Fabulous Holiday Windows in New York

The shop windows on 5th Avenue in Manhattan are incredible.  Just southeast of Central Park, the displays at Cartier offer a formal side to the holidays.

 Cartier

The view down 5th Avenue is wonderful (with the Empire State Building in the distance) as we cross the street from Cartier to view the displays at Bergdorf Goodman (with a serious candy theme).  In the distance, the UNICEF Snowflake hangs over 5th Avenue at 57th Street.  The Snowflake is 23 feet (7 meters) in diameter, 28 feet (8.5 meters) high, weighs 3,300 pounds (1,497 kg) with 16,000 illuminated crystal prisms, and serves as the centerpiece of a campaign to raise money for health, immunization, nutrition, clean water and sanitation, education, and protection for children in developing countries. 

5th Avenue, the Snowflake, and Tiffany & Co. holiday storefront

 Bergdorf Goodman

At Henri Bendel, the windows are a tribute to this great store which is closing for good in January after 123 years in business.

 Henri Bendel (RIP)

A little further down 5th Avenue we find another Cartier store which is also quite formally decorated for the season.

 Cartier's second store

Across from Rockefeller Center, the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue celebrate the Theater of Dreams (in San Francisco, the windows at Saks this year are a tribute to movies).  Above the windows, the storefront is alive with lights and color.

 Saks Fifth Avenue Theater of Dreams

Saks Fifth Avenue storefront

Scattered throughout the city, everything is decorated, but a few other shop windows catch our attention as we stroll by.

A few more windows

It's worth the trip across the country just to window shop our way through the city.  And, there is so much more to Manhattan!

Streets of Manhattan and Central Park

Walking up 5th Avenue from Chelsea Market, we get a great view of the contrast between older New York and the modern skyscrapers that are taking over more and more of the city.

 Old and new New York

We stop and chat with one Christmas tree vendor who says that he's been driving from Alaska to New York to sell trees for twenty-three years.  He's never been farther than a block from his tree stand and thinks he should take the time to see the sites some day.

 Christmas tree stand

As we pass the Public Library, the lions outside are decorated in the holiday spirit.

 Library lions

Along the street, the Salvation Army people are playing music and dancing to encourage contributions to the charity.  They're rocking and rolling and having a lot of fun at the same time.

 Salvation Army dancers

Continuing north to Central Park, we spot more decorated shops along the street, ranging from traditional to modern.

 Decorated shops

Central Park is clear of snow, but the park is beautiful with bare trees in the chilly winter weather.

 Winter in Central Park

The lack of snow is not stopping the skaters in Central Park as they merrily circle around the pond and enjoy the season.

 Skating in Central Park

It's been quite a walk from midtown to the High Line and back up; we're ready for something warm to consume!