Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday where I talk about something on my mind and invite you to link up and do the same. Today I'm looking back to my last trip of 2024 and sharing some of the details!
Last year was an amazing year of travel for me! I managed to take a fun trip almost every month. My final trip of the year, in December, was with two of my current work friends. None of us had ever seen the Rockettes perform at Christmastime in New York, so we decided it was the perfect time to change that!
We boarded a plane early on Saturday morning bound for the Big Apple and arrived starving around lunchtime.
We dropped our bags at the Airbnb apartment we rented and headed out to find food. We stumbled into a pizza joint not far from our place called
Mama's and decided that was going to be lunch. Best decision ever! The pizza in this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant was so, so good! The price was also remarkably cheap. I would seriously seek it out on future trips to have that pizza again.
With our hunger tamed, we headed to the subway, boarded a train, and arrived in Times Square.
Times Square on this Saturday evening was hopping! We took in the carolers singing, the lights and of course we had to see the tree on Rockefeller Plaza!
After visiting some Christmas street markets and taking in the sights, we made our way to Osteria Delbianco for our dinner reservation. It felt good to sit down in the warm environment, enjoy a cocktail and relive our adventures from the day.
Sunday was a whirlwind of activity, and we were constantly on the go! Our day began with a reservation for tea at the iconic
Russian Tea Room. I absolutely love high tea, and this venue was nothing short of breathtaking. We were seated on the second floor and treated like royalty. With Christmas music softly playing in the background and gorgeous holiday decorations all around, the atmosphere was pure magic.
After an amazing time at the Russian Tea Room, we hurried over to the Lena Horne Theater for our tickets to see SIX. Watching a Broadway play was on our must-do list, and this one was an excellent choice!
After the show, we hopped into a rickshaw and sang and laughed our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into when we climbed aboard! Despite asking the driver several times about the cost, he kept saying it was nine dollars. Turns out, it was $9 per minute! Lesson learned! Even so, it was such a fun experience and one we’ll always remember.
We arrived at St. Patrick’s just in time for the 4:00 pm Mass. Once we had settled in and the service began, we realized it was entirely in Spanish! While we didn’t understand much of the language, the music was absolutely incredible, and simply being in the church made it all worthwhile. The building’s beauty is truly breathtaking!
When the service was over, we spilled back out onto the streets of New York. We had just enough time grab some dinner and make our way to Radio City Music Hall. Seeing the Rockettes was the reason for the trip and we were about to fulfill that mission!
The show was stellar and did not disappoint! It was worth the trip to see them! It was the perfect way to end the day and something we will always be glad we had the opportunity to see.
Monday morning we were up before the sun so we could go to the taping of the Today Show. It was a last-minute decision that we would try to get on the Plaza for the show and we were able to do it!
I had asked Eric to tape the show so I could see it when I got home and, luckily for us, there was an adorable lady from Iowa who had huge face posters of Al Roker. She had faces for us to hold and it made spotting us in the crowd extremely easy!
When the show was finished, we stopped one more time to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Then we headed straight for breakfast! A staff member of the Today Show recommended the Tipsy Bakery in Rockefeller Center. We were able to get a great breakfast and warm up.
We had just enough time to swing through the Christmas market at Bryan Square before we needed to get to the airport to head home.
What a way to celebrate the season! When I left my job of nearly 30 years a few years ago, one of my biggest concerns was leaving behind the friendships I had built. I worried I wouldn't be able to form the same kind of connections in a new workplace. But this trip has completely erased that fear. I've been fortunate to develop meaningful friendships in my new role, and it makes me feel incredibly blessed!
Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today? Link up and share!
