How I got trapped in New York City - Christmas Story

It's a Big Apple Circus funny. 

It seems like everyone has a story about New York City. Especially during Christmas time, when its famous for stories like family gatherings (and getting stuck on LaGuardia or Newark, or trapped in a snowstorm finding out your way to their house), finding their true love in unknown places, first-time living in a huge city, and other rarities. But there is a story I love to share here about a time when I got trapped in an airport overnight that is a tale as old as time.

I was in New York City (on my first solo travelling experience) and I wanted to do it during a special time of the year, during the Holiday Season. There I go and book the hotels (on Expedia) and the airplanes on Porter. (dare I say this but Porter Airlines is the best airline for Canada, who can't say no to free beer or wine???) Then, I go and book tours on the Viator website (which is affiliated with TripAdvisor) for Dyker Heights. Even further, I booked tickets to see the Rockettes. Overall, I wanted the New York City Christmas vibes. And tomorrow, go to Sonja Morgan's famous townhouse before heading back to the airport and head home.

That was supposed to be my agenda that time. But like Luann's story in Palm Beach, I had a similar story (but thankfully its less serious then this).

I remember going on my Uber from Newark to Downtown (an expensive mistake). And then walk to Times Square to look at it myself. I had a hot dog at this stand. They were paying $7 USD on their hot dogs, squeezed with ketchup and mustard. The taste was very decadent. The juices were flowing squeezing out from the sausage. The bread was soft and cloud-tasting. 

Then, I saw the Rockettes. They weren't cheap. But when I went inside the Radio City Hall for the first time, I didn't know how big this theatre is. I was shocked and at an awe about the size of the venue, even Toronto's theatre scene doesn't compare to the size of Radio City hall.  I remember the kids are wearing Santa hats with necklaces that shimmer in all sorts of colors. When I went inside, the venue was huge! The seating theatre had four floors and the venue was insane. The costumes, the dancing, the light show and the music made it the best! I would suggest if you go to New York. Definitely head to one of their shows. 

After the show, I walked to the meetup point for the Dyker Heights/DUMBO trip. We were in this tour bus headed to Dyker Heights to see the infamous Christmas lights. Once we were there, the houses were lit up with strings of lights, characters of different cartoons; such as Snoopy, Squirrels, Snowman, etc. I'll show you photos of this. 

It was tough to manage to fit images in but here we go! They are a bit blurry I shall say. 

So I went back to my hotel (that I brought from Expedia) and thought I could get my room key and crash out. Because I'm so tired and need to sleep. As soon as I head up, it turns out that I needed to pay for my stay. I thought I paid already when I was using Expedia! 

So, without cash, and my credit card limited (that couldn't pay the amount), I was scared and did not know what to do. So I sat there, calling the bank to raise my credit card limit, but they could not even respond. 

Hours and hours went by and I realized that the last bit of money I put on my Uber, I used it to head back to the airport to spend a night there. I was nervous to sleep at the airport because security guards might kick me out and I would have to spend the night outside. 

Thankfully, two Christmas movies helped me crash the time overnight. (Comment on what movie I watched, hint: one of which included 'Carol Singers').

That brought me to the morning, and I was pale, no sleep and even more tired. I needed a coffee ASAP. I went to Starbucks to get my coffee and went on my flight back home. That picture of me was me that morning. Tired, pale and wanting to go home badly.

Overall, it was a fun experience to go to New York on your own, take in many sounds and scenes. Definitely the Rockettes, everyone should go before they die. 

Dyker Heights had these amazing Christmas lights, and sometimes, you get to see the neighbours who come outside and talk about how and why they chose particular characters and lights for their house. They had hot chocolate but it was expensive. 

Overall, I had a fun time at New York City. But for next time, I might consider going south and checking out Bryant Park, the Financial District rink, The Vessel, Saks Fifth Avenue Windows, and even check out some bars, meeting like-minded individuals.

Did you have stories you like to share about a New York City Christmas? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear them!