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United States

New Year’s Eve in Times Square, NYC

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The Ball Drop at Times Square New Year's Eve. Taken by Peter Stevens via Flickr.

With my holiday vacation in the U.S. coming to an end and the New Year just beginning it seemed only fitting to focus an article on one of the most famous New Year’s Eve celebrations worldwide: Times Square in New York City.

Times Square New Year's Eve celebrations. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.
Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.

I’ve known about the Ball Drop in Times Square for as long as I can remember. I had the chance to go to the celebration last year, but as most locals will tell you, Times Square at New Year’s Eve is not for the weak. Times Square is overcrowded to me on a Tuesday afternoon, so I can’t imagine how it would feel to have over a million people gathered in a rather small space.

But I digress… It’s pretty famous and I’m sure pretty spectacular if you do end up getting close enough to see anything, so it deserves some attention.

History of the New Year’s Eve Celebrations at Times Square

The year was 1904. New York City was growing at a rapid pace and two monumental accomplishments happened that year: the opening of the city’s first subway line and the first celebration of New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

The original event was to celebrate the official opening of the new headquarters of The New York Times, owned by German Jewish immigrant Adolph Ochs. Mr. Ochs managed to lobby the city to rename the square that surrounded his paper’s new home and thus Times Square was born.

Ochs set the bar quite high for his first celebration. There was an all-day street festival, a fireworks display and cheering so loud at midnight that it could be heard as far as 30 miles up the Hudson River. Two years later, the city prohibited the then-famous fireworks display, but Ochs was not discouraged. Instead he ordered the construction of a large, illuminated seven-hundred-pound iron and wood ball to be lowered from the tower flagpole at midnight to signify the New Year.

This tradition has continued ever year since, with the exception of 1942 and 1943, where the illuminated ball was retired during the wartime. As time went on, organizers improved upon the ball, with the current version using thousands of Waterford crystal triangles attached to LED lights. The ball is also able display over 16 million variants of colors and patterns. Even watching it on TV, it’s pretty spectacular.

So You Want To Go To Times Square On New Year’s Eve?

If huge crowds and long waiting hours in the bitter New York winter don’t deter your drive to witness the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities here’s what you can expect…

Some articles I read about the festivities said that people begin to arrive in the late afternoon on New Year’s Eve. However, I can remember when the people in the front row of the viewing sections are interviewed during the live show, many say they’ve been waiting since 9am or even earlier. So the most important thing is to get there early… and probably wear an adult diaper.

It is recommended to enter from either Sixth or Eighth Avenue (again, the earlier the better). City blocks are closed off as the festivities get going and I can’t imagine that it would be too fun to be stuck on a side street with no chance to really see anything. The celebration is also a star-studded event with the farewell show this year done by pop star Taylor Swift.

Close up of the current ball. By Times_Square_Ball_2010.jpg: Susan Serra, CKD from Long Island, USA derivative work: Sealle [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Close up of the current ball. By Times_Square_Ball_2010.jpg: Susan Serra, CKD from Long Island, USA derivative work: Sealle [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The ball is lit around 6 pm, and the performances begin around 8 pm. One minute before midnight, the New Year’s Eve Ball begins its descent. With the countdown of the last 10 seconds being heard not only in Times Square, but all across the country and world, with billions of viewers tuning in internationally each year. At the stroke of midnight the ball is illuminated with the numerals of the New Year “2016” and masses of confetti are released from the rooftops of buildings throughout the Square.

The Ball Drop at Times Square New Year's Eve. Taken by Peter Stevens via Flickr.
The Ball Drop at Times Square New Year’s Eve. Taken by Peter Stevens via Flickr.

Sound absolutely fabulous and exciting? I guess you’ll have to find out for yourself!

[Ball Drop], [New Years Eve]

Where Does The Christmas Tree Come From?

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Christmas tree with ornaments. Taken by Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr.

Placing a Christmas tree is your home during the holiday season is a common tradition in Europe and the U.S., and all around the world. Do you know where this custom originated?

Christmas tree with ornaments. Taken by Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr.
Christmas tree with ornaments. Taken by Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr.

Germany.

It is widely accepted that the origins of placing an evergreen tree in your home to celebrate Christmas began in the 16th century Germany. There are a few theories to the exact reasoning behind this, however…

Early Beginnings Of The Christmas Tree

“Happy Christmas”. “Johansen Viggo – Radosne Boże Narodzenie” by Viggo Johansen – “Glade Jul”, Den Hirschsprungske Samling. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.
“Happy Christmas”. “Johansen Viggo – Radosne Boże Narodzenie” by Viggo Johansen – “Glade Jul”, Den Hirschsprungske Samling. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

One is that the 16th century Protestant reformer Martin Luther was walking home on a winter evening and was so taken with the beauty of the stars twinkling amidst the evergreen trees. In an effort to recapture this, he put a tree in his own living room and placed lighted candles on its branches.

Another theory states that the tree was to represent a “tree of paradise” during medieval mystery plays given on the 24th of December, the day of Adam and Eve in many Christian countries. During these plays, the tree was decorated with apples to represent the forbidden fruit. Over time, they became popular to be placed in homes and the apples were replaced by red, shiny balls.

It should be considered, however, that the tradition of placing greenery in the home during winter dates back farm before the advent of Christianity. It many countries it was believed that evergreens keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. The evergreens also had a connection with the winter solstice that falls on December 21 or 22nd of each year for civilizations such as the Egyptians, Romans and Celts.

Many ancient people such as the believed that the reason for winter was because the sun god became sick and weak, the solstice meant that the god would begin to be healthy again and that the sun would get stronger. Therefore, they decorated with evergreens as a reminder that the green plants would soon come back again and summer would return.

The Christmas Tree Becomes A Religious Tradition

While the practice of placing a Christmas tree in the home was popular in Germany early on, it was considered an oddity in many other countries such as the U.S. or the U.K. In the U.S., German settlers in Pennsylvania would put up Christmas Trees as early as the 1830s, but it was not widely accepted.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert around their Christmas tree. By Godey's Lady's Book [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert around their Christmas tree. By Godey’s Lady’s Book [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Many credit a popular royal with the emergence of the Christmas tree as a widespread tradition. In 1846, Queen Victoria of Britain encouraged her husband, German Prince Albert to decorate a Christmas tree like the ones he grew up with in their home. They were sketched in the London News in front of their tree along with their children. As Victoria was very popular with her subjects, whatever she did immediately became fashionable- in Britain as well as the East Coast American Society.

As electrical lights became more available, this made the Christmas tree a safer endeavor (as opposed to candles). Along with lights, people would decorate with homemade ornaments as well as food and other sweets such as candies or Marzipan. In Europe, the trees were commonly only a few feet tall, while in the U.S. they reached floor to ceiling.

The Christmas Tree Today

Throughout the world people everywhere put up trees in their home each year to celebrate the Christmas season. Some go out and chop the tree themselves (a common tradition in the U.S.) or some even put up artificial trees.

Cutting down the Christmas tree! Taken by CJ Sorg via Flickr.
Cutting down the Christmas tree! Taken by CJ Sorg via Flickr.

Christmas tree today. By DR04 (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Christmas tree today. By DR04 (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
In the U.S. perhaps the most famous tree is the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Check out a video from the History Channel with more information here:

Lit tree at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.
Lit tree at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.

Interesting stuff, huh?

[History]

Christmas at Rockefeller Center, NYC

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Rockettes. Taken by Ralph Daily via Flickr.

Come Christmas season, Rockefeller Center is home to three of New York City’s most iconic holiday emblems: the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Ice Skating Rink and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Tradition

Placed annually in the Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, the tree is a symbol that the holiday season is in full swing. Every year since 1931 (officially since 1933), the tree has been put up between mid and late November and lit in early December to be kept up through early January. The lighting is a special occasion, broadcast live nationwide.

Lit tree at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.
Lit tree at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.

What Kind of Tree is Selected?

The tree is typically a Norway spruce, between 69 and 100 feet (20 to 30 meters) high. Now you may be asking yourself, “how many full grown spruce trees do you really find in a huge metropolitan area such as New York City?” In actuality, the trees are scouted via helicopter throughout the surrounding areas in Connecticut, New Jersey, upstate New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and even as far north as Canada. You can also submit your tree for selection!

Tree at Rockefeller Center_02
Taken by Anthony Quintano via Flickr.

Once a tree is selected, it is cut and placed on a custom trailer, to be moved in through the busy streets of New York. You can imagine this must be a very interesting site! The tree is then secured in place and scaffolding is used to help workers hang the more than 45,000 multi-colored LED lights. A star is placed at the top of the tree, weighing 550 pounds (250 kg) and measuring 9.5 feet (2.9 meter) in diameter.

The Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center

Below the iconic Christmas tree, you will find the world famous Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center. Opened in 1936, you will find both New Yorkers and tourists (of all skating levels, from beginner to Olympian) lacing up their skates to get into the holiday spirit.

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Angelo Amboldi via Flickr.
Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center. Taken by Angelo Amboldi via Flickr.

The general admission is on a first come, first serve basis, opening at 8:30 am and closing at midnight. The rink is quite small, with space for only 150 skaters, so you can imagine it gets busy during the holiday season. The best time to visit is during off peak hours.

The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall

Any trip to New York City during the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a trip to see the world-famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in the Christmas Spectacular. Check out the trailer for this year’s show here:

Rockettes. Taken by Ralph Daily via Flickr.
Rockettes. Taken by Ralph Daily via Flickr.

[Rockefeller Center], [Wikipedia]

First Stop in New York: Grand Central Terminal

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Grand Central Terminal main concourse. Taken by MsSaraKelly via Flickr.

There’s no better way to start a Christmas holiday vacation across the pond then at one of New York City’s most famous landmarks: Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central Terminal Exterior. Taken by Glenn Beltz via Flickr.
Grand Central Terminal Exterior. Taken by Glenn Beltz via Flickr.

A Busy Tranport Hub

The famous terminal is located in Midtown Manhattan on 42nd St and Park Avenue. It is one of the busiest train stations in the world, with 750,000 people and passengers passing through the station each day. There are 44 platforms inside, more than any other railroad station in the world, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.

Tracks at Grand Central. Taken by Matt_Weibo via Flickr.
Tracks at Grand Central. Taken by Matt_Weibo via Flickr.
Commuter train at Grand Central. Taken by MTA via Flickr.
Commuter train at Grand Central. Taken by MTA via Flickr.

The Terminal serves both long distance and regional trains, with 220,000 commuters each day from outside the city daily. Growing up just a few hours outside the city, Grand Central Terminal was always my first stop upon arrival. Each time, the “wow-factor” never gets old.

Grand Central Terminal main concourse. Taken by MsSaraKelly via Flickr.
Grand Central Terminal main concourse. Taken by MsSaraKelly via Flickr.

Features of Grand Central Terminal

Built in 1871, the Terminal features intricate designs both inside and out, with the highlight being the main concourse. You can spend forever staring up at the celestial ceiling mural that covers the entire ceiling of the vast main concourse.

Grand Centrail Terminal ceiling. Taken by Nina A.J. via Flickr.
Grand Centrail Terminal ceiling. Taken by Nina A.J. via Flickr.

Grand Central Terminal Ceiling_02-compressed

Conceived in 1912, the ceiling has been restored a few times, first in the 1930s to repair falling plaster and again in the 1980s to clean off the nearly 60 years of tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke. A single patch was left in the corner to remind visitors of what the ceiling once looked like.

In the center of the main concourse is the information booth, with a four-faced clock on top. This is perhaps one of the most recognizable features of Grand Central Terminal and a common meeting point.

Four-faced clock. Taken by Patrick Nouhailler via Flickr.
Four-faced clock. Taken by Patrick Nouhailler via Flickr.

Holiday Season

Personally, I think the Terminal has an extra sparkle during the holiday season with wreaths and lights reflecting off the shiny granite, a predominate building material in construction. You can see carolers singing holiday songs, people whizzing past on their way to an important meeting and the greeting of loved ones who haven’t seen each other in a long time. There is also the holiday market inside the Terminal, though it is very expensive.

What Else Can You Do At Grand Central Terminal?

Along with serving its primary purpose as a transport hub, Grand Central Terminal also has many great shops and restaurants. Some of the most famous include the Oyster Bar, or the Gourmet Culinary Market.

Oyster Bar NYC. Taken by Chris Huggins via Flickr.
Oyster Bar NYC. Taken by Chris Huggins via Flickr.

As well there are over 68 shops, with anything from clothing to accessories to make up to olive oil. For passengers on the go, the bottom floor of the concourse also has lots of delicious fast food options such as the New York City legend Zaro’s Bakery.

Grand Central Terminal also holds many secrets within its walls (which go to a staggering 13 floors below ground!). At either end of the Oyster Bar ramp is the Whispering Gallery, where you stand on the opposite corner of the gallery as your partner and you’ll be heard on the other side. Also, there is an abandoned railroad cart and track which used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

When you’re done exploring all that Grand Central Terminal has to offer (and believe me, it’s a lot!) take the Subway (located within the Terminal) to your destination or simpy head out the main doors onto 42nd Street. Times Square is close by (with a shuttle from the Terminal) as well as the iconic Empire State Building.

[Wikipedia], [NYC Tourist]

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