5 Free Awesome Activities in New York City

Visiting NYC can be quite expensive so I've collected for you here some of the best free activities you can experience during your visit.

Parades

Whether it's the Macy's Thanksgiving, Halloween, Dance, Pride or the Mermaid Parade, as long as you don't mind the crowd, these parades are an amazing experience for people of all ages.

Christmas lights, decorations, and window displays

You can enjoy most Christmas activities in NYC for free. These include the Saks Fifth Avenue light show, Dyker Heights Christmas Lights, all the decorations at Rockafeller Center and Sixth Avenue, Macy's holiday windows display, and much more. The only two exceptions I can think of are the Christmas Spectacular and ice skating (actually, if you have your own skates you can skate for free at Bryant Park).

Bird Watching

Bird watching at Central Park or Prospect Park. You can find birds of prey, owls, woodpeckers, herons and even some rare visitors like these beautiful Painted Bunting and Mandarin Duck:

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A post shared by New York Live with Mickey (@mickmicknyc) on Nov 1, 2018 at 2:55pm PDT

Street Art

Explore the wonders of NYC's street art. Go to Bushwick Collective in Brooklyn or to Astoria, Queens or follow the footsteps of a specific artist such as Eduardo Kobra:

Rooftops

While going to the top of the Empire State Building, Rockafeller Center and WTC can cost a small fortune, you can visit many of the city's gorgeous rooftops for free. Places like 230 Fifth, Mr. Purle, Broadway Lounge & Terrace and Bar 65 are free to enter, although you should consider buying a drink.

Tips and tricks for watching the Christmas Spectacular

After hearing all your warm recommendations about the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City, I finally got tickets! We went to the show last night, on Saturday, November 17th, 2018 and I've collected some tips and tricks for you to use before you purchase tickets for this event. Your Christmas overdose is right here and it's spectacular.

Buying tickets:

1. Tickets around Christmas time will be significantly more expensive. So my first advice is: "the sooner the better". Try to get your tickets around mid-November, you can get them for as low as $36 per ticket.
2. If you are buying via Ticketmaster, they will charge about $15 extra per tickets. Buying the tickets directly from the box office will save you all these extra Ticketmaster fees.
3. Go to Ticketmaster, choose your dates and look at open seating options that best fit your price. Write down 3 or 4 options for each date and when you go to the box office ask specifically for the seats you choose online.

Choosing seats:

1. Avoid orchestra 1 and 7. You can hardly see the stage from there.
2. Don't seat too close to the stage. They use a lot of space during the show so the best viewing points start around row KK.
3. During November tickets for the show are usually not sold out. If you buy a few days before the show, look for empty rows. If no one shows up when the Rockettes are up on the stage, you can upgrade your seat.
4. Middle seats have the best view, so aim for Orchestra 3, 4 or 5.
5. First rows of the mezzanines also have a great view, you can see the whole stage from up there.
6. Obstructed seats are usually not a good option, get them only if you think you'll be able to upgrade yourself once the show starts. Otherwise, it's a waste of money.

7. These videos were taken from row RR, seat 206.

Attending the show:

1. Arrive early so you'll have time to enjoy the venue. The show gives you an excellent opportunity to explore Radio City from the inside. It's a gorgeous venue and it looks extra fancy around Christmas time.
2. Don't forget to take the 3D glasses when you enter the theater. The people directing you to your seat should also provide you with these glasses.
3. There is no flash photography, but you are allowed to use your phone and capture memories. Just be considerate of your fellow viewers.

What to expect:
Enjoy the show! It's a great show and I've got very sentimental seeing them riding the bus around the Christmas decorated NYC. Also, the use of drones during the show and the Rockettes are absolutely Spectacular :)

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A post shared by New York Live with Mickey (@mickmicknyc) on Nov 17, 2018 at 9:37pm PST

Christmas in New York City

Are you coming to NYC for the holidays? Awesome! Here is a collection of Christmas events, trees and decorations landmarks in the city. Please note that all of these are completely free and you don't need to pay for a special tour to see them. You can visit the famous Dyker Heights Christmas Lights, for example, by simply taking the subway. The address is holiday lights displays from 82nd to 85th Street, between 10th and 13th Avenues, Brooklyn. How to get here from Manhattan: Take the subway, D train to 79 Street Station in Brooklyn and then walk about 15 minutes to 82nd Street and 10th Avenue. Before you go: This is an outdoor activity, so check the weather forecast, and look for a day with the warmest weather for this trip. Price: $5.50 for the subway, roundtrip, everything else is FREE of charge. Here is a live video from this beautiful neighborhood:

Of course, attending the lighting ceremony of the Rockafeller Center Christmas tree is very high on the "to-do list" of many people. Please note that is you want to attend the ceremony you should arrive early. Otherwise, this is what you should expect:

You can also go see the Christmas tree when it arrives at Rockefeller Center. It's much less crowded and you might even get some souvenirs from the famous tree:

Whether you decide to join the ceremony or not, you should definitely save a spot in your schedule to visit this place. Rockafeller Center is wonderful throughout the year and a pure magic during Christmas time:

And, while you are at Rockafeller Center, be sure to join the Winter Palace light show at the east end of the Channel Gardens projected on Saks Fifth Avenue:


If it's snowing you should take it as a cue to put on your warmest coat, go out and explore the city, because there is nothing more spectacular than seeing NYC with all her Christmas decorations covered in white:

Actually, sometimes, it is so cold in here that even the famous Bryant Park Fountain freezes over:

There is a Christmas hub between Radio City, Rockafeller Center, Fifth Avenue, and Bryant Park and you can include them all in the same walk. You can start at the red ornaments and Radio City Christmas tree, walk to Rockafeller Center, Saks and south on Fifth Avenue to the NYPL and end your tour with a cup of hot chocolate at Bryant Park:


Here are some more Christmas landmarks and events in NYC:
Tavern on the Green in Central Park

Macy’s Holiday Windows

Empire State Building

Columbus Circle Stars

Wall Street Christmas Tree

Washington Square Park Christmas Tree

Secret Pet Christmas Tree at Central Park
Every year people from the community choose a tree in Central Park and decorate it with photos of their beloved pets that passed away. The location is kept secret. When the holidays are over, all the decorations are removed from the tree and stored until next year. You can find more details about this tree on the internet, but you can’t find it’s location there. As a respect for the community, I also am not disclosing it’s location.

Christmas Carols at Gramercy Park

Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center

Union Square Winter Market

Madison Square Park Christmas Tree

Lotte Palace Christmas Tree and a Christmas recommended walk

Christmas at Bloomingdales

If you are looking for more Christmas suggestions, you are very welcome to join the Facebook groups: 'My Christmas in New York' and 'What to do in New York'.

Holidays in New York City

My new year's resolution is to tell my stories in real time. Luckily for me, this is holiday season, and I'm living in fabulous New York city and something is always happening here. Living very close to Time Square has its ups and downs, especially in New Year's eve. The neighbourhood gets very crowded during this time of year, and even a simple task of crossing the street can be a challenge. I was invited to a party to celebrate New Year, and was tasked with bringing the desert. Although the weather outside was 32 degrees Fahrenheit and some of the streets were closed by the police as part of preparations for the ball drop celebration, I decided to go out to buy pastries from Magnolia Bakery. My main goal was of course the famous banana pudding.

Unfortunately, after standing in line for almost half an hour, I discovered that they ran out of their famous pudding. They suggested me to come back an hour later. This was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the festive atmosphere in the city, so I decided to make the most of it and went for a photo walk in the area. The Rockefeller Center is not to be missed any time, but during the holidays its definitely a must. The ice skate rink down under the huge Christmas tree is probably the most symbolic image of the winter season in the city.

Just across the street from there, the Saxs Fifth Avenue store is another must see location. The store has unique holiday display window decorations on the outside, but the inside offers a winning combination of warmth and photo opportunities. I defrosted, made a few photos and went back to the bakery.

I could not ignore all the people on the streets, queuing up for the ball drop, so I looked for a good viewpoint to capture the crowds. I found a great spot on the second floor of the M&M store on Broadway.

Last, but not least, as I'm already late for the New Year's eve party, for which I finally was able to get the banana pudding, I want to share this last photo. One of New York's most colorful streets is in the Dyker Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, which is famous for its Christmas lights decorations, and becomes a major tourist attraction this time of the year. This place is definitely recommended for anyone who wants to get into the holidays spirit.

Happy New Year!