Christmas in Manhattan in early December?
November 12, 2010 12:39 PM Subscribe
Options for cheap Christmas/Advent concerts and activities in Manhattan on Sunday, December 5?
My cousins and I, who range in age from young-ish high schools to mid-20s, are planning a day in Manhattan as the kick-off to our holiday season. We are a fairly conservative/suburban group. That, plus the wide age range of our group, means we are not looking for hipster-ish activities. We would also like something more structured than "look in the windows at Macy's" or "people-watch while eating roasted chestnuts on a bench." We like to Have Plans and Do Activities.
Cheap is also way important here.
We've already identified ice skating in Central Park as cheaper than Rockefeller Center, and we've found an evening Advent service at St. John the Divine, but neither of those are set in stone. We would like suggestions for:
1) a cheap (ideally free or around $10 a head) holiday concert or Christmas program, possibly at a church, in a decently accessible part of Manhattan (taking the subway is fine, but we will all be arriving from Grand Central or Penn Station, so nothing waaaay up north, etc).
2) a restaurant for a group of 6-8 people for a late lunch/early dinner on Sunday (we are Italian/American/burger kind of people, not so much Thai/Indian/fusion kind of people, at least on this trip).
3) any other fun holiday activities going on in your neighborhood in Manhattan on the 5th.
Help me save Christmas, MeFi!
My cousins and I, who range in age from young-ish high schools to mid-20s, are planning a day in Manhattan as the kick-off to our holiday season. We are a fairly conservative/suburban group. That, plus the wide age range of our group, means we are not looking for hipster-ish activities. We would also like something more structured than "look in the windows at Macy's" or "people-watch while eating roasted chestnuts on a bench." We like to Have Plans and Do Activities.
Cheap is also way important here.
We've already identified ice skating in Central Park as cheaper than Rockefeller Center, and we've found an evening Advent service at St. John the Divine, but neither of those are set in stone. We would like suggestions for:
1) a cheap (ideally free or around $10 a head) holiday concert or Christmas program, possibly at a church, in a decently accessible part of Manhattan (taking the subway is fine, but we will all be arriving from Grand Central or Penn Station, so nothing waaaay up north, etc).
2) a restaurant for a group of 6-8 people for a late lunch/early dinner on Sunday (we are Italian/American/burger kind of people, not so much Thai/Indian/fusion kind of people, at least on this trip).
3) any other fun holiday activities going on in your neighborhood in Manhattan on the 5th.
Help me save Christmas, MeFi!
What time are you arriving in Manhattan and what time are you leaving?
posted by Jahaza at 12:50 PM on November 12, 2010
posted by Jahaza at 12:50 PM on November 12, 2010
Response by poster: Jahaza, arrival circa 11 a.m., departure around 9 p.m.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:27 PM on November 12, 2010
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:27 PM on November 12, 2010
I've always considered skating at Wolman Rink in Central Park to be cheaper than Rockefeller Center, and more convenient than Bryant Park in terms of waiting on line. But Bryant Park might be the cheapest, if money is the biggest concern.
If you are going to go to an Advent "Lessons and Carols" service at any church, St. John The Divine is the place to do it. Not sure about Advent/holiday related services at other places, but the one at St. John The Divine is supposed to be especially beautiful.
If you are set on something in midtown, maybe look into St. Bartholemew's on Park Ave in the 50's, or St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th ave. I have no idea what their holiday service program is like, but Old St. Patrick's downtown in NoLIta might be a picturesque setting for that sort of thing. And NoLIta is a really fun neighborhood for strolling, snacking*, and shopping for special gifts you can't find other places. I can't help but wonder how amazing the choir at St. Malachy's (known as "The Actors' Church") is...
Midtown is mainly a neighborhood for business types and tourists, these days, which means not much is cheap, and infrastructure that would appeal mainly to low key locals is sorely lacking. This makes it a little harder to find what you're looking for without getting on a subway. I'd definitely suggest getting out of midtown and heading at least to East or West Village, or maybe the Upper West Side or SoHo, if you're looking for simple, affordable, and laid back things to do. Also, to put it totally frankly, Midtown in the month of December is a MASSIVE CLUSTERFUCK FROM HELL. If there's something really specific you want to do around there, it can be worth wading through the insanity. But otherwise, run as fast as you can to a less crowded part of town.
* Lombardi's pizza is, I believe, across the street from the church.
posted by Sara C. at 4:33 PM on November 12, 2010
If you are going to go to an Advent "Lessons and Carols" service at any church, St. John The Divine is the place to do it. Not sure about Advent/holiday related services at other places, but the one at St. John The Divine is supposed to be especially beautiful.
If you are set on something in midtown, maybe look into St. Bartholemew's on Park Ave in the 50's, or St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th ave. I have no idea what their holiday service program is like, but Old St. Patrick's downtown in NoLIta might be a picturesque setting for that sort of thing. And NoLIta is a really fun neighborhood for strolling, snacking*, and shopping for special gifts you can't find other places. I can't help but wonder how amazing the choir at St. Malachy's (known as "The Actors' Church") is...
Midtown is mainly a neighborhood for business types and tourists, these days, which means not much is cheap, and infrastructure that would appeal mainly to low key locals is sorely lacking. This makes it a little harder to find what you're looking for without getting on a subway. I'd definitely suggest getting out of midtown and heading at least to East or West Village, or maybe the Upper West Side or SoHo, if you're looking for simple, affordable, and laid back things to do. Also, to put it totally frankly, Midtown in the month of December is a MASSIVE CLUSTERFUCK FROM HELL. If there's something really specific you want to do around there, it can be worth wading through the insanity. But otherwise, run as fast as you can to a less crowded part of town.
* Lombardi's pizza is, I believe, across the street from the church.
posted by Sara C. at 4:33 PM on November 12, 2010
I was going to recommend the vespers service at St. John the Divine. There is a very respectable restaurant around the corner from the cathedral: Bistro 1018. It will be orders of magnitude more quiet than anything in midtown on a Sunday in December.
While you are up here, you will also be just a few blocks away from Columbia. Take the #1 from your midtown activities to 116th street, walk through the campus to the cathedral on 112.
posted by shothotbot at 7:51 PM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
While you are up here, you will also be just a few blocks away from Columbia. Take the #1 from your midtown activities to 116th street, walk through the campus to the cathedral on 112.
posted by shothotbot at 7:51 PM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:40 PM on November 12, 2010