Although I don’t know what a Williamstown Christmas season looks like yet, I can tell you what a NYC Christmas looks like. As Christmas comes closer, I have heard several times “Wow you’re from NYC! Christmas there must be wonderful!” No matter how I try to explain that it’s not as great as people think, no one ever believes me. So here’s what a New York City Christmas is really like.
SNOW
Although New York is on the East Coast, it snows far less in the City than it does in Massachusetts. Without the snow, tourists may feel like their whole Christmas experience has been cheated. Is it really as pretty without it? At the end of the day, New Yorkers probably won’t even miss the snow. As a former NYC student, imagine having to take a 2 hour journey downtown in the middle of a blizzard. Not fun at all. Imagine being the one who has to drive through NYC’s hour long traffic, spanning from the exit nearest to 34th street to 47th street in slippery roads. So is the snow worth it or not?
SUBWAY SYSTEMS
Even worse than the snow is the subway systems during the holiday season. It’s filled with tourists who have no clue how to navigate the subway system, and it becomes ten times louder than a normal day. There are so many of us packed in the B, F, D, or M train to Rockefeller system that we look like a tin of sardines. The doors open up at every stop and we fall out and get back on along with the twenty other people who squeeze into places in which they obviously can’t fit. If you’re on the platform and you are a passive tourist, you’ll probably let three packed trains pass in the span of an hour and a half before you have a realistic chance to get on. Forget the subways on the weekend if it snows. It will be you on a cold and damp crowded platform as your trains pass without stopping because they are too full or just don’t come because they are delayed. Once on the train, it is probably wet from all the snow. It smells a bit like damp dog and everyone’s wet coats are rubbing against you and all you can think is “How can I last 15 more stops with this guy who’s eating a strongly scented dish with his mouth open?”
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
And then there’s Rockefeller Center. You think to yourself, “I can’t wait to see the Christmas tree and skate right by it.” Well be prepared to wait for hours in the freezing cold while in a line that spans 5 blocks just to ice skate in the rink. The trees are beautiful, of course, and they always will be. I’m sure that the 470,000 (the average number of people who visit on a weekday) people that you bump into and push through just to get close enough to take pictures with the tree would agree. The crowd isn’t that bad until you realize it takes you 30 minutes to finally take a perfect Christmas card picture in front of the tree, without someone walking into the frame.
Although this may have seemed like the terrors of a NYC Christmas, there are some perks. The best part of a NYC Christmas is the hidden treasures. Instead of spending hours waiting in the line to ice skate in Rockefeller, my friends and I went to Bryant Park’s rink. That’s where the real magic begins! The rink may have been shared with others but there are always a lot less people. Even with a smaller crowd, it was great just being there with friends. The snow is better when you are already in Manhattan, anticipating its end so that you can grab your sled and head straight to Riverside Park. It’s great as you watch your friends laugh and joke around, taking turns sledding down the hills in the park. Right after we were done in the cold, there is always a lovely, warm cup of hot chocolate (mom-made, of course) waiting for us in one of our friends’ apartment buildings by the park. Sitting around a small Christmas tree on the 11th floor while we smiled and shared stories of school ending was always ten times better than the hustle and bustle of Rockefeller.
Despite all the negatives, a tourist should visit NYC for the christmas season at least once. But still remember that a NYC Christmas is a lot less of the touristy attractions and more of the happiness that comes from being with those you love. It’s a lot less Christmas Spectacular and a lot more your favorite Christmas episodes of Friends.