Winter walk

Yesterday was our last chance before Christmas to try to take our traditional walk down 5th Avenue to see the store windows all decked out and visit the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The fact that the temperature would be soaring to a record high 70 degrees was a bonus, but of course that also meant more of a crowd. The slight drizzle and overcast skies might have deterred a few though because it wasn't completely miserable. Most of our walk along 5th Ave was pretty much what you'd expect on any given weekday.  The windows at Bergdorfs were fabulous as always, and I loved their "Holidays on Ice" theme with different year-round holidays imagined as wintery dreamscapes.  As we neared the tree at Rock Center, the crowds definitely thickened.  We couldn't make it into the Lego store because the side we were at was an "Exit Only," but apart from that, we managed to enjoy a quick spin around the plaza without too much chaos.

Afterwards, I was a bit torn about what to do next.  Since Elisa was hoofing it with us while Carolina mostly sat in the stroller, I was trying to keep the pace tolerable. But nearing 45th Street, I was getting the first pangs of "Mom, I'm hungry...mom, I'm tired..." so I opted to take our crew a little off course. And just like that, we diverted to the beautiful Grand Central Terminal to check out the holiday trimmings and grab some lunch at the new Shake Shack in the dining concourse.  Getting there was not a problem at all since we were just a couple of blocks away, but like Nacho said, it was knowing what to expect that made us a little nervous. Neither of us really wanted to beat back the crowds at lunch time and Shake Shack in most places can be a zoo between 12-2pm.  But the throngs weren't rushing in for burgers that day, so we lucked out. I nabbed 4 stools along the back wall and the area proved a quiet oasis in a bustling station.  We were just a few steps away from the famous Whisper Corner in Grand Central which I had never seen up close. So after lunch, we headed out that way and stopped for a minute to listen and whisper sweet nothings across the arched tunnel. It's a pretty neat little spot but before I could say, hold on, the girls were racing up the long ramp towards the subway entrance.  At that point, continuing our walk down 5th Ave was ruled out completely and we were all happy to head home on the subway. A family nap was in order and it didn't disappoint. By nightfall, the rain had picked up though the temperatures continued to soar. We were done with at least one more holiday check list item and it felt like the Christmas break was starting off right.