2010 Blizzard – Stranded in New York City for New Year’s Eve
We had our Christmas vacation all planded out…Fly out from San Antonio on Christams morning to New York City, sightsee for several days, then fly back to San Antonio on December 29th. This would be our first time in New York City, so we wanted to take it all in!
Well, everything started out as planned…we got up early on the 25th, headed to the airport, boarded our flight & several hours later we were checking into our hotel in New York City. It was chilly, but the sun was shining . Our hotel was in a perfect location…right across from Radio City Music Hall & just around the block from Rockefeller Plaza.
We quickly headed over to the plaza to check out the ice skating rink & the giant Christmas tree…it was truely amazing! From there we walked a few blocks to Time Square. All I can say is WOW…The lights, the people & the energy!! It was so cool also that they were already starting to gear up for New Year’s Eve…they even had the infamous Ball up & were testing raising & lighting it!
We had a full day planned for the next day, so we headed to our cozy room to get some sleep. Rested & excited, we got up the next morning & headed out to start some more siteseeing…there was a lot on our agenda for the next few days!
As we walked around Greenwich Village, Chinatown & Little Italy snow flurries began to fall. Being that we don’t see snow too often in San Antonio, it was pretty exciting. By that point we had worked up an appetite & found a great little Italian restaurant, Mambo ‘Italiano Restaurante, to duck into & get out of the cold…and of course enjoy some delicious Itialian food!
After our meal, we headed back out into the snow…it was really starting to come down! Even though we were getting covered with snow, we had a great time walking around the city…there was so much to see!
Once back near Rockefeller, we were cold & hot chocolate sounded perfect! So, we headed to Magnolia Bakery. Once inside, we couldn’t pass up the delicious cupcakes as well! Then we headed over to tour the NBC Studios. It was getting increasingly difficult to get around because of the snow…but we made it! We saw the sets for shows like Dr. OZ (Conan’s former studio), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Johnny Carson’s former studio), & Saturday Night Live..it was a lot of fun!
After the tour, we put back on our jackets, scarves & hats and braved the snow again. At this point, we had to face the fact, that we were’t going anywhere else today…it had become a Blizzard. As we made our way back to our Hotel, we stopped by Rockefeller Plaza again and enjoyed watching everyone playing in the snow!
The next morning, we woke up very early to go see the Today Show. We bundeled up & stepped outside to find that the Blizzard had dropped 20″ of snow! All forms of transportation were disabled…no cabs, no busses, no trains! All we had left were our own two feet! Our sight-seeing plans would definitely have to be adjusted a little!!
After the Today Show, we headed up the shop lined 5th Avenue to Central Park. A snow blanketed Central Park is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen!
Oh…and when I say that all forms of transportation were disabled…Flights were also all grounded…for days! The airports were crazy…people were stranded & were starting to get frustrated. We had to face reality…we were not getting out of here anytime soon.
Oh No…Stranded in New York City…I can definitely think of worse things!! So, we made the most of it! Over the next several days we saw & explored it all…The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, The Chrysler Building, Wall Street, The New York Stock Exchange, the Statue of Liberty, Macy’s, 
FAO Schwarz, The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, The Guggenheim, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the Brooklyn Bridge, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. John the Devine & the World Trade Center Site.
By Friday, things were starting to get back to normal…and it looked like we could get a flight out to San Antonio…but wait it was New Year’s Eve! Were we really going to leave & miss the biggest party on the planet…New Year’s Eve in Time Square New York? I don’t think so!
We were fortunate enough that our hotel had been able to accomodate us for the extra days…& they did have a room for that night! So, we headed to Time Square to brave the crowd…One Million people were estimated to be there!! So now our Christmas vacation had also turned into our New Year’s Vacation!! For over 7 hours we we stood, taking in the energy of the crowd, enjoying the performances that ultimately led to the countdown & the much anticipated Ball Drop! Definitely an event that everyone should experience first hand once in their life…one more thing marked off the bucket list!
WOW…What an amazing trip!
