Updated 2025-12-24T16:00:08.025Z
- Rockefeller Center, Macy's, and Bryant Park are some of NYC's most popular tourist destinations.
- However, the crowds seem to quadruple at these locations the day after Thanksgiving.
- I could barely move when I visited some of the city's attractions in 2023.
When you're a native New Yorker, one thing you learn is that while the holiday season in New York City is magical, you should avoid tourist attractions at all costs.
There are plenty of other things to do during the holidays — for every Rolf's, there's a less crowded, more fun bar like Paddy Maguire's Ale House.
But I wanted to see if it was all that bad, so in 2023, I visited some of the biggest holiday tourist attractions in the city.
Tourism has only grown since then. According to a report published in November by the city's Economic Development Corporation, 48,000 more visitors per weekend on average visited Times Square in December 2024 than in December 2023, and Fifth Avenue saw 27,000 more weekend visitors in the same timeframe. Seasonal tourism also brings $500 million in revenue to the city.
For my holiday tour of Manhattan, I started at Wollman Rink in Central Park, walked to the Plaza Hotel and the Pulitzer Fountain, strolled down Fifth Avenue to Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center, continued west toward Bryant Park, and concluded my journey at Macy's Herald Square.
Here's what it was like.
First up was the Wollman Rink at Central Park. I could see people climbing on rocks to stare at the rink before I could spot the rink itself.
Wollman Rink, in the southern part of the park, is open from October through March. It's been a popular holiday destination for decades and has featured in numerous holiday movies, including "Serendipity."
I knew I was getting close to the rink, but even though I came to skate here in 2021, I had no recollection of seeing people peering down at me from a giant rock ledge.
But, lo and behold, when I climbed up to see what everyone was looking at, I was staring directly at the rink.
There were also people lined up around the gates — I felt like I was at the zoo.
You can just make them out, but there are even more people across the ice at the other gate.
The ice was also swarming with people.
When I skated at Wollman Rink, I found it was very disorganized compared to other rinks in the city, and I don't think I'll go back to skate.
I wanted something from the refreshments stand, but most of the benches where I would sit to eat were full, so I skipped a snack.
Instead, I decided on a hot drink.
I bought a hot chocolate, and my spirits immediately lifted.
It turns out that hot chocolate was just the thing to help me out.
Feeling sufficiently warmed — though apprehensive about the crowds I had witnessed — I headed to the Plaza Hotel.
I've never stayed inside the Plaza Hotel before, but you can imagine what an amazing view of the park guests have just by looking at the building.
The Plaza opened in 1907 and is one of the most famous hotels in the world. It's also been the location of holiday movies, such as "Home Alone 2" — Kevin stays at the hotel and famously asks Donald Trump for directions to the lobby.
I was disappointed to learn I couldn't get inside.
In front of the door was a sign that said only guests of the hotel or patrons of the restaurant were allowed in the building.
I watched as the hotel employee stopped anyone walking in to see what their business was and turned a few people away.
Across the street, the Pulitzer Fountain, which you might recognize from "Home Alone 2," was also decorated.
A musician was singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
For a few years, the Pulitzer Fountain was transformed into an ice-skating rink with polar bears and penguins. They've since toned it down with some giant ornaments and lights.
I walked down Fifth Avenue, which goes all out for the holidays, and is usually packed with people.
This is the Peninsula Hotel, another New York City landmark.
There's also lots of legendary shopping on Fifth Avenue, from Bergdorf Goodman to Harry Winston to Cartier to Louis Vuitton and more.
I felt like I was being swept away by the crowd.
I shouldn't have been surprised by the crowds — New York City's visitor numbers have almost fully rebounded since pandemic lows.
In December 2025, 1010 Wins predicted 8 million people would visit New York City in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's.
While the multiple holiday installations lining the street bring festive cheer, it also means people are constantly stopping to take pictures, sometimes right in front of you.
You have to be prepared for people to stop.
I soon arrived at St. Patrick's Cathedral, one of the most famous cathedrals in the US.
St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest Gothic Catholic cathedral in the US, opened in 1879. More than 5 million people visit each year.
I was grateful for a break from the cold, but I was also stunned by the beautiful architecture and the holiday decorations.
Entry is free, which makes this a great activity for anyone on a budget. Plus, the church was decorated — there were wreaths and Christmas trees, and the main altar was covered in poinsettias.
But I was taken aback by how many people were filing into the church to see — and photograph — its decorations and Nativity scene.
The manger happened to be near an exit, meaning that stopping to take pictures here held up a significant amount of traffic.
You can see just how many people I was surrounded by.
Every way I turned, I watched people snap picture after picture.
I ventured back into the cold to check out Saks Fifth Avenue, which has beautiful lights.
The Saks Fifth Avenue I visited, which is actually on Fifth Avenue, is the department store's flagship. It opened in 1924 and has remained there for almost a century.
Here's one of the beautiful display windows.
This year's display was called "Your Story in Lights."
Here's what the display looked like at night.
This year's light show is set to a "curated medley of uplifting music." It runs every 10 minutes from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
But inside, I was disappointed to see Saks wasn't decorated for the holidays, apart from a small holiday market in the back of the store.
The store was selling ornaments and other holiday goodies back here, but I had to walk through the entire store just to get there.
I haven't been back this year, but I've seen on social media that they've added some more decorations in front of the store.
Saks is across the street from Rockefeller Center. I could tell it was overrun with visitors by looking at the line outside the nearby Lego store.
Lego is a huge draw for parents looking to entertain their kids.
I couldn't get close to the tree with all the crowds around me.
In 2025, the tree is a 75-foot Norwegian spruce from East Greenbush, New York.
Everywhere I turned, I felt like I was in the background of some poor tourist's photo, looking annoyed.
It was all getting a bit claustrophobic for me.
So I gave up and headed west toward the Bryant Park Winter Village.
Along the way, I saw Radio City Music Hall, home of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but the street looked too crowded for me to even attempt getting closer.
I'd recommend going to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at least once. It's playing through January 2.
Once I arrived at Bryant Park, I spotted the Empire State Building in the distance.
Bryant Park is home to one of the two largest holiday markets in Manhattan, the other being Union Square. I prefer Bryant Park since it's more open, has a better view, and is closer to where I live.
I enjoy visiting the Winter Village at Bryant Park this time of year.
The last time I was there, it wasn't too crowded, but the same couldn't be said for this visit.
If you head to the Winter Village a few weeks before the holidays, it's a more enjoyable experience. But, as you inch closer to Christmas, it gets more crowded.
I originally planned to eat at Bryant Park, but it was so overwhelmingly packed that I gave up.
The lines were so long and densely packed that I decided I could wait.
The final stop on my tour was Macy's Herald Square, the brand's flagship location and the largest department store in the US.
According to the 34th Street Partnership, the store has 1.25 million square feet of retail space across 12 floors and takes up an entire city block.
Macy's moved to this location in 1902.
The Macy's display windows are famous, but it was hard to get a good look at them between the visitors.
I also felt guilty for getting in the way of other people's photos.
When I returned an hour later, it was easier to sneak a peek.
The store has now ditched its traditional "Believe" sign, a reference to "A Miracle on 34th Street," and displays a large "Give Love" instead.
The "Believe" sign has been such a constant in my life that I walked around the entire Macy's to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
When I went inside, I was met by an overwhelming sea of people.
I just had to let the crowd take me where I needed to go.
Once I got a second to breathe, though, I could appreciate the decor.
They spare no expense decorating at Macy's.
I walked around the first floor before I checked out one of the newer attractions: Toys 'R' Us.
Macy's announced that Toys 'R' Us would be incorporated into its existing stores in 2021, ahead of the 2022 holiday season.
Toys 'R' Us returned for the 2025 season.
The Toys 'R' Us was on the seventh floor. I had to take an old-fashioned escalator to get there.
The first few floors of Macy's have the classic steel escalators you'd expect. But once you get up higher, you take a wood-paneled escalator.
But when I finally arrived, I was met with a scene that filled me with nostalgia: a horde of screaming kids running around a toy store.
There were crowds of kids (not pictured) in the various aisles, at the play place, and inspecting the Funko Pops.
But I could only handle that for so long, so I hopped on the escalator to Santaland.
The toys were on the seventh floor, while Santa was up on the eighth floor.
There was a line to meet the big guy himself.
There was a long line to meet Santa, even though you have to reserve a time to meet him.
After the chaos on those floors, I checked out another retail floor and found it almost empty. It was refreshing after a day of huge crowds.
This was the sixth floor, which was mostly dedicated to home and kitchen goods. I felt like I could finally breathe.
As I left Macy's, I reflected on my day. According to the fitness tracker on my phone, I took over 19,000 steps — all in the name of holiday cheer.
After a long day spent navigating crowds, I was exhausted. But it was ultimately worth it to see some of New York City's festive sights.
New York City is still my favorite place — and maybe everyone else's — to be during the holidays.
