Estoy celebrando la Navidad.

 A few weeks ago I set a goal for myself. And after two weeks of productive studying, I rewarded myself by a trip to the city. Monica and I had a moderate list of coffee shops and bookstores on our list for the day. It was interesting to compare the emptiness of the city to my past visits, even during the holidays. For starters, the metro into Grand Central was almost empty. 

Monica & I at Bryant park. Three smaller trees instead of the one large tree this year.  

Coffee shop #1: Culture coffee

Would have been fun to sit here and enjoy our coffee, but as is, we contented ourselves with a picture and moved on. Perhaps next visit we'll be able to sit.

The Strand. Impossible to visit and not find 1, or 2, or 10 books you want to add to your collection.

Levain Bakery. Those cookies.. Worth it.

Not the only ones out perusing the bookstores of NYC that day!

Some coffee shops had longer lines than others, but when you have no schedule to keep just means you have that much longer to appreciate the sidewalk decor. 

A Chelsea Market Christmas

A Chelsea Market Christmas

NYC Christmas

NYC Christmas

 

The only place we did find crowds was Rockefeller Center. Nothing compared to the shoulder-to-shoulder of years passed, but probably too crowded for safety in the time of COVID despite 100% mask-wearing by all visitors. We appreciated our view from here.

 Merry Christmas! Wish you all a happy and healthy holiday!

Much love and prayers.