Hi friends, welcome back to another stop on my NYC Christmas Tour! (Be sure to check out the other stops at Hudson Yards and Macy’s if you haven’t already 🙂 ) Bryant Park is my second favorite place to visit in NYC at Christmastime and I always love seeing the tree and enjoying a sweet treat. Bryant Park has a lot to offer with a free ice rink, Christmas shopping village, cozy igloos, a bar, and even curling. I also enjoy stopping here because it’s more spacious and you can get closer to the tree than at Rockefeller.
I will admit, I was disappointed with the tree this year. In 2019 the tree was dressed with red, white, and blue ornaments but this year there were only lights. It seems Bryant Park missed the “go big or go home” memo that everyone else had this Christmas season…maybe next year.
Jon and I went on a Sunday night and Bryant Park was PACKED! We squeezed our way through The Lodge to get to Sweet Tooth for some cream cones. We ordered the Oreo and S’mores and they tasted delicious! The cone was more of a croissant pastry than the donut type cone we used to get from a different company in the past, but it tasted great.
Bryant Park has a lot of cute shops throughout the village, but they tend to get very crowded with people meandering through and window shopping, so I try to avoid them.
You can also skate with a great view of the Empire State Building at Bryant Park. I just discovered this is the only rink in the city that is free to skate at as long as you make a reservation beforehand. They do have skate rentals if you don’t have your own, but those are a small charge.
If you don’t want to sit in the Lodge or at the seating next to the rink, fear not! There are heated igloos to rent for 90 minutes with a group of friends (1-4 people) starting at $200 for the family package, or $250 for the adult package. Included in the price is a carafe of drinks, light snacks, and French fries. For larger groups, the price doubles. This seems to be standard “igloo” type pricing throughout the city, but I’d rather skip the fee and go inside if I’m trying to avoid the cold.
I came during the week when it wasn’t so crowded to take pictures, but when Jon and I came on a Sunday night we basically wanted to get in and out as fast as we could. I don’t know why I was expecting less of a crowd, but I was sorely mistaken. I’m not a fan of crowds, but it does make me happy knowing that NYC is back and where everyone wants to be.
Even though I didn’t love the tree at Bryant Park this year, I still love stopping by and I’d highly recommend everyone does as well. It’s a fun spot filled with Christmas cheer and offers something for everyone. Next stop…Rockefeller and Saks Fifth Avenue with even more crowds 😉
Those sweet tooth cones look delicious and decadent! The rink looks like a lot of fun too, it seems like an awesome spot to enjoy the season.
They were so delicious! It’s a nice spot to enjoy the holiday for sure 🎄
NYC certainly has many fun places full of Christmas cheer! Thanks for sharing your favorites and taunting us with those absolutely decadent ice cream cones. 😊
So much Christmas cheer and I made my mission to see and share all of it 🙂 They were very decadent, usually we only get one and have to share haha
I see what you mean about that tree. I bet they do a better job next year. Love the cones. So many things to see and do in the big city. Thanks for sharing Lyssy. Allan
I am thinking they will decorate more next year, they even had a tree lighting ceremony. Usually we only get one cone, but I’m glad we each got one, we needed it before heading to Rockefeller next!
Indeed the tree isn’t as big as it used to be for NYC, but I’m sure it’s still fun around. New York is always a good idea 🙂
I agree!! It’s such a fun atmosphere at Christmas, can’t imagine not being in NYC for Christmas! 🙂
Beautiful pictures
Thank you!
Your “go big or go home” comment is apt for our residential neighborhoods this year, Lyssy. We were surprised – happily – to see the extent to which our neighbors have decorated this year (way better effort than 2020). Perhaps putting up the lights and decor is therapeutic – an activity to raise spirits in challenging times. Great to see!
I do love when the neighborhoods go out all, my parents seems to have a lot of lights too. Not sure if it’s the warmer days or optimism, but I’m all about it. It does raise the spirits and looks so pretty, especially if you have snow!