New York City: A Pleasant Holiday Pilgrimage

As vibrant and refreshed as New York City has again recently become, it is no small wonder that at Christmas time, New Yorkers are stepping up their holiday charm and glitz assault. From the traditional displays as Macy's to the massive Christmas decorations adorning Grand Central Station, one can scarcely avoid Christmas enthusiasm in New York even if one tries. Thus, as one would expect, it can often require an effort of epic proportions to secure a dinner reservation at many upscale restaurants and one can expect to pay extraordinary rates at just about any of the city's hotels if one has not booked well in advance. However, it would seem that for all the obvious holiday charm and enthusiasm which New York has to offer, the effort made to enjoy the city at this time of year is well worth it.

Fifth Avenue, for example, is of course made up to the hilt for the Christmas season, and the flavor of the season is shopping. Add to this the Rockefeller Center and the countless other New York City Christmas landmarks, and Fifth Avenue clearly earns its billing as the hub of the city's Christmas world. However, if after a while the charming, albeit rather rampant, Christmas commercialism of Fifth Avenue becomes too much, there is nearby Madison Avenue, which boasts its own pleasant assortment of Christmas decor and which makes for a pleasant, and less crowded, holiday stroll. Of course, the whole of New York City makes for a pleasant holiday pilgrimage and should, thus, be made by all able-bodied American Christmas enthusiasts at least once in a lifetime!