New York Holidays 2013

Coney Island is a must for those intrigued by a bit of downmarket seediness. Children and adults can enjoy the fun fair rides, as well as endless varieties of sweet and savoury snacks like ‘Sausage Heros’, sold from traditional stalls. Adults can enjoy a tipple from similar stalls with endless deals on alcoholic beverages, or stroll along the beach and promenade. Coney Island also has its very own aquarium, and although it includes a ‘4D’ cinema screen, it is probably more of an educational than entertaining visit.

World renowned Broadway shows are themselves the subject of many songs and films. Broadway itself diagonally crosses Manhattan, and the stretch containing the many of its most famous theatres is close to Times Square. Musical adaptations of books, films and plays are frequently shown, so it’s more than likely you will recognise a few of the shows. At any one time there are upwards of thirty different musicals showing on Broadway, allowing for plenty of well-known classics such as Sister Act and Phantom of the Opera to sit alongside newer adaptations and original shows, so you can judge for yourself whether something is going to be the next big hit or a total flop.

Take a Screentour, which takes you around filming locations of shows such as Friends, Seinfeld, Spiderman and many others and are even by actors and actresses. They even offer tips on how to get tickets for the audience of popular TV shows. Other places great for celebrity spotting include sushi restaurant Nobu. Frequented by the likes of Madonna, Jon Bon Jovi and Naomi Campbell, and late night celeb hang outs include the overly glamorous GoldBar, where P Diddy has been known to hold parties, and The Boom Boom Room on Washington Street, with a glass-floored outdoor terrace and hot tub in the middle of the bar.

Perched on top of a hotel is the almost unbelievable rotating restaurant, the view, which actually rotates 360° shows diners the entire New York skyline as they eat. Boasting an array of fine dining dishes such as open faced foie gras and Roasted Beet Carpaccio with walnut dressing and goat’s cheese, the food is as spectacular as the view. Conveniently located on Broadway near Times Square. Equally romantic is The Oyster Bar at Grand Central, with vaulted ceilings and plenty of the well-documented aphrodisiac qualities of oysters.

Take a carriage ride through Central Park for the ultimate old fashioned romantic experience, also a good chance to sit back and relax. Visit the River Café located at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge for the most romantic view of the East River in town, and watch the lights from the skyscrapers shimmer on the water as the sun goes down.

There really is nothing quite like the magic of a Christmas in New York. Fifth Avenue changes its name to Holiday Walk due to the lights and nativity displays in shop windows, and on Black Friday, the first Friday after Thanksgiving, shops cut prices by fifty per cent. Away from the crowds and department stores, Il Papiro on Lexington Avenue sells beautifully presented stationary, great for gifts, and Bond No9 on Park Avenue is one of the chicest perfumeries.

Clothes shops often feature live DJs so feel free to combine shopping and partying at the same time. The legendary Bloomingdale’s opened in 1927 and takes up an entire block on the Upper East Side, and offers chic designer clothes for all ages, as well as toys and homewares, for the ultimate department store experience. Barney’s of Madison Avenue edgy designer fashion with lower floor dedicated to more sophisticated style and upper floor for designer casuals.