Rockefeller Center is a huge complex situated between between 48th and 51st Street. There are many buildings in the complex, which covers 22 acres. I love the architecture and the design because it was constructed in the thirties – the height of the Art Deco era – and you can see amazing Art Deco details everywhere you look.
This is a picture-heavy post. I’ll add some commentary here and there.
As you approach the complex you’ll see:
Radio City Music Hall, currently home to the Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes.
And The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon.
And the famous Rainbow Room, the Observation Deck and NBC Studios. Sigh. Love, love that Art Deco look.
And suddenly, there it is. The massive Christmas Tree. And it is massive. There were people everywhere. Seriously, it was hard to move around. It was, after all, a Sunday, so there were lots and lots of people determined to take in the Christmas displays – just as we were.
The tree is amazing. (It also makes me a little sad to see this glorious tree chopped down.) I wonder how old it is?
It must be stunning at night.
Next to the tree is an area surrounded by flags and and decorations and people everywhere. The sunken area is the famous skating rink.
The famous statue of Prometheus.
Looks like fun, but it’s been a few years since I’ve strapped on some ice skates!
You can see it was wall-to-wall people. If it was any other kind of day, I would have found it overwhelming and irritating, but it’s the Christmas season, so everyone is full of good cheer, including Don and me.
Sak’s Fifth Avenue.
NBC News.
The sun finally came out.
Gorgeous Art Deco details at the entrance to 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Need I say more?
Christmas time or not, this area of Manhattan is gorgeous and well worth the visit. Normally, if I’m in the area, I’m too busy to linger. That’s what made Sunday special. We gave ourselves the time to linger and celebrate the season.
From your tour guides:
Don
And Claudia.
(New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.)
Happy Tuesday.
Thank you for the tour of the Art Deco highlights of Rockefeller Center!
You are most welcome, Carolyn Marie!
Claudia,
Thank you for the beautiful pictures. My 14-year-old daughter will be coming to NYC with my mom for New Years Eve this year and they are both so excited. They were there this past summer when it was very hot, so she will be excited when I show her your Christmas-y pictures. She dreams of living in a tiny apartment somewhere in NYC after graduation and I certainly hope she gets that opportunity, as we live in Oklahoma City and it’s just not for her. :) Your tour guide pics are very sweet too. You both have very soft, kind eyes and look like lovely people. Merry Christmas to you both.
How exciting for your daughter to be in NYC for New Year’s Eve! I don’t blame her for wanting to live in NYC. If I had it do over again, I would have moved there in my early twenties – just to have that experience! Merry Christmas to you and yours, Brooke!
We live on the coast of northern California. (Eureka) We took our children to the east coast twice. First it was Washington D.C. and the next time New England. We wanted them to experience the history of our nation first hand and plus I wanted to go! We all learned soooooo much- but I got a lesson in the power of architecture along the way. It was a very warm Summer day in New York City as we approached Rockefeller Center. I was a bit hot and bothered as one would say. As I sat down along the fountain and looked up at the tall building before me, I experienced an immediate calmness and tranquility. Your tour brought back some fond memories. When my daughter was attending Princeton Seminary- She would often take the train to New York with her friends. It always warmed my heart then ( and now for you). Happy Holidays! Lani
I’ve been to Princeton Seminary – I almost taught there early in my career. It’s awfully pretty around there.
I can see why those buildings would give you that feeling of calm. There is a solidity and majesty to them that is immense, yet calming. Happy Holidays to you, Lani!
Thank you for sharing your pictures. Nothing like NYC at Christmas.
No, there isn’t! I wish I could go back in and see more of it!
Claudia, I love that area of the city. So much to see and do there. Thank you so much for the picture of St. Patrick’s. I want to see it again. Blessings to you and Don. It was nice to had some enjoyable time in the city. xoxo,Susie
St. Patrick Cathedral is stunning, isn’t it? The sun was hitting it and it looked so beautiful.
Thank you for renewing memories of my visit to New York. Beautiful art deco architecture everywhere……. and that amazing St. Pat’s right in the middle. Merry Christmas you two!
Balisha
I love how St. Pat’s is nestled between all the skyscrapers, Balisha!
Thank you so much for the tour! I wish I could go to NYC at Christmas! It is always so very beautiful in pictures, so I am sure it must border on breathtaking in person! Wonderful pictures of you and Don!
Have a wonderful day :)
Deb
It is pretty spectacular, Debbie!
And you’re very welcome!
I grew up 65 miles from Manhattan, lived there for a couple of years after college ( when my boyfriend and I somehow managed to sneak up into the pinnacle of the Chrysler Building!). Left NYC for Boston, love both cities.
Our niece is an NBC executive with an office at 30 Rock. She posted a video of the tree lighting on Instagram.
Thanks for the memories.
I love both cities, too, Margaret. How fun for your niece to work at 30 Rock!
Nice pictures of the two of you! :-)
Thank you, Regula!
Thanks for the tour – since I’ve never been there! I can’t believe the mobs of people – wow!
Imagine how crowded it will be next Sunday, Melanie!
The last time I was in NYC, was for the 1964 World’s Fair…I was 13. I do remember the subway, the Rockettes….and Times Square which was much different at that time. Thank you tour guides! That tree is spectacular…I only hope that when they cut down a tree of that stature…they plant at least three more in it’s honor! ;)
Amen to that, Donnamae!
Next best thing to being there! Thanks for the tour Don and Claudia! I keep saying someday I’ll come to NYC during the holidays! The tree is gorgeous but I also get a little sad that it was cut down. Still look how many people get to enjoy it during the Christmas season. I’m feeling very Holly Jolly now!
hugs,
Linda
I’m getting there, Linda!
Great pictures of you and Don! Don has eyes that smile. I have never been to NYC and have wanted to go since I was a teenager. I wanted to live and work there, but that never happened. I thought there were plenty of single men there that I had a good chance of one wanting to marry me. I never had any luck at getting boyfriends and I thought NYC would be my best chance. Also with the right job I would have been happy single. Funny how life never turns out the way you have it planned.
It never does, Tana! I hope you get to visit the city – you’d have a lot of fun!
If you’re still “strapping on” ice skates, it has been awhile :) Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures…I agree..Tis a shame to cut down that size tree every year..Never saw you with your hair back..Nice look
Oh, I just chose that word because I love the sound of it! I grew up across the street from a park that had an ice skating rink every winter, so I skated quite a bit. My brother played hockey there. All this in contrast to Don, who I don’t believe ever ice skated, as he’s a Southern California boy!
Wonderful pictures! Thank you for sharing. I most likely will never (never say never?) get to Rockefeller Center at Christmas, so they were fun to see. Great camera work and I’m glad you guys had that opportunity to enjoy.
Never say never, Melanie!
Thank you Claudia for showing us NYC in one special area. Love the details and the size of everything. Visual treat. You and Don look wonderful.
Joy
Ah, thank you, Joy!
What a great photo tour ~ Thank you for posting this ~ Your pictures really capture the “hustle and bustle” and excitement of the city! Have a wonderful holiday season!
That’s good to hear, Ellie. That’s what I was aiming for.
Thanks for the great pix of Rockefeller Plaza. One of many beautiful places in New York, no matter what time of year, but probably THE most beautiful spot during the holidays. Love all those gold and white flags sailing in the breeze. And I always forget how gorgeous the color of the stone is at 30 Rock. I’ve been scooting around online trying to find out what it is. No luck yet, but I’ll find it! Very very wet here right now. I’m thinking “afternoon reading.” Hope I can stay awake – LOL. Enjoy your day…
It was an overcast day for much of the picture taking – those flags are silver, not white. Very holiday-like.
The rain you’re getting is on its way here. We’re supposed to get it late this afternoon. Enjoy your reading!
Such a good looking pair of tour guides, you both look fantastic. The pictures
are wonderful. My one and only trip to NYC, was for a long weekend when I
was eighteen years old. Time to go back.
Yes, indeed, Lea. Time to go back!
Oh, thank you for the tour; it was fun; I had no idea it was so vast. I wish I’d asked my folks more about their NYC trip before both passed. I need to Wiki RC so that I can understand why it’s named after a Rockefeller; woefully ignorant here. Now, I absolutely KNOW that this has to come out of my bucket list soon…my trip to NY, to see it up close and personal rather than my OTO experience of changing planes at JFK a hundred years ago. Besides which, I am the most non-sports person EVER, yet the first time I tried on ice skates, I skated like a winter princess and the same held for snow ski-ing…somebody put me in short skis (how do you spell that, ski’s…skiiis…you know what I mean) and I took off; I loved the speed. After a morning on the bunny slopes, then on my own for the afternoon…and this is no lie…the instructor said I could start the intermediate class the next day but the problem was that, even I could see, I became addicted to speed with no form so it’s a good thing skiing was too expensive for me back in the day which limited my recklessness (the ice skating AND the skiing first-time endeavors happened in my 20s…we are nowhere near snow and ice in my neck ‘o the woods, so these were ‘journeys’).
Nice shot of you both; you should frame them in a double frame and set it somewhere where you can see it every day!
By the way, went over to your other blog and I appreciated the booklists…I was making a new list and had a few of them but you filled in the blanks. I intend to relax more in 2015 with a good read.
We have rain…more rain! To people in Southern California, this is a phenomenom!
You’ve probably already read it, but it was built by a Rockefeller. So glad you’re appreciating the book lists on the other blog, Vicki.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve done any ice skating, but I used to really enjoy it.
Yay for rain!
What a lovely place! Thanks for the tour. I hope to visit there in the next couple of years and am so hoping my good friends – Claudia and Don – can join me at some point. Beautiful photos. So glad you had a good visit.
Judy
Your good friends would be thrilled to join you, dear Judy! Can’t wait!
Thanks so much for the tour! I felt like I was there with you.
Oh, wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sandra!
Hi Claudia, My husband and I took a bus to the city before Thanksgiving to see the Rockettes. What a wonderful show. The Rockefeller center was not as busy that day. The tree was there but not decorated yet. We had a great time but we wished we knew our way around better. I enjoyed your pictures. Doris
It helps to know your way around, but New Yorkers are very friendly and helpful about directions. I’ve never seen the Rockettes, Doris. Lucky you!
Thank you both once again for sharing your travels..I’m glad that you both had a day to relax and enjoy the city together..
Thank you, Nancy. It was a real treat. Next time, the Rockettes!
ah New York New York
lived in hoboken NJ and visited NY so many years…..no worries on the tree …old but how much longer would it live ? It was grown to be on display ……living on cape cod these years ….miss the city but not the hustle bustle……..namaste’
Lorraine
I still feel badly for the tree. And I guess for the tree that was cut down to be in my den this year!
It is always a pleasure to view NYC through the eyes of a photographer. I loved the pictures as they captured the moments. I am glad that I get to see the festive sights of Christmas through your lens. I have been to NYC several times during the winter, but never at Christmas.
Thanks for the gift you have shared with your readers. Wishing you and your hubby a peaceful Christmas. Annie
Wonderful photos!
I really liked those of the skaters and of you and Don.
You both look as though you are having a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Such great posts lately Claudia – especially enjoyed the NYC tour as I’ve never been there.
We have MANY tree farms in my area here in Oregon. When trees are that full, and so beautifully shaped, there is a good chance it (and your home tree) were grown for the very purpose they are serving. The Rockefeller Center tree may not be as old as it appears, trimming the outward growth helps them to grow tall much faster. Under the right circumstances, and proper care, a tree could grow that big in 10 years or so.
Thank you for sharing your pictures of NYC during the holiday season. It is so festive and beautiful with all the lights, trees and Christmas decorations. My husband and I were fortunate to visit the city for two nights the weekend before Thanksgiving. The tree in RC was ‘under wraps’ and the store windows had not been revealed but the exterior decorations were spectacular. It had been 14 years since we visited; we hope to return next year in early Dec to see all the decorations! And we enjoyed a brief visit to Cold Spring (on the Hudson) where my husband grew up. Such a lovely area.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful time in the city!
Betsy in MA (a delayed post!)