Window Shopping in the Big Apple!

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks                                                                       dressed in holiday style,                                                                                     In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas…

Dear Friends,

My dream trip to New York City at Christmastime finally came true just a few weeks ago.  It was on my bucket list for years, as long as I can remember.   To visit during the holiday season and see the lighting of the colossal tree at Rockefeller Centre that symbolizes for many, including me, the arrival of the holiday season was something magical.  I will never forget it.

What a joy to experience the life of that city in the short weeks leading up to Christmas.  The 85th annual performance of the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. Broadway shows. Salvation Army bell ringing, singing and dancing on nearly every street corner.  A harbour cruise past the Statue of Liberty. Museums. Celebrity spotting. Friendly NYPD. A ride through Central Park.  The American Girl Store experience.     F. A. O. Schwartz. Santa and ‘Eloise’ at The Plaza.  Macy’s Holiday Lane.  The outdoor holiday Christmas markets, apple cider and skaters at Bryant Park.  Dazzling Times Square.  The Chocolatiers! Vendors selling roasted chestnuts.  Lighting candles at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The Empire State Building. Fabulous restaurants.  Choirs.  Window shopping…The sizzling sights, sounds and experiences are thrilling and infinite.

Most of all, I enjoyed the spectacular store window displays.  It was I had been yearning to see, and at no other time of year would do it for me.  Our visit had to be leading up to Christmas.  The department store window displays are a famous New York Christmas tradition, and you don’t have to spend a cent to enjoy it! Barneys. Bergdorf Goodman.  Bloomingdales.  Lord and Taylor. Saks Fifth Avenue…I took hundreds and hundreds of photos.

The windows at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury department store located on 5th Avenue/ 58th Street south of Central Park in Midtown Manhattan, are probably among the most sophisticated and beautiful of all the high-style window displays in New York City. Dripping with glamour and brilliance.  I strolled by several times  to drink it all in, taking photos during the day and again at night.  The nightime shots are the most special.  This season’s windows are called “BG Follies 2012” inspired by the Ziegfeld Follies, Vaudeville and Hollywood musicals of the 1930’s.  These surely must be among the most dazzling, captivating store windows on the planet!

I have always loved store window gazing at Christmastime. Won’t you come window shopping at Bergdorfs with me this year? We can spend hours just outside the store immersed in the fantasy and creative wonder of it all! And, when finally we are able to tear ourselves away and go inside the store, remember to look up…

I am happy to be re-sharing this post at “Oh, The Places I’ve Been!”