Park Here

What is there to do in the dead of Winter? Hold a picnic – indoors!

Park Here is a pop up indoor park housed at the Open House Gallery. I didn't get to visit last year but made two trips this year to make up for it. They expanded their activities/events this year a lot more with wine tastings, food vendors, Mommy morning yoga sessions, and grilled cheese contests, even ping pong tournaments. I wonder what they have in store next year...

 I love those giant beanbags. There must've been 20 of them in there just waiting for me to burrow myself into.

 Children, adults, elephants, scarves.

 I guess I wasn't the only one passed out on the fake allergy-free grass.

Full on picnic with home made guac, PBJ sandwiches, hummus, the works. Even Doritoes and cupcakes! I don't think anyone else was as hardcore prepped as we were.

Looking forward to winning again in 2013.

Christmas Lights

What better touristy way to spend the eve of Christmas Eve than to sift through the crowds in midtown ogling at window displays and lights??

 Believe. Macy's featured Virginia storytelling on one side of the street and then had some fantasy white fairies on another side of the block. It had a touch screen this year to make your own ornament, which you can then redeem and print in shop.

The infamous Rockefeller tree. The usual snowflakes light show has been replaced by pipes and window illusions shows that count down every 12 minutes or so.

We swooped in to the Lego's store to check out some figurines.

Speaking of toys, did you know that FAO Schwartz has a small corner of nice illustrative paintings?

Bloomingdale's featured windows that were more interactive with the viewers by adding a photobooth camera to the windows that direct you to their facebook page to download the pics.

We stopped for dinner at Burke in the Box @ Bloomingdale's and had ourselves a holiday meal by the windows on barstools. Complete with the above carafe of sangria, a punk ass looking piece of bread, salad, lobster bisque, lobster mac n cheese, steak and fries, sorbet, creme brulee, and 2 ports to end off the meal for two!

 Saving the best for almost last when walking down 5th Avenue, my favorite windows this year were the ones from Bergdorf Goodman. The details are just exquisite and photos alone can never do it justice for each window.

 Not all lights and displays live in the city. Brooklyn, specifically the Dyker Heights neighborhood, deck the bananas out of their houses, some both outside as well as inside for viewing! Now THESE are real true home grown Christmas lights madhouses, all the neighbors try to top each other and some offer a little box for donate-able proceeds to nearby churches and needy folks. I only got to check out 3 or 4 houses, but I'm definitely going to make it a point to take a long hike next year in the main streets!

 And last of all, my ultimate tiptop favorite Christmas lights –– a simple trail of surprise lights dangling upon my gifts when I opened the front door:

:) Merry Christmas and stay warm!