NYC at the holidays?

[paddington_bear]

In December 1963, my parents honeymooned in NYC. My mother still has the half-boots that she bought to keep her feet warm amid the snowdrifts.

She remembers it as a magical time--shops all lit up with Christmas, snow everywhere, and lots of things to do and see and experience.

But YMMV, especially if you're not going there on your honeymoon.

;)

Definitely not my honeymoon!  :)   Glad your parents - or at least your mom - had a memorable time!

[spork]

In the second decade of the 21st century, my wife and I stayed at several apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn through AirBnB. They were generally quite comfortable and convenient, and we saved a lot of money by being able to cook at home. But our visits were times like Columbus Day weekend, spring break, and late July. Both AirBnBs and hotels in the three weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year were outrageously expensive, at least as we defined it. I would say do some research though; you might find something that fits your budget.

If you are museum-minded, the Frick Collection and Neue Galerie are only a mile from each other on 5th Avenue (and Cleopatra's Needle is in between them on the edge of Central Park). They are more easily digestible than the Met and Guggenheim. I especially liked the Neue Galerie because of Café Sabarsky and Klimt's portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, which oddly resembles my wife.

On the other side of the East River, we liked the Brooklyn Museum. Little Yemen is in Bay Ridge; Pyramids Jewelry is a good place for high-carat gold jewelry. If you like Egyptian or Bengali food, I can recommend Astoria, Queens.