Introduction

Christmas is a cherished holiday my family always looks forward to because it brings us all together which does not happen often. It has become a tradition for my mother, older sister, younger sister and I to go on a trip for a couple of days during the holidays. Additionally, a christmas movie tradition in my family is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. This movie makes New York city seem like a 'Winter Wonderland' to the viewer by presenting the popular christmas attractions that 'The City That Never Sleeps' has to offer. For the last few years I have been dreaming of going to New York city for our holiday trip but it has yet to happen. I hope this planning brings me closer to reaching my dream vacation.

General Overview

Who:   My mother, my two sisters and I

When:   Christmas of 2012

Length:   5-7 days

Must sees:   Rockefeller Centre, Plaza Hotel, FAO Schwarz, Central 
                       Park, Statue of Liberty, Time Square, The Nutcracker Ballet

Motivations:   Home alone two, Christmas, Family, To experience 

                           'The City That Never Sleeps', Optometry School

Type of Tourist:   The Explorer- Independent traveling with some trip 

                                  organization and objectives. 

Types of Attractions

Entertainment                   Cultural                        Natural

-The Nutcracker Ballet                      -The Statue of Liberty               -Central Park

-The Plaza hotel

-The Rockefeller Centre

-Time Square

-FAO Schwarz

Traveler's Tips

• Avoid gypsy cabs, only get into yellow cabs with aqua-coloured riveted hoods.
• Internet is available at most cafes, hotels and copy centers
• Choose which area you would like to spend more money on, there is a wide variety of options allowing you to spend money on some things and save on others
• Always mention that you are a student, you will more than likely receive a discounted price
• Public bathrooms are few and far from each other, department stores, museums, hotel lobbies and Starbucks are a few places that offer good public facilities
• Avoid quiet blocks, keep your wallet close to your body and leave valuable jewelry at home
• Taxi drivers and restaurant waiters expect a 15-20% tip, bellhops are usually given $1-$2/bag

Transportation

Google maps approximates a 7 hour and 36 minute drive from my hometown, Belleville, to the center of New York city. We will depart for this trip early morning and expect to arrive in the early evening.  

Hotels

We will use the www.hotwire.com website to book our hotels. The only information you are given before booking your hotel with this website is the hotels star rating (out of 5), the price, and the area it is located in (not its direct location). This website has low prices because of the limited information given before the rooms are booked. Our price range for hotel rooms per night will be between $200-400. The most important features about the hotels we stay at will be location and quality. Depending on the overall budget, we will spend our last night of our New York city christmas trip in The Plaza hotel. A tourist who has stayed at this hotel stated “staying at The Plaza is an extended NYC experience! A ‘Must Have’ at least once in a lifetime”. 

The Plaza during Christmas

Entrance to The Plaza hotel

A concierge at The Plaza (from Home Alone 2)

Food and Restaurants

       New york cheesecake and a new york strip loin are two dishes that I will try on my trip since cheesecake is my favourite desert and I often eat steak so it would be nice to try the classic New York strip loin.  Blue Note is a famous jazz club in New York and has been known as one of the worlds finest jazz clubs that I would like to dine at. Main dish prices do not exceed $35 however tickets must be purchased for their events. My motivation for including this in my trip stems from being a big fan of jazz music and of the atmosphere in jazz clubs.  

       I love trying new foods and New York has food tours around the city to allow tourist to sample a variety of different foods from a variety of different restaurants. My preferred tour would be the 'Central Greenwich Village and a bit of Soho' food and culture walking tour because they include a wide variety of different foods in their tour (Italian, Middle Eastern, French, Cuban, Indian). This tour runs thursdays, fridays and saturdays, it lasts for roughly three hrs and cost $47/person. We would only do this tour if the weather permits us 
(info: http://www.foodsofny.com/village-soho.php). 

Entrance to the Blue Note Jazz Club

Performers at Blue Note

New York Cheesecake

New York Strip Loin