It's Grand in NYC

As described in a previous post, my last 2025 trip was a NYC holiday tour that included not only seeing festive lights, but also several of the city's iconic sites, which are grand both in name and fame.

The day of our flight, there had been a significant snowfall (for NYC) snowfall with up to 6 inches. It was enough to play havoc with airline schedules. My flight from Boston to LaGuardia was cancelled and then rescheduled within a few hours. After all passengers were onboard, the plane underwent icing treatment on the runway.

NYC's Central Park was a winter wonderland after the first snow of 2025

Central Park was transformed into a winter wonderland for several days afterwards. This urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in NYC was far from more built-up areas of the city when planning for the Park began in 1850s. Central Park was the first landscaped park in the U.S. It is the sixth-largest park in the city at 843 acres. Additionally, it's the most visited U.S. urban park with an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Central Park is a National Historic Landmark (1963) and a Scenic Landscape of the City of New York (1974).

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park influenced the development of urban parks nationwide and is widely regarded a masterpiece of landscape architecture. Central Park is a National Historic Landmark (1963) and a Scenic Landscape of the City of New York (1974). Its 843 acres include wide lawns, woodlands, streams and lakes, experienced by traveling through the park along winding paths, a carriage drive and a bridle path. Over time, more features were added: baseball and soccer fields, bicycle paths, carousel, skating rinks, zoo, formal gardens, theater venues and commemoratives.

Imagine mosaic in Central park is dedicated to John Lennon

A black and white mosaic memorial is dedicated to John Lennon, the British rock musician, peace activist and Beatles co-founder who was killed nearby in 1980. It is located in Strawberry Fields, a five-acre landscape near the West 72nd Street entrance, where many come to pay tribute to Lennon. It is located across from the Dakota Apartments where Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, lived and where he loved to walk, Strawberry Fields is a reference to the 1967 song, Strawberry Fields Forever, that Lennon wrote and performed with the Beatles. Strawberry Fields was officially dedicated on October 9, 1985, the 45th anniversary of Lennon’s birth. The memorial was donated by the city of Naples, Italy. (There was no direct connection between Lennon and the city of Naples. The city donated the mosaic as a gesture of peace and artistic tribute to Lennon, honoring his message of unity through the song.)

Exteriors of Central Station in NYC

Another NYC landmark contains the word Central and is also Grand — Grand Central Terminal (known as GCT, Grand Central Station or just Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal at 42nd St and Park Ave in Midtown Manhattan. 

Main hall inside Grand Central Station

The distinctive architecture and interior design of Grand Central Terminal's station house have earned it several landmark designations, including as a National Historic Landmark. Its Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art. Grand Central Terminal is one of the world's 10 most-visited tourist attractions. The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place and has been featured in films and TV. Grand Central Terminal was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad. 

Concourse at Grand Central Station, NYC

Opened in 1913, GCT was built on the site of two similarly named stations, the first dated to 1871. It covers 48 acres with 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station worldwide. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower with 67 tracks total, including a rail yard and sidings; 43 tracks are in use for passenger service, and the remaining  are used to store trains.

In the mid 1970s, GCT was almost demolished as it had fallen into disrepair and its owners, the Penn Central Railroad planned to demolish it as was done to Penn Station years earlier. Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spearhead a campaign to save the terminal and thankfully succeeded. 

Meet me at the clock refers to the timepiece at Grand Central Station 

The iconic GCT clock, a four-faced, brass timepiece atop the Information Booth in the Main Concourse, is famously known as a meeting spot and the phrase, meet me at the clock. Though rumored to be made of solid opal and worth millions, the faces are actually opaline glass, a beautiful, semi-opaque, milky glass popularized in 19th-century France. 

Acorn on GCT clock

The clock was designed by Henry Edward Bedford, a sculptor and executive of the Self Winding Clock Company which built the clock; movements were made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The acorn on the top symbolizes the unofficial Vanderbilt family motto, "From a little acorn a mighty oak shall grow," celebrating their legacy and power as builders and financiers of the station. Oak/acorn motifs appear throughout the terminal to symbolize growth from small beginnings. 

The GCT clock is calibrated to the atomic clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory. However, the actual time displayed is set one minute fast for passengers intentionally. This deliberate lag is for safety to help passengers catch trains by creating a buffer for last-minute rushes, reducing accidents and missed connections.

 

Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World

The Statue of Liberty, a grand lady overlooking NYC, stands majestically on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, greeting ships and symbolizing freedom. Years ago offered a first glimpse of America for many immigrants

Formally named The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, it was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the U.S. was conceived by Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865 and designed by sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi with engineering by Gustave Eiffel. It arrived in NY in 1885 and was dedicated in 1886 on Liberty Island by President Grover Cleveland. The statue was designated a National Monument in 1924. It has been managed by the National Park Service since 1933 as part of the National Parks of New York Harbor office.

Lady Liberty was not always green

Uniquely green in color now, the Statue of Liberty was originally a shiny, reddish-brown color, like a new U.S. penny. Most likely, Bartholdi chose copper because of the metal’s durability and malleability. Copper was not only less costly than materials like bronze and stone, but weighed less, making it easier to transport. After about 30 years, exposure to air, salt water and pollution have caused a natural chemical reaction (oxidation), forming the green patina, or copper carbonate, that’s visible today, a process that was complete by the 1920s. There’s a practical reason to leave the bluish-green patina (known as verdigris) — protects the metal underneath from corroding and degrading.

Artwork showing Ellis Island main facility

Immigrants to the U.S. saw this grand lady when arriving at Ellis Island, which was America's main federal immigration station from 1892 to 1954 and processed more than 12 million people who arrived in the U.S. seeking new lives. It's estimated that over 40 percent of America's population can trace ancestry through Ellis Island (that includes my maternal and paternal grandparents). Passengers who entered the U.S. through the Port of New York were legally and medically inspected at Ellis Island.

The Great Hall or Registry Room could be a loud and confusing place for immigrants

There also were other ports of entry in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco and New Orleans. Steamship companies like the White Star, Red Star, Cunard, Holland America and Hamburg-America Lines played significant roles in the history of  immigration as a whole. For most immigrants, the Great Hall epitomized Ellis Island. It was here that immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations.

In the 1920s, Ellis Island's role shifted to a detention center due to the passing of restrictive immigration quota acts. In November 1954, it was officially closed by the U.S. government. After closing, the island was declared surplus federal property; the public desire for a memorial led to its preservation as a monument. 

These display items are original to Ellis Island

A sampling of trunks that immigrants traveled with on their sailings

In 1990, the Main Building on Ellis Island reopened after a massive reconstruction and is now a museum dedicated to the history of immigration. Ellis Island became a U.S. landmark when President Lyndon B. Johnson officially added it to the Statue of Liberty National Monument in May 1965, designating it part of the National Park System to preserve its significant history as America's main immigration station.

Currently, scaffolding surrounds the entire main building at Ellis Island

As of late 2025, scaffolding surrounds the entire building for structural repairs, facade restoration, and upgrading building systems. Ellis Reimagined is a $100 million interior overhaul of the museum, that will modernize exhibits and facilities. It's scheduled for completion in 2026. The museum remains open to visitors with some areas closed off.

There's one final, now iconic, NYC landmark that was visited on my December NYC tour., the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It will be the topic of a final NY post in 2026.

Merry Christmas to ALL

For ourselves and others, this is the reason for the season

If you are celebrating this holiday, we hope it will be one full of joy, love and time spent with those you love and who love you in return. (Comments are off.)

Because while today, has been called the happiest day of the year, it's not always the case for some who are alone.

Our at-home celebration has always included inviting friends to join us for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We'll follow that tradition this holiday too.

And, like others, we have experienced the loss of a family member and more recently of several friends. We are thankful to have had them in our lives and remember them at the holiday season. 

Today, at home, we will celebrate family and friends, both near and far, friends we have met and those we haven’t yet. Memories and friendships are priceless gifts.

We wish all of you the merriest Christmas and the best for 2026.

Holiday decorations outside the apartments of fellow residents

Christmas in NYC . . .

Is where I spent most of last week on a 5-day tour, really only 3 days in the city as the first and last days were travel days. This was a solo trip (Patrick declined) and my travel mates were fellow members of the Hudson (NH) Senior Center and other travellers from states including Arkansas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio. 

The trip titled Discover Spotlight on NYC Holiday was once again through Collette Tours. It started with a Delta Airlines flight from Logan Airport, Boston, to LaGuardia Airport, NY. A snowfall last Sunday cancelled the original flight, but within 2 hours myself and fellow travelers were rebooked on another flight. 

New York City did not disappoint in providing glitz and glitter for the holiday season. While, I wasn't able to see many 5th Avenue window displays, those that were seen (mostly from the tour bus) were amazing and to say that some were over the top would not be an understatement. 

Some NYC holiday window displays 

There was free time on the tour, but the few hours allotted would have spent getting to and from stores with limited time for ooh-ing and aah-ing over the displays, not to mention getting through bustling shoppers. 

Macy's Herald Square, NYC (Internet image)

I was disappointed to not have visited Macy's Herald Square store, famously known as the world's largest store and recognized as the largest U.S. department store with 11 floors over 2.5 million square feet. Macy's holds this title by popular claim and record for a traditional department store, maybe another holiday season this visit will be possible.

Santa on a bicycle at Bryant Square holiday Market

Without aa doubt, midtown NYC is crowded most any day and season, but at holiday time it's multiplied several times over. People hurrying to and from jobs, delivery folks, construction workers, and visitors all competing for sidewalk space. Crossing signals seemed merely a suggestion as crowds would walk en masse whenever there was a break in traffic. There was also a lot of horns being honked.

Exterior, lobby photos, commemorative ornament; photography prohibited at showtime

There were several tour highlights including the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. Also known simply as Radio City, this landmark in Rockefeller Center has been dubbed The Showplace of the Nation. It's home to the world famous Rockettes dance troupe celebrating their 100 anniversary in 2025. The all female dancers are world-renowned for their signature Rockettes Precision Dance Technique™ combining elements of jazz, tap and ballet.

Radio City Music Hall, designed by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey in the Art Deco style, opened on December 1932 seating 5,960. Back then, the four-tiered auditorium was the world's largest. Initially intended for stage shows, within a year it became a movie palace. The classic holiday film, White Christmas, premiered here in October 1954. I attended a film and show with my parents years ago; now the venue only hosts concerts and the holiday show. In the 1970s, declining attendance almost led to bankruptcy. in 1978, Radio City was designated a NYC landmark and was restored and remained open; another extensive renovation was in 1999.

The 2025 Rockefeller Christmas Tree

A must-see when visiting NYC at the holidays is, of course, going to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which was a short walk from Radio City. The 2025 tree is a 75-foot tall, 11-ton, 75-year-old Norway Spruce from East Greenbush, NY. It arrived in Manhattan in early November and was lit in early December. It has over 500 LED lights and is topped with a 900-pound Swarovski star with 3 million crystals. The tree will remain on display until mid-January 2026. Chosen from a family yard, the  lumber will later donated to Habitat for Humanity to build homes.

One of 12 angels at Rockefeller Center

Towering 8-foot high angel figures, made from 75 pounds of wire each, stretch along the Channel Gardens annually at Rockefeller Center. The winged, robed and haloed angels each hold a 6-foot-long trumpet. Like the Christmas Tree, these 12 angels, created in 1955 by artist Valerie Clarebout, are an annual holiday earthly presence. Claremong used thousands of miniature lights to complete the celestial display.The angels face one another along the Channel Garden fountains which are turned off.

Another included tour item was the choice of a Broadway show. I attended a performance of The Great Gatsby, a musical play on Broadway for the first time at the Broadway Theatre. This jazzy adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel featured spectacular visuals, two motor cars, lavish costumes, stunning sets and powerful singing. The play starred Jeremy Jordan as Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire and recounted his tragic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, who he loved for years. The show ran about 2-1/2 hours including intermission. Here's a spoiler alert should you ever go to a Broadway show, theatre seats are far more cramped than current movie theater seating and none recline.

NYC meet-up with fellow blogger Carol at Columbus Circle

Personally, the most wonderful highlight of my short NYC visit was a meet-up with fellow blogger, Carol, (Buttercup Counts Her Blessings). We spent a few hours at Columbus Circle visiting the Holiday Market, talking, then having dinner with a light show in the background. The lights changed color and played holiday music on the hour. This was a wonderful way to spend a free evening in NYC, thanks again, Carol.

There are more highlights to post about my NYC holiday visit, but I wanted to share some of the festive lights of best known places we visited. Blog reading (and posting) have taken a back seat due to travel and other things this time of year. Thanks, as always, for your blog visit and comments. I will be reading as many of your posts as possible the next several days. Thankfully, we're Home for the Holidays.

Your Turn — Are you traveling or celebrating at home?

Friday Funnies

Waiting for Santa Paws?

Children aren't the only ones who wait for him. It looked like Maeve, the resident canine, in a Nashua store was doing the same as she watched the activity on Main Street.

Thanks for all your comments on last week's Friday Funnies post. I collect photos from our road trips and in the local area to include in a post and last week's collection worked well.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

I'm on a Big Apple tour Sunday-Thursday (photos will follow)

It's Beginning To . . .

Look a lot like Christmas in many places with less than 2 weeks to go until the big day.

The Hudson Senior Center in NH where we're members is always decked out for the holidays and even more so at this time of year. Members, including myself, volunteer to put up (and later take down) all of the trees, figures and extensive holiday village.

Above are some of the 12 trees that are displayed in every room from the director's office to the lunchroom and game areas. 

Santa and snowman are in other areas of the center along with holiday signs.

A holiday-themed village is displayed on several bookcase shelves. All of the individual pieces were unpacked and set up and will be removed and stored the same way.

The center's resident senior, Maxine, is also decked out in a holiday outfit. She's always dressed for the seasons and holidays by center members.

Several Main Street store windows and restaurants were decorated in downtown Nashua, NH.

The displays in the windows of a local jewelry store features Wee Forest Folk®, which began in 1972 as a New England business started by Annette Petersen at the family farm in Concord, MA. The company produces a line of miniatures, most of which are mice figures and handcrafted entirely in the U.S. in Carlisle, MA.

Each mouse begins as an original clay piece which is hand sculpted by one of three sculptors in the Petersen family. The finished sculpture is molded and hand cast at the mouse factory in Carlisle, MA, then selected artistisians hand paint each one. 

These mice are tiny, but their prices are not so small as many have become collectibles over the years. The cost of some of those shown in the photos above ranges from a couple hundred dollars to over 500 for three in the Santa train as each are individually priced.

Crosswalks display seasonal greenery as does Nashua City Hall.

Thanks to freezing temperatures the past week, ice sculptures created during the Holiday Stroll on Thanksgiving weekend are still in a downtown park area.

The Parc de Notre Renaissance Française, a riverfront park close to the mill apartments of Clocktower Place was opened during Thanksgiving weekend after renovations of 18 months were completed. The park honors the Franco-American community's contributions to the city's textile industry with the centerpiece La Dame et son fils Émile sculpture. It now includes a walking path, seating areas, bike racks and a covered amphitheater for summertime concerts.

Christmas trees have been set up in both lobbies Clocktower Place apartments. The one on the left is in the building we call home. The one on the right is in the other building. A resident holiday party will be held tonight including a visit by Santa.

Decorations outside our apartment entry were done last week with many familiar pieces. The interior decorations will be completed this week. Holiday card writing took precedence this past week. Yes, despite ever-increasing USPS rates, I prefer to send cards in the post versus through text messages. However, I can understand that rising costs deter many from doing the same.

Your turn — do you decorate for the holidays and/or send cards?

Friday Funnies

Today's funnies are in the form of photo wheres and whats. Sometimes it's hard to see or not see things that are or are not there. 

Where's the bridge?

Bridge scene from an earlier road trip

Where's the house?

Sorry, but can't recall where (or when) this photo was taken by myself

What piano?

Taken behind a music store in downtown Nashua, NH

What walkway ?

These pillars once supported a walkway used by workers entering Nashua Manufacturing Co. now Clocktower Place Apartments

What fun sharing these images, at least that's what it was for myself.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're setting up our tree & writing cards

Thanksgiving Getaway

We went on an extended Thanksgiving road trip visiting friends in our native NJ and in PA before spending the holiday with family members in PA. Our return to Nashua, NH, preceded the 5-inch snowfall this past Tuesday, December 2, the first of the season.

Most folks will agree that long-time friends are truly the best even if the get togethers are less frequent than we would like them to be because of distance and other reasons. Whenever we can, we connect with my high school friend, Sara, and husband, David, also NJ natives, who now reside in PA.

Christmas tree photo has become a tradition for us and friends, Sara & David

Many of our get togethers have taken place during the holiday season of either Thanksgiving or Christmas and we catch up with a meal and lots of conversation. At Christmas, there are always photos by the tree wherever we happen to meet. Thankfully, their tree had already been set up ahead of our visit.

Individual photos are always followed by a group "selfie" photo and we've always managed manage to fit everyone and the tree in the picture.

Thanksgiving dinner was celebrated with the grandchildren and their parents. The only one missing from the above photo was Patrick, the photographer.

The Christmas tree was set up and decorated by family

The family Christmas tree was set up and decorated as a group effort before everyone sat down to dinner.

Harrisburg, Lincoln & Lancaster Railroad train ride with Santa and the conductor

The train engine is a 1868 steam locomotive replica

There wasn't any Black Friday shopping for anyone, instead we all went on a family outing in Elizabeth, PA — riding on a narrated train excursion through the Stone Gables Estate on the holiday decorated Harrisburg, Lincoln & Lancaster Railroad. 

Photos from the train ride and a group family photo (minus myself)

The ride featured a replica of an 1868 steam locomotive, pulling replicas of an 1848 Pioneer Coach and a mid-1860s Combine & Day Coach. (Stone Gables Estate is a biblical faith-based ministry/business. Its mission is to donate 100% of net profits to aid abandoned children worldwide.)

Selfies were taken by the hotel's holiday decos

Our Lancaster, PA, hotel was fully decorated the morning after Thanksgiving. Elves in the form of hotel employees worked to set up multiple tree displays and a gingerbread house in the lobby, all good photo opportunities, which we could not resist.

A variety of red cars in keeping with the season

While other family members left for their home on Saturday, we stayed for the weekend and traveled 30 min. from Lancaster to Hershey, PA, to visit America's Transportation Museum. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of automobile history and is also known as the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) Museum, which is rather confusing as the museum is not affiliated with that organization.

The 71,000 square foot museum opened in June 2003. It displays over 130 cars, buses, motorcycles and automobiles in themed settings from the 1890s to 1980s. Rather than display the cars in long rows, the AACA Museum incorporated an educational approach in its displays by adding scenery and set designs to complement the period in which each car was built. Vintage autos are shown in unique settings through the decades. 

Vintage Tucker autos in the museum

Major collections include the Cammack Tucker Collection, billed as the world's most extensive collection of Tucker automobiles. (The collection is named for David Cammack, a historian and collector whose entire collection was donated to the museum after his 2013 death.)

We spent over 2 hours touring this museum, a welcome escape from a cold and windy day outdoors. A future post will feature more of the displays. (I appreciate your comments on our Portugal visit. There's more to share, those posts will most continue in the New Year.)

Your Turn — Did you celebrate Thanksgiving with any traditions ?