A Trip to New York

The window displays at Bergdorf Goodman beckon.There’s a new riverside ice rink in Williamsburg.

Buildings, brownstones and bodegas across the city pop with decorations.A woman I saw holding court on the 6 train last week was accessorized with felt antlers, a gaudy Christmas sweater and three large dogs also wearing holiday sweaters.But the crowds these days, and oh, the prices! The cost of everything, from sandwiches to hotel rooms, has soared.

And the city expects to get nearly 65 million visitors this year, this close to prepandemic levels.In recent days, it has felt as if all of those people are on the sidewalks of Midtown, furiously trying to elbow their way into Bryant Park’s holiday market.In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share eight tips for enjoying New York — whether you’re visiting for the holidays or any other time of the year — without going broke or getting lost in the crowd.1.

The city that never sleeps tends to wake up late.Crowds are sparse in the early mornings across all the boroughs, even at the top tourist spots.

So grab a bodega coffee and enjoy Rockefeller Center at 5 a.m., when the Christmas tree lights up daily, or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise.2.You need to book that table, reserve that slot, buy those tickets in advance.

This is crucial for the must-do activities on your itinerary, including fine dining (here is The Times’s list of New York City’s 100 best restaurants), some Broadway shows and even visits to Santa at Macy’s.You may pay less for off-peak times, or reservations might even be free, but you’ll still need a reservation.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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