New York Archives - Sincerely Joelle | A Lifestyle & Travel Blog by Joelle Regh

The 21 Most Instagrammable Places in NYC [Holiday Edition]

Joëlle — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 22:16:53 +0000

No one knows about New York City’s most Instagrammable spots better than a professional Content Creator… who also happens to live right there.

Below, you’ll find a list of the best places for street photography in NYC during the most magical time of the year, the holiday season. This list doesn’t include all locations, but it has a few “must-visit” locations that I can recommend for any one visiting New York City during the holiday season.

Uptown

1. RALPH’S COFFEE:

Address: 888 Madison Ave
This coffee shop is a famous picture spot for bloggers, and their chai tea latte & hot chocolate is amazing.

Midtown

2. CENTRAL PARK SKATE RINK:

Address: 830 5th Ave
The biggest ice skating rink in Manhattan.
See photos on Instagram here!

3. THE PLAZA:

Address: 1 W 58th St

4. CARTIER:

Address: 653 5th Ave
One of the most iconic window displays in the city, and also a famous picture spot for bloggers.

5. RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL / 6. CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS / 7. CANDY CANES:

Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza
Radio City Music Hall is the home of the Christmas Spectacular, starring the Radio City Rockettes in an annual musical holiday stage show. The giant red Christmas ornaments sit in a fountain right across from Radio City, surrounded by trees with holiday lights. Last but not least, the life-sized candy canes display is also right across from Radio City.

8. ROCKEFELLER CENTER:

Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza
Right around the corner from Radio City Music Hall is the most iconic Christmas tree of NYC, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. It has beautiful decorations and an ice skating rink. I’d definitely recommend going early to beat the crowds.

9. SAKS 5th AVE:

Address: 611 5th Ave
NYC is known for their stunning holiday window displays, which are definitely worth visiting during the holiday season. The light show at Saks is truly magical and it is also a great place for a classic holiday picture.

10. LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE:

Address: 455 Madison Ave
The Christmas tree at Lotte New York Palace is located just two blocks away from Radio City Music Hall.

11. BRYANT PARK WINTER VILLAGE:

Address: New York, NY 10018
Bryant Park Winter Village has great picture opportunities, and you can go ice skating while enjoying the view with the Empire State Building. Also, enjoy the holiday shops and great food. (This waffle & hot chocolate was sooo good!)

12. MACY’S:

Address: 151 W 34th St
Macy’s is known for their iconic holiday window display and giant lit up “Believe” sign.

Downtown

13. ROLF’S GERMAN RESTAURANT:

Address: 281 3rd Ave
This German restaurant has some of the most iconic holiday decorations in NYC. They keep the holiday decorations up all year. Make sure you make a reservation way in advance, because it gets VERY crowded.
See photos on Instagram here!

14. CHRISTMAS TREE STANDS:

Christmas tree stands are located throughout various neighborhoods in the entire city. This is actually one of my absolute favorite parts about the holiday season in the city.

15. UNION SQUARE HOLIDAY MARKET:

Address: 201 Park Ave S
The Union Square Holiday Market is similar to the Bryant Park Winter Village, and some great holiday shops.

16. WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK:

Address linked
A little bit of Paris in NYC & the Christmas tree is perfectly centered under the arch.

17. WALL STREET:

Address: 11 Wall St

Picture Credit.

18. THE VESSEL:

Address: 20 Hudson Yards

19. HUDSON YARDS:

Address: 20 Hudson Yards
The holiday display is truly something else at Hudson Yards Mall, it’s absolutely magical, and so worth checking it out.

Brooklyn

20. DYKER HEIGHTS:

Address: 1072 80th St 1st. Floor, Brooklyn
The neighborhood in Brooklyn goes all out when it comes to holiday decorations.

21. PROSPECT PARK:

Address: 20 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn

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Top of the Rock

Joëlle — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 18:45:02 +0000

The next time you are in New York, make sure to visit the Top of the Rock Observation Deck located in Rockefeller Center. The view is absolutely breath taking and you can fully appreciate New York’s concrete Jungle. There is so much to see from the Top of the Rock, including the Empire State Building – one of the most iconic trademarks of New York City – which is right in the center of your Manhattan Skyline pictures.

The Top of the Rock is centrally located and open daily from 10am-10pm (last elevator up at 9.10pm). Whether you visit at night or during the day, you are sure to fall in love with this city. [I highly recommend going during sunset hours, which is also the most popular time to visit.] There are several places to take in the views, including an indoor and outdoor space. When you are outside, you can use binoculars to get a closer look of New York from the Top of the Rock.

When I first moved to the US almost 11 years ago, I never bought the tickets online. However, nowadays buying tickets online is the only way to confirm that you will be able to visit any sightseeing attraction at your preferred time (well almost). To order tickets to visit the Top of the Rock click here. In case you have to change or cancel your tickets, you can read more about their cancellation policy here.

Pro Tip: The wait times can be quite long (Pre-COVID), so I suggest getting there as early as possible to avoid super long lines. Also, plan to stay for a few hours and enjoy the views.

Have you been on the Top of the Rock? I’m curious to hear your thoughts, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

xx Joëlle

TOP OF THE ROCK | NYC

Joëlle — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:00:45 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram (here) you may know that last week was my Birthday and that my parents were visiting from Germany. My parents were staying for about 9 days including the travel days, and we did a few day trips to the city. Since the weather was not so great the week before my Birthday, I was super happy that the sun finally had decided to come out and we were able to go on the top of the Rockefeller Center, also referred to as “Top of the Rock”., and we were able to see NYC and it wasn’t covered with rainy clouds.I loved having my parents here, and am grateful that they were here for my Birthday since I haven’t celebrated my Birthday with them in 3 years and that was actually the last time I had seen them also!

Since it was actually quite hot on my Birthday (not complaining though :D), I decided to wear something more airy since it always gets extra hot in the city. These airy blush pink culottes from H&M are truly a dream. I already love pink as you may all know, but they also fit perfectly and it wasn’t too hot with them 🙂 And I love that they match my blush pink Michael Kors purse! Yay 🙂

When you’re visiting New York and you’re trying to decide whether to go on top of the Empire Building or on Top of the Rockefeller Center, I recommend to you to definitely go on top of the Rock. Simply because when you take pictures on top of the Rockefeller Center you’ll have the Empire State Building in your pictures, and I think that’s amazing and it’s one of the most iconic trademarks of New York City. I actually ordered my tickets online here. I love buying the tickets online and in advance, because sometimes the tickets are already sold out for the time that you’d want to go.

I also teamed up with TopView Sightseeing to share some discounted prices with you guys for Sightseeing Tours in New York! When I first arrived in New York City almost 8 years ago I actually took a Sightseeing Bus Tour (here) with TopView, and last year when my best friend from Germany was visiting I took a boat tour (here) down the Hudson River with the company also, and I absolutely loved the experiences! On my to do list is definitely riding a bike through Central Park that TopView also offers (here).

I would love to hear your thoughts on New York City Sightseeing Tours, if you’d want to know more things to do in the city 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading all your comments! Bisous, Joëlle

OUTFIT DETAILS
BLOUSE: H&M (here)
CULOTTES: H&M (similar, similar)
SHOES: WHBM (similar, similar)
PURSE: Michael Kors (similar, similar)
WATCH: Daniel Wellington (here)
BRACELET: Perditi (here)