When I moved to New Hampshire in 2013, Janet and I began the tradition of traveling to New York City to see the department store window decorations. This yearly trek was interrupted in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year, however, we are fully vaccinated and boostered and are able to visit NYC and enjoy all the sites and sounds of the season. As in the fall, we need to wear masks inside and show proof of vaccination at the door, but for me it’s worth the extra precautions to begin enjoying life again and seeing all that the Northeast has to offer.

Our day began at Macy’s. Their windows told the story of TipToe, a fledgling reindeer in Santa’s sleigh. The windows were well done and we blessed them with 1st prize in our unofficial adjudication.

It had been my thought to eat at a tea room near the library, but seeing the crowds and the waiting time we opted for a less formal eatery, Taco Bell. We don’t eat there often, but it seemed to fit the bill. Part of the hurry was because I had purchased tickets to a matinee performance of Phantom of the Opera. We’ve combined this trek with a show many times, and this time seemed important as many shows were just now reopening. Though I’d seen it on Broadway, Janet had only seen the touring company. Any show would have been a delight, but it’s fun to come back to a favorite, simply because you can. After being dark for over a year and a half, the show felt almost new again. We had the privilege of seeing the first black actress to don the role of Christine, and she was magnificent. The whole production was energetic and alive, and the audience was thrilled to have the actors back on the stage.

After the show we resumed our trek to 5th Avenue. Apparently many people were as excited as we were to get back to seeing the holiday sites of the city as the crowds still made us quite nervous. So much so, that we only peered briefly into Rockefeller Center rather than navigating through the maze of people to get a closer look at the tree.

Saks 5th Avenue has often had our favorite windows, but not so much this year. The story, or theme, was not always evident and didn’t seem to be very imaginative. Still Janet thought it was cute. We awarded Saks the 3rd prize of the day.

Bergdorff Goodman’s always has the same style to their windows. You would need to stare at these displays for at least 10-15 minutes in order to see everything. That’s one of the reasons I photograph the windows. With so many people attempting to see, you don’t want to stand in the way of others trying to get a picture, or just see the scene. B/G received our 2nd prize of the day, with best window display going to it’s depiction of an alley full of cats.

The final stop on our tour was Bloomingdale’s. Each year, the stores take turns being outstanding or underwhelming. Bloomingdale’s had a little of both today. We found some windows that were absolutely hilarious, while others barely caught our attention. We awarded one window with 2nd best in show and the whole store 4th place.

When we drive in, I find a garage near Bloomingdale’s then take the subway to Macy’s so that we can end our walk near the car. There’s an Irish Pub, Bloom’s Tavern, near the garage that we’ve visited twice now. We like it because it’s mostly locals who frequent the place and they have good food. It’s becoming a part of our tradition and it’s fun. Barring another pandemic, we’ll be back next year to rate our favorites!