Christmastime in the city

When I found out yesterday that our mild weather might last another day and that in fact, today's high would be in the 50s, I thought it could very well be our best chance to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree during the week. And I really wanted to see it before the weekend and that last home stretch countdown to the 25th when everyone and their cousin will be in the city schlepping around from windows to trees and back. Last year we made it there during the day which was fine (and balmy) but I really prefer to see it all aglow.  So tonight was do or die and we went for it despite a small chance of a rain shower. At the last minute, I got a text from Irene about heading to the park and instead I invited her to come along. Luckily, she was up for the challenge--with two kids in tow--and we all rode in on the bus together getting great views of the stores and lights on Fifth Avenue without actually having to drag the soon-to-be-tired kids along. By 45th Street or so, we were able to get off the bus. I hadn't noticed before but closer to Rock Center the sidewalks are actually barricaded so the bus doesn't stop there. Happy crazy holidays, New York. And let me tell you, we weren't the only ones with the genius plan to see the tree tonight. But hey, so what? It's Christmastime in the city and we didn't have to wear hats and gloves and scarves to go out this evening. So I'll take that as a win. And it really was. It was absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad we did it. Our holiday bucket list is getting shorter. Capping the evening off with a little walk to Grand Central where we snagged a table and some Shake Shack was just what these tired, hungry kids needed. Though really, they did pretty great overall. I even bought them ice cream. We made one last pit stop at the whispering wall in the station before zooming home on the 7 train where we met a Puerto Rican family whose father was also named German. And that, my friends is why New York City is so great. We hit all the highlights on a perfectly temperate December evening. I walked a total of 13,000+ steps today and it all felt so good. Going to bed with a happy heart and a little more holiday brightness. Not bad, I say.