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December 05, 2005
Jingle Bell Rock
My brother Nick and I officially kicked off the holiday season with city holiday activities on Friday. The first stop, naturally, was to see the Rockefeller Center tree, of which my brother is an avid fan. We took pictures and had our pictures taken (by NBC photographers who later sold us prints for exhorbitant sums), watched the skaters in the rink, and did a little shopping. The atmosphere was festive and the tourists were out (there seemed to be a good deal of midwestern holiday camaraderie), but it wasn't too crowded.
Next stop, the Top of the Rock -- the newly opened observation deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Center. The access is very organized -- you are assigned a specific 15 minute interval in which to show up, watch a couple of videos, then shoot up seven stories in an elevator with a glass ceiling (nice touch). At the top, there are three levels and the 360-degree views are fantastic. It was quite windy at the second level (the uppermost one was closed because of the wind), which added a little drama, but there are tall plexiglass barriers all around so you don't have to worry about falling to your death amid skating tourists below.
I had been itching to go to Top of the Rock ever since those vintage photos of art deco detail and tourists in the 1950s started appearing in ads. It did not disappoint. There's something gratifying (and exhilirating) about seeing the city from above -- you get a sense of the immensity of New York and the tremendous collective effort it has taken to build. It's also beautiful to look at. I kept jumping up and down like a kid when I got off the elevator. It was a little ridiculous. (Lots more photos are on Flickr.)
Next, Derek hosted us at the very well-appointed and comfortable (I'm so jealous) Sony Commissary. I miss fancy corporate cafeterias with made-to-order pasta. Damn non-profits! We also wandered around Sony Wonder for a while since I hadn't seen the redesigned second floor (shameful, I'm told, given the blood, sweat, and tears that D has put into it over the past few years), checked out the employees-only Sony Family Store, and visited the public Sony store downstairs.
Finally, we spent the afternoon wandering through the Union Square holiday market. I always spend an inordinate amount of time in there and emerge with very little, possibly since it's so damned cold. It helps when there's hot cider to be had from the greenmarket.
Posted by csageday at December 5, 2005 10:49 PM