Christmas Mayhem

On my first day, while wandering through the financial district, I stumbled upon a crowd that couldn't be explained by the rush hour alone. My goal was to visit the Rockefeller Center and then spend the early evening in a pub.

No chance! Closed streets, people upon people made it impossible to move. The police directed the crowds in different directions. What had I missed again? 'Can I continue here?', I asked an officer. He replied that if I wanted to see the tree, I had to stand in line like everyone else. That's when it clicked. It was December 1st, and all of America was eagerly watching the show for the festive lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

When I talked about it in the following days, opinions were divided between enthusiasm and bewilderment.

Since then, the movie 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' has been on my mind. Nevertheless, Christmas decorations and winter magic are limited in the cityscape at 10°C and sunshine ... especially compared to the German Christmas overkill with a mulled wine stall at every traffic light.

I visited the tree the next day. Following in Kevin's footsteps, I am still planning a visit to Macy's.