Planning a Girlfriends Weekend in New York City

December is a great time for girlfriends to have a getaway weekend to New York City. The last five years I have gone to New York City with a friend and I have always enjoyed a great time. The planning is easy and the month of December adds so much more to the atmosphere of the city. It is always good to make your plans early in the year. You really don't need a travel agent because sites such as Expedia.com work just as well.

It is a good idea to start looking on Expedia.com for flights and hotels in June or July. The hotels that you might consider for your stay are the Radisson Martinique on Broadway, Novotel, and the Hotel Pennsylvania. All three are centrally located in Manhattan and I did not have any complaints with any of them. The Radisson Martinique is located 2 blocks from Macy's Department Store and 1 block from the Empire State Building. It has subway access right out front. The Novotel is located in the theater district with an excellent view of Times Square. The Hotel Pennsylvania is located across from Madison Square Garden. After deciding on the hotel Expedia.com will find a flight to suit your dates.

The first or second weekends in December are the best dates for this trip. Any later can put stress in your family holiday plans and the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza is sure to be lit. Try to make it a long weekend by flying out on Friday morning and returning Monday evening, this will allow you to work in more activities in the Big Apple. A direct flight if possible will be less hassle and quicker. I will be driving to a neighboring city next time I go to avoid going through Atlanta. After the hotel and flight are booked, Expedia will allow you to book round trip shuttle service from the New York Airport to the hotel. You then give your credit card information and your trip is set. Confirmation of your itinerary will be sent to your e-mail address.

It is impossible to see and do everything in New York in a weekend, but I guarantee you will try. Places you will want to see, if this is your first trip to New York, are the Empire State Building, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Grand Central Station, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Central Park and Rockefeller Plaza where the giant Christmas tree and skating rink are located. Then there are the surrounding areas of Manhattan that are enjoyable to visit.

Little Italy is comprised of the best Italian restaurants and pastry shops. China town is quite an experience, especially if you like purses such as Coach, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. They may not be authentic but at least I can afford them and they make great Christmas gifts. SoHo is a trendy section of Manhattan and don't be surprised if you see a famous personality followed by paparazzi. Greenwich Village is a great place for looking, eating, and shopping. Speaking of shopping I forgot to tell you a secret, I take two suitcases, one has my clothes in it and the other is empty so I can fill it up with purchases to take back home.

There are several good places for shopping. My favorite is Macy's Department Store. The windows which are decorated with animated Christmas Scenes attract young and old. The store has 10 floors with quaint old wooden escalators. Your first stop in the store should be customer service where you will get a card for 11% discount on all purchases as an out of town shopper. Be sure to shop the Christmas decoration department on the 8th floor and bring home a Macy's ornament as a souvenir. Other department stores to shop are Bloomingdales and Lord & Taylor. Century 21 is a favorite discount department store located near Ground Zero. If you have a child to buy for or just want to feel like a kid again, you need to visit the FAO Swartz store located on Fifth Avenue. You can expect to see a big crowd at this store. For those that have diamonds on their mind, the Diamond District has blocks of diamond dealers to browse. Needless to say, when it comes to shopping if you can't find it in New York it probably doesn't exist. You don't want to spend all your time shopping because there are some great Broadway plays and other events to see.

As far as Broadway plays are concerned, I have not seen one that I have not enjoyed. The last one I saw was Jersey Boys and I highly recommend if you get a chance to work this play in your schedule. It is the story of Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons and the music is tremendous. Tickets can be bought at the Virginia/August Theatre or you can go on line and purchase them before your trip. A trip to New York is not complete without seeing the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.

A good time to work the Rockettes into your weekend is on Sunday. The performance is at Radio City Music Hall and they have been performing for 75 years. You will enjoy the show and the live nativity scene at the end is very moving. Your weekend is filled with shopping and plays, but don't forget to enjoy the food in the Big Apple.

I can recommend you eat at one of Manhattan's best Italian restaurants call Carmine's. A New York police officer recommended this restaurant to us and he did not let us down. Another good place is The "21" Club. The food is good and the place has been visited by many famous people such as U.S. Presidents, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Frank Sinatra. The club has a legendary Prohibition-Era wine cellar. For something to eat on the run during the day, you must try a slice of New York cheesecake and pizza. You will do a lot of walking during your weekend in New York and that is a good thing with all the food that will entice you.

As you can see, I love New York city especially in December. So if you and a girl friend want to get away for a weekend of fun, get online and start making your plans. I hope I have given you enough ideas for your first trip. Like I said there is not enough time to do everything in a weekend, which is why I keep going back.