Festive Fun Day in NYC

Over a month ago, Alexa, Kristin and I decided we were going to have a festive fun day in December and while we chose the date, we didn't actually know what the day would entail aside from getting brunch. But then in week leading up to this event, we put together a full itinerary to explore all the Christmasy things in the city. It was such a wonderful day that made me appreciate not only all the holiday activities NYC has to offer (I feel like we only touched the surface!) but also appreciate for the hundredth time that I have such dear friends to plan stuff like this with. I keep saying this to them and I 100% mean it -- this is the start of a new annual tradition!

We started the day bright and early by meeting at Jack's Wife Freda at 9am. The place got packed very quickly so if you ever decide to check it out, going early is the way to go. It was my first time eating there and I was very happy with the experience. I got the Madame Freda which is a pressed sandwich with duck prosciutto, gruyere & a sunny side up egg (delicious!) while Alexa got the green shaksuka and Kristin the rosewater waffle. I went for something a bit heavier only because I knew I'd need the sustenance for the long day ahead.

After breakfast, we began our trek to visit all the things on our list! We walked to Washington Square Park to see their tree. It's not visible in the picture but it was actually lit up. From there we walked to the Google Hardware Store to see their Dominique Ansel gingerbread house. We ended up seeing that and a whole lot more!

Google's pop-up store ended up having way more things to check out than we originally expected. We went inside the gingerbread house to take photos and play with Google home. Then we went downstairs for more photo-ops and to check out the little rooms they had set up. My two favorites were by far the photography room and the tiny kitchen. From there, we headed to Dominique Ansel (which I'll tell you more in detail about in next week's Table for Two) but along the way we saw a little red Chanel station in front of the store handing out free hot chocolate. Of course, we had to stop and take photos. 

Next we stopped by Kiehl's Gifting Station to take advantage of their "Merry & Bright" photo-op for Instagram. At this point, I was definitely marveling at all the ways these stores were getting into the holiday spirit (and encouraging people to their 'gram on). We made yet another quick stop at Bar Pa Tea to pick up some green tea for the road and met up with DJ for a little bit. 

Our original plan was to see the rainbow book tree at the Strand (it was gone which was so sad) and to see the holiday markets. All it took was a brisk walk through the Union Square Market to decide it wasn't for us and to remove Bryant Park from our list too. Just way too many people! But I'll admit, if it hadn't been so crowded I would've liked to see what the different vendors were. With our change of plans, we headed uptown to Barney's to check out the Alfred's Tea Pop Up. We tried their matcha in blue which was so good and we ended up sitting around (talking about The Mortal Instruments!) for longer than anticipated. 

But after that, it was time to brave the cold and crowds yet again to see how beautifully lit up all the stores were. We made our way to Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton and Cartier. We saw the giant snowflake (my photo makes it looks smaller than it actually was). And then finally we ended the day with Lotte Palace which is officially now one of my favorite trees in the city.

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I love having holiday traditions with friends and as I mentioned earlier, this festive fun day with Alexa and Kristin is one I know we'll repeat next year! 

What's a holiday tradition you have with your friends?

And what Christmasy things have you seen in the city lately?