A festive December day in New York: the ferry past the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Fifth Avenue windows, the Rockefeller Center tree, and optional skating at Bryant Park.
New York in December is its own thing: lights, store windows, roasted chestnuts, and crowds that somehow don’t bother you this time of year. We go for one day, with no Manhattan parking and no rushing.
We leave Philadelphia in the morning, park on Staten Island, and take the free ferry, which passes the Statue of Liberty and shows you all of Lower Manhattan from the water. Then the subway to Central Park, a walk past the Plaza Hotel, lunch, Fifth Avenue’s windows, Radio City, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the big tree at Rockefeller Center, and Times Square after dark. Anyone who wants can go skating at Bryant Park. In the evening we head back the same way.
Effort: about 5–6 miles on foot on flat streets, but outside in the cold all day. Great for anyone who loves cities and the holiday mood, including first-timers in New York. We stay together as a group and keep in touch all day, so getting lost is not an option, however hard you try.
Photos from the route
All photos & videos (163)
On the route
- The ferry past the Statue of Liberty
- The Rockefeller Center tree
- Central Park and the Fifth Avenue windows
- Times Square at night, optional Bryant Park skating
What's included in the price
- Ride from Philadelphia to the ferry and back
- A walkable route planned by the club
- Set meetup points and hosts on call all day
Not included
- Subway rides
- Food
- Bryant Park ice skating (optional)
What to bring
- Warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf
- Comfortable warm shoes — you’re on your feet all day
- Spare socks (especially if you skate)
- A small backpack with water and snacks
- Power bank — phones drain faster in the cold
- A contactless card or phone for the subway
Route
- StartPhiladelphiaWe leave from Philadelphia. I send the exact meeting point to everyone personally.
- DestinationRockefeller Center, New YorkAbout 84 mi as the crow flies. The road is longer.
Start point:Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Apple Maps (opens in a new tab)
Directions:Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Apple Maps (opens in a new tab)
We've been here
Club trips on this route that already happened.
Holiday New York City
we went Dec 7