NYC Girls Weekend // Christmas 2017

My dream has always been to visit New York City at Christmas time. We made it happen this year, and it was everything that I expected plus more. Pure magic.

Sac's 5th Avenue Christmas light show!!

We visited the city December 15th - 17th. A group of 7 girls, myself included, piled into a suburban and drove ourselves into the city -- what an experience. From our home in Virginia, it took us about 4.5 hours to get there, so the drive was not too bad. We sang Christmas carols and watched Elf on repeat, which helped the time go a little faster. As we neared the city, we stopped in Hoboken, New Jersey, so visit Carlos Bakery!! Carlos Bakery used to be featured as the TV show Cake Boss, on TLC.

We stayed at the Royalton Hotel on 44th West 44th street, right in the middle of Manhattan. It was such a great location, because we were so close to everything. Valet took our car and parked it in the garage underneath of the hotel, so the rest of the weekend we either walked, cabbed, or took an uber. The Royalton was by far the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. Super shwanky! I highly recommend becoming a member of Hotel Tonight, which is how we booked this hotel. You can get super nice hotels for awesome prices!

After getting settled, we set off to explore the city. Our first stop was Bryant Park, which was so beautiful! Food vendors and artisans line the sidewalks. Each shop had the most unique things. Right beside Bryant Park is the New York Public Library, where we headed next. Honestly, I think this was one of my favorite stops the entire weekend. The building is huge, old, and absolutely stunning. I could have wondered around in there for hours.

We hit Zara, H&M, Forever21, Anthropologie, and Tiffany's before getting some NY pizza for dinner at Rockefeller Center. After dinner we made our way to Radio City for the 10pm showing of The Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes. My mind was blown when we left the show. It was worth every penny, and if you are ever in the city for Christmas -- it is a must see! The Rockettes did multiple performances, but my favorite was a nativity segment that they did towards the finale. They even brought out life animals. I was humbled, and very happy, that Christ was incorporated into their show, and not just all of the other Christmas jazz that comes along with it.

Saturday we did Top of the Rock, Chinatown, and Central Park. We ate at Tavern on the Green at Central Park -- which I highly recommend. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and absolutely delicious. After Ice Skating at Central Park, we walked to Bergdorf's where we wondered around in awe at the beautiful displays of Gucci and Prada.

I am obsessed with this picture of my super cute momma! It was so fun to adventure with her!

For a late dinner, we went to The Black Tap, which I also 100% recommend. We stood outside in the cold for 2 hours just waiting to get in to order some of their famous milkshakes, and they lived up to the hype! Not only were they yummy works of art, but the environment of the restaurant was so fun! We sat at the bar so we could watch them make all of the shakes.

Sunday we went to Macy's and then headed home. It was a fast paced weekend, and we were all exhausted. It has an amazing trip, but what made it amazing was the people that I was with. It has always been hard for me to find a group of friends that build me up, instead of tearing me down. These people are my people, and they do nothing but give me constant support and love. Truly beautiful humans inside and out.

Mom, K, Eryn, Annie, Cam, & Lizzy, girls weekend with you was one of the books! All my love!

--Lauran