Your Guide To The Most Epic NYC Winter Wonderland Weekend
It’s officially holiday season in The City, Babes and we are READY to get real festive and spicy. Whether you’re elbow-boning tourists through Rockefeller Center or sipping whiskey Eggnog at Cecconi’s, the spirit has successfully made its way into our daily vibe check – and we honestly love to see it. Because you deserve it, we’ve curated the perfect weekend getaway list for all of the best ways to still enjoy December in the City without most of the hell-ish clichés usually attached.
Friday Night
Manhattan views via New York Times - 28 Liberty Street, 60th Floor
Perfect for: The tourist who loves a chic atmosphere while she eats her way through the city.
Watch the snow fall from God’s POV, sixty stories above the rest of the city. Manhatta’s floor-to-ceiling views of New York’s skyline, coupled with a three course tasting menu, ranging from Waygu Bolognese to Matzah Ball Soup, is the perfect sensory experience to kick off your weekend. Book in advance to secure your table at Danny Meyer’s grown and sexy eatery that promises a lavish night down to the very last detail.
Little Sister’s Lounge, via A Hotel Life - 112 East 11th Street
Perfect for: The tourist who lives in the moment but doesn’t always remember it.
Hidden within the Moxy East Village, Little Sisters is the place to go for one of many prohibition flavored cocktails. Guaranteed to set off the rest of your night, settle into the plush velvet sofas of the TAO group’s newest lounge while the DJ (at a gold-plated stand no less) spins your favorite hits under the crystal chandeliers adorning this sultry vintage club.
Late Night
via Takashi NYC - 456 Hudson Street
Perfect for: The Tourist who gets the Drunchies (drunk munchies) like clockwork.
Depending on whether or not you decided to pregame with food or a liquid dinner, Takashi’s late night ramen opens promptly at midnight and is the only way to end (or fuel the rest of) your night. The flavorful beef broth with a side of sake if you’re really trying to rally, adds that perfect lining to help you avoid all the bad hangover feels the next morning.
Saturday Morning
David Zwirner Gallery via Arrested Motion - 525 & 533 West 19th Street
Perfect for: The tourist who likes to pretend she’s cultured a la Instagram Feed.
We love a little culture, especially when it’s only for a limited time. Slated to run until the end of the year, Yayoi Kusama’s concurrent exhibitions, Infinity Nets and External Soul, features 66 paintings, life-size floral sculptures, and two very instagrammable infinity rooms that you’ve probably already seen on your explore page. Spread across Zwirner’s three separate gallery spaces in Chelsea and the Upper East Side, Zwirner’s enviable curation of Kusama’s more unforgettable pieces are ideal for a Saturday morning (or afternoon) of recovery and aesthetic revival.
Saturday Afternoon
Sushi on Jones via @SushionJones - 348 Bowery St, New York, NY
Perfect for: The Tourist whose idea of fine dining includes a baseball cap.
Make your way to the West Village as your afternoon winds down and treat yourself to a little post-gallery 12-piece, $58 Omakase at Sushi on Jones. The low-key vibes and seriously inexpensive prices are the perfect combo for a quick and satisfying lunch downtown. Seating up to ten at a communal sushi counter, leave it all to the masters while you detox and debrief over fatty tuna and matcha ice cream.
Saturday Night
The Nutcracker via Essence - 20 Lincoln Center Plaza
Perfect for: The tourist who lives for the holiday cliches.
Lasting until January 5th, George Balanchine’s Christmas classic is one of the quintessential ways to capture the zeitgeist of the Holiday spirit. Most notably, this season’s history making performance of The Nutcracker showcases NYC Ballet’s newest yong dancer, Charlotte Nebres as the first black lead cast in the role of Marie. After the show, fight your way through the crowd to check out the unforgettable Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and window shopping on 5th Ave.
Sunday Morning/Afternoon
Central Park/The Plaza
Central Park via Lonely Planet - Fifth Avenue at Central Park South
Perfect for: The Tourist who’s seen too many New York Holiday RomComs.
Grab a bagel and lox at Sadelle’s and venture uptown for an afternoon of true holiday T-I-N-G-S, babe. Take a carriage ride through central park, sip your (spiked) hot chocolate, and bundle up under your favorite cashmere blanket while you take that extra bougie sleigh ride through Central Park. If you’re really trying to channel your inner “New York Moment,” head down to the ice rink and get a few triple axels in before finishing holiday weekend off at the Plaza for some afternoon tea and champagne. There are worse places to warm yourself back up.
Where to Stay
As pretty as it looks, you can’t sleep on the street, so while you have the winter wonderland time of your life, here are three options to sleep and have winter wonderland dreams to match.
Parker New York Hotel - 119 W 56th Street
Parker New York Hotel via Hyatt
The Ludlow Hotel - 180 Ludlow Street
via Ludlow Hotel
The William Vale - 111 N 12th Street
Queen with Balcony via William Vale
Detox
We don’t need to tell you what a spa is, but here are the places to get your detox on.
Greenwich Hotel Shibui Spa - 377 Greenwich Street
Shibui Spa via Greenwich Hotel
Sojo Spa - 660 River Road, Edgewater, New Jersey
via Sojo Spa
Cover image via We Heart It