Treks & The City - Episode #3

September 6, 2008

Windows To The Spirit

Part of the joy of spending Christmas in New York City is being able to walk around in a true winter wonderland. From the heart of Jamaica Queens to 5th Avenue in Manhattan the season is alive and it is breathing Christmas at 20 breaths per minute (terrible med student joke, I apologize)

Part of the Christmas tradition in this city is the department store window displays. The stores all pick a theme and set up displays in consecutive windows that are meant to dazzle the eyes and warm the soul. Some are fun, some are cute, some traditional, and one in particular that's just straight frightening.

A couple friends and I decided to take the walk, beginning with Bloomingdale's and ending up at Macy's in Herald Square (34th St. & Broadway). The night ended up being as magical as it gets, with people walking around, trees, lights and decorations everywhere, and to top it all off, the first snow-fall in the city. I was practically giddy...I even clicked my heels at one point.
Many pictures were taken, but I've picked only a representative sample as this post would be a mile and a half long were I to include all.

Stop 1 - Bloomingdale's (59th St. & 3rd Ave)
A cute, simple display based on the songs from a Tony Bennet Christmas album


Stop 2 - Bergdorf Goodman (58th St. & 5th Ave)
Excuse my French, but what the HELL? In case you're wondering, no you're not hallucinating, those are two polar bears boxing, a walrus photographer, and a wolf announcer. What about this says Christmas?


Stop 3 - Saks Fifth Avenue (48th St. & 5th Ave)
A fun display describing the life and times of a snowflake wanting to be more than just a regular old snowflake and trying to express his individuality.



Detour --> Right across from Saks is Rockefeller Center with its amazing Christmas display. We were momentarily (or perhaps longer) sidetracked by the allure of the Granddaddy of all trees (see below).

Detour --> Dinner near Rockefeller Center, then a short trip through Times Square...just for fun.

Stop 4 - Lord and Taylor (38th St. & 5th Ave)
An exercise in elegance; very classy display with traditional themes.


Stop 5 - Macy's (48th St. & 5th Ave)
Another fun and cute display inventing creative stories about how various elements of Christmas, such as snow, tinsel, etc. are made.



Favorite Display Award - Lord and Taylor for their beautiful, innovative design and use of traditional Themes

Most Fun Display Award - Saks Fifth Avenue for their cute snowflake story

Most Innovative - Saks Fifth Avenue. Because it takes some creativity to take a new story and turn it into a living creation in window form.

Scariest/Least Relevant Award - Bergdorf Goodman. First off, your name reminds me of Lyme Disease. Second, scary looking animal/human mutants don't quite give me the warm fuzzy feeling I'm looking for.

All in all, lots of fun, and I can only hope I get a chance to do it again...