For fans of "Home Alone 2," "Dash & Lily," "Miracle on 34th Street," and "Elf," this walking tour of NYC will have you singing loud for all to hear.
The tree at Rockefeller Center.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
New York City is one of the most popular settings of holiday films and TV shows.
I visited locations from "Miracle on 34th Street," "Elf," and others to see what they're like in real life.
It was a day filled with Christmas cheer, NYC magic, and very long lines.
As soon as Santa rides in on his sleigh during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, it feels like New York City becomes a winter wonderland almost overnight.People photograph the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center before sunrise on December 5, 2019, in New York City.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
There's already so much to do and see in New York City on a normal day, but the holiday season adds another festive layer to the city. It's easily one of my favorite times of year to walk around in Manhattan.
And with all that magic, it's no wonder that so many writers choose to set their holiday films and shows here."Home Alone 2."
I mapped out a route from Union Square to Midtown so I could visit as many holiday movie locations as possible. This is the route I took.My route.
Google Maps
I started at the Union Square Holiday Market, then headed downtown to the iconic Strand Book Store. Then I hopped back on the subway and arrived at Macy's flagship store on 34th Street at Herald Square.
From there, I stayed on Fifth Avenue and walked uptown, stopping at Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and the ice-skating rink, the Plaza Hotel, and the Wollman Rink in Central Park.
Then I headed into the Upper East Side to see the famous Serendipity 3 dessert spot. To cap off my journey, I went back downtown to visit the Seagram Building on Park Avenue. My day was done, after many stops, lots of Christmas music, and 18,395 steps.
My first stop was the holiday market in Union Square. Recently, it was featured as a location in the sweet Netflix series "Dash & Lily."The Union Square Holiday Market.
Something I appreciate about the Union Square subway stop is that, if you can figure out how to navigate it, you can climb up the stairs directly into the market.
The market is kind of like a maze — it's here where Dash and Lily almost run into each other for the first time. I can see how the two miss each other.The holiday market.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
Especially if the market had been more crowded, like in the pre-pandemic days, I don't know how anyone would be able to find anyone else.
Here's what it looks like in the show."Dash & Lily."
Netflix
In the show, Lily is caroling with her friends while Dash is just trying to get out of the market without thinking too much about his ex.
Unfortunately, there were no carolers when I visited, but I did secure a hot chocolate to keep me warm on my journey.
Next up was another location from "Dash & Lily," and an important one at that. It's the place where Lily leaves her red notebook for Dash to find.The Strand.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The show, which is based on a YA novel called "Dash and Lily's Book of Dares" written by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, dropped on Netflix last winter.
It follows two diametrically opposed teenagers — Dash hates the holiday season (in fact, he calls it "detestable"), while Lily is all-Christmas, all the time. Lily's brother convinces her to leave a notebook in the bookshelves of the Strand, hoping for the right guy to pick it up ... which, of course, Dash does.
The two bond over doing different NYC-related dares via the notebook. One of the biggest scenes in the finale also takes place in the Strand, on New Year's Eve. Highly recommend: It was one of my most comforting 2020 watches.
Here's the inside of the Strand, which is on Broadway between 12th and 13th Street, just south of Union Square.The Strand.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The Strand Book Store is one of the most famous book stores in New York City. It's been open since 1927 and famously has 18 miles of books inside.
If you happen to love book stores like I do, it doesn't matter what time of year it is — the Strand will always have a bit of magic. But when it's all decked out for the holidays, it's perfect.
Here are some of the shelves in the aisles ...
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
You could easily spend hours just combing the shelves for a special red notebook.
... like the one Lily leaves her notebook in."Dash & Lily."
Netflix
Of course, the real Strand does not have this same cozy, warm lighting. It also would never be this empty, as it's a huge tourist destination.
My next stop was the Macy's flagship store on 34th Street, the site of many holiday films including, of course, "Miracle on 34th Street."Macy's.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The flagship store has 1.25 million square feet of retail space and a whopping eight floors, making it the biggest department store in the world.
The "Believe" sign is a reference to "Miracle on 34th Street," as the plot of the film revolves around proving that the Macy's Santa Claus is, in fact, the real Santa.
This is what it looked like in the 1947 version of the movie."Miracle on 34th Street."
20th Century Fox
Macy's doesn't use this logo anymore.
The inside of Macy's is decorated throughout.Macy's.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
Overall, my time in Macy's was festive but very crowded. I had to get off the first floor as soon as possible, or I would've been sprayed with at least five different perfumes.
Notably, when I got past the first two or three floors of Macy's, the escalators switched to old-fashioned wooden ones, which helped me feel like I was going back in time to the era of the '40s film.
On the top floor of Macy's is where the famed SantaLand is. I couldn't get in to see the actual Santa without reserving a ticket, but this is what the outside looks like.SantaLand.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
I heard the "elves" telling some kids that they grow smaller as they get older to explain why they're larger than the elves at the North Pole, and that they only speak Elf, but learned English just for the holidays.
SantaLand has nods to its iconic beginnings, including a poster for the original 1947 "Miracle on 34th Street."The poster.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The movie was remade in 1994 starring Elizabeth Perkins, Mara Wilson, Dylan McDermott, and the late, great Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle.
SantaLand also has windows — just like store does outside — but theirs depict moments from the movie.A scene from "Miracle on 34th Street."
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The Macy's holiday lights are legendary.
Walking out of Herald Square, I saw my next destination: the Empire State Building, seen in "Elf," "Sleepless in Seattle" (to me, a holiday classic), and "Home Alone 2."The Empire State Building.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
I've lived in New York my whole life, and I've still never stepped foot inside.
The Observatory line was long, and it costs $42 to get up there ... so I settled for the view of the line.The line for the Observatory.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The revolving doors Buddy spins through over and over again are around the block on 33rd Street.
Turns out, the best way to look at the Empire State Building is from a few blocks away.
Here's the lobby of the Empire State Building as seen in "Elf.""Elf."
New Line Cinema
In "Elf," Buddy — a human who thinks he's an elf — meets his real father, Walter Hobbs. Walter works inside the Empire State Building at a publishing company. There's a memorable scene when Buddy pushes all the buttons on the elevator, making it look like a lit-up Christmas tree.
As I continued on my journey, I passed the New York Public Library — fittingly, the lion statues out front were adorned in their holiday best.One of the New York Public Library lions.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The statues were named Patience and Fortitude (seen here) by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia back in the '30s. Each year, they rock a holly wreath during the holiday season.
I also passed Saks Fifth Avenue, which has holiday windows that rival Macy's.Saks Fifth Avenue.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The Saks Fifth Avenue is on (of course) Fifth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Street — conveniently, it's right across the street from my next stop, 30 Rock.
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and its accompanying ice-skating rink have been featured in multiple movies and TV shows.The tree at Rockefeller Center.
I happened to get there right as the ice was getting cleaned, so I snagged a picture of the pristine ice-skating rink, which made it easy to spot the snowflakes being projected on to the rink.
Here's Kevin visiting the tree in "Home Alone 2.""Home Alone 2."
20th Century Fox
Kevin's love for Christmas trees is how his family is able to find him, but I can't imagine being able to find anyone in that sea of people.
Buddy and Jovie in "Elf" have their first kiss at the ice-skating rink, too."Elf."
New Line Cinema
It's after Jovie takes him to see "the big one" — aka the Christmas tree.
I had to snag a selfie with the tree before I left.No tree visit is complete without a selfie.
FAO Schwarz's new location at 30 Rock opened in November 2018, where it remains to this day.
This whole area of NYC is completely decked out for the holidays — even the bus stops are decorated, and you can't go more than 10 feet without hearing Salvation Army volunteers blasting music.A holiday bus stop.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
It's impossible to be a Scrooge when the streets look like that.
Each store has its own take on decorating.Another store on Fifth Avenue.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
This store is lit up to look like a wrapped present.
Before I knew it, I'd reached the Pulitzer Fountain on the edge of Central Park. It's been transformed to an Arctic ice-skating rink with penguins and polar bears.The Pulitzer Fountain.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
It took 5,000 feet of lights and handmade icebergs and sculptures to complete the transformation of the Pulitzer Fountain, which was built in 1916 and is across the street from one of the most famous hotels in NYC ...
To my left was the Plaza Hotel, which is looking a little less glamorous than usual due to scaffolding and construction.The Plaza Hotel.
"We paid the fee, but he also said, 'The only way you can use the Plaza is if I'm in the movie,'" Columbus said. "So we agreed to put him in the movie."
In the end, Kevin asks Trump for directions on how to get to the hotel lobby.
I snapped another (subtle) selfie with the decor and then was on my merry way.Never felt more out of place.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
Again, the Plaza is another New York landmark that I've never been to. One day, I'll make it back for tea.
Although it's the holiday season, it sure did look like fall in Central Park.The bridge.
On this visit, I watched someone get engaged at the very spot I took this picture in, while I was standing on the bridge.
I continued walking north until I hit the Wollman Rink, a location featured in "Serendipity," "When Harry Met Sally," and "Gossip Girl," among others.Wollman Rink.
It looked a bit different back in 2001, as seen in "Serendipity.""Serendipity."
Miramax Films
It was rounder 20 years ago, and it doesn't have the lit-up trees surrounding it anymore.
The way the rink appears in the season one holiday episode of "Gossip Girl" is closer to how it looks today."Gossip Girl."
The CW
Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester, is skating around Wollman Rink in the episode "Roman Holiday," along with her father and his new boyfriend.
I walked by Bloomingdale's, which was lit up for the holidays. It also played a role in "Serendipity."Bloomingdale's.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
"Serendipity" is a 2001 rom-com starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale as two strangers who meet by coincidence and then decide that, if it's fate, they'll run into each other again.
But I had to finish out my mini-"Serendipity" tour with the place that gave it its name: Serendipity 3.Serendipity 3.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
Serendipity opened in the '50s and was popularized by stars like Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol.
The spot's most famous drink is the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, which is exactly what it sounds like. The recipe is now available on their website, but it was a closely guarded secret for years. Not even Jackie O could get her hands on it.
Here are the two main characters enjoying their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate."Serendipity."
I had every intention of waiting in line for the dessert hot spot ... but it would've taken over an hour.The line outside Serendipity 3.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
From what I could tell, the inside looked very cozy and very pink.
My final stop on the tour was the Seagram Building from "Scrooged."The Seagram Building.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
Built in 1958, the Seagram Building is a landmark of the NYC skyline and has won multiple awards.
In "Scrooged," a modern re-telling of "A Christmas Carol," Bill Murray's character works at the Seagram Building."Scrooged."
Paramount Pictures
It essentially looks the exact same — the trees on the side of the plaza are just lit up for the holiday season.
As "Scrooged" isn't the most traditional holiday film, it felt fitting to end my tour here, before I got Christmas-ed out.
As I started my walk back to the subway, I came across this fully decorated restaurant. Even though it's not a famous movie destination, it proved that the holiday spirit is all around us — you just have to look.A restaurant.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
I've never felt more Christmas spirit than how I felt after this walking tour of NYC, and I got to see some iconic destinations that I've never gotten around to visiting.
Now, it's time for my Christmas movie marathon to begin.
Smi24.net — ежеминутные новости с ежедневным архивом. Только у нас — все главные новости дня без политической цензуры. "123 Новости" — абсолютно все точки зрения, трезвая аналитика, цивилизованные споры и обсуждения без взаимных обвинений и оскорблений. Помните, что не у всех точка зрения совпадает с Вашей. Уважайте мнение других, даже если Вы отстаиваете свой взгляд и свою позицию. Smi24.net — облегчённая версия старейшего обозревателя новостей 123ru.net. Мы не навязываем Вам своё видение, мы даём Вам срез событий дня без цензуры и без купюр. Новости, какие они есть —онлайн с поминутным архивом по всем городам и регионам России, Украины, Белоруссии и Абхазии. Smi24.net — живые новости в живом эфире! Быстрый поиск от Smi24.net — это не только возможность первым узнать, но и преимущество сообщить срочные новости мгновенно на любом языке мира и быть услышанным тут же. В любую минуту Вы можете добавить свою новость - здесь.