and it was worked on
for about ten months leading up to the installation with nearly 200 people
working on the project the light show made my list mainly because it's right
across from the tree although it's not a personal favor of mine it's for sure a
must-see if it's your first time in New York City
during the holiday season number three on my list is ice-skating now there are
three main rinks to skate on during the winter season the most iconic is the
woman rink in Central Park the rink was opened in 1949 and it's been a fixture
in New York City culture ever since
yeah hands down the best thing to do New York City in the winter go to Central
Park go ice-skating there's nothing better than this pricing and operating
hours vary so make sure to pause right now and screenshot this next clip the
second is the rink at Rockefeller Center skating here is on a first-come
first-served basis which means that some days you might have to wait a very long
time and during peak holiday hours it costs $33 to enter and eight dollars to
rent skates and my personal favorite rink is the winter Village at Bryant
Park this is the only free ice-skating rink in the entire city
but it's not technically free skate rentals will cost you twenty dollars
large bag check $15 and $10 for a locker the winter village is open 8 a.m.
through 10:00 p.m. daily through March 3rd it's just about 8 o'clock in the
morning and my number one tip for Bryant Park get here early if you come here
around 4 5 o'clock in the evening this place is packed you won't even be able
to see the ice but right now you've got the place yourself lots of people
enjoying the beautiful New York weather if you can't make it there that early
and you don't mind the crowds there is nothing like going for skates surrounded
by the towering buildings of midtown Manhattan after a few hours of
ice-skating out in the cold warm up with some world famous hot chocolate at the
next spot on my list the city bakery hey could I have a hot chocolate please on a
marshmallow test a place with a combined 141 years of baking experience City
Bakery is my go-to spot during the winter the hot chocolate is an
exquisitely rich tree crafted from an assortment of dark chocolate bars and
dairy from farms mostly located in upstate New York topped off with a
gigantic homemade marshmallow here we have the world-famous hot chocolate from
the city bakery you can't even really call this hot chocolate it's more like a
chocolate soup you dip in the pretzel croissant into the hot chocolate and
enjoy we get the salt from the the pretzel croissant
you get the notes at the cocoa of course the homemade marshmallow which is kind
of hard to break apart you need like a fork to really get into this thing the
best way to warm up in the city on a cold day now if you're really trying to
go all out with the holiday spirit head it to the next spot on my list
Rolf's Christmas bar it's a snug German restaurant and bar with an old-world
vibe and it's known around the world for its elaborate holiday decorations but
don't be surprised to see a line down the block busy is an understatement
just to show you how packed this place actually gets I'm gonna try to walk back
through the bar so making my way back through the decorations excuse me Rolf's
was so packed that we headed down the street to patti McGuire's
Ale House the drinks are offs for a beer $18 here nine dollars half off you still
get that good New York City Christmas vibe without the crazy amounts of
tourists my protip go to Ralph's check it out look at all the decorations then
leave it go to pati McGuire's Ale House and actually kick back relax have a few
drinks with friends and truly enjoy that New York City holiday feeling another
alternative to keeping warm at during the long cold winter months is with some
of the best ramen that New York City has to offer we are now at Jun men ramen
right in the heart of Chelsea and the reason why I love this place especially
during the winter is the fact that it's so cozy it's basically a
hole-in-the-wall restaurant that just happens that world-class ramen it is the
perfect bar to get all nice and cozy and watch the snow fall outside on the
streets or if you're feeling adventurous the best way to enjoy in New York City
during the cold winter months is to fully embrace it and explore the city
during a snowstorm on average New York City gets around 3 feet of snowfall per
winter season there's really nothing quite like that first snowfall in the
city the snow itself sort of acts to absorb most of the sound and the city
can become completely silent hold your breath make a wish
countess this is the Magic Hour in New York City during the snowstorm city's
pretty much shut down once it starts getting dark people come out people
start drinking they go on the snow everyone's happy had become kids again
it just transforms the city and it makes for a very very unique experience if you
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video
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