Nyc/boston Honeymoon

This is touristy but with a little insight. I assume while you're in NYC you'll go see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Save that for the nighttime. You'll be able to see the lights and it'll be less crowded. By night, i mean like around 9:00. It gets sooo crowded during the day you won't be able to get near it. Also just a block or two away from it, on Madison Ave and 51st St is the Palace Hotel and they always have a beautiful tree in their courtyard, and it's a lot less crowded.

Personally,as someone who lives in the area, I would stay far away as possible from NYC near Christmas and NYE. Being right on the water makes the freezing wind 20x worse and there are too many tourists, homeless, and con people that come out during that time (especially for the ball dropping which really isnt worth it). If you really have your heart set on going, I would hit up some delis and small pop pizza shops, and some museums so you're atleast out of the cold. Put as much money on a train/subway card as you can but those machines are always broken and you'll be stranded at the train station with no help. Not trying to be a bummer, just trying to help with some truth. Enjoy!

I definitely wouldn't be in Times Square for NYE, but otherwise you'll be fine. I've done Manhattan at Christmastime with my mom before, and it was a lot of fun. The storefronts are all decorated and gorgeous, so even just walking around and looking at those is pretty cool. Definitely dress warmly but in layers - it can be really cold outside, but if you're popping in and out of stores, museums, etc., you'll want to be able to take off a hat or scarf or coat and throw it in your purse so you're not sweating while walking around indoors. The Highline in NYC is a really cool area to walk around, my FH really likes uptown near Columbia because it's much quieter but still a really neat area, and I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend seeing something on or off Broadway. Picking up day-of tickets at a TKTS booth lets you snag cheaper prices if you're not dead-set on a specific show.

As a native New Yorker it’s hard not to cringe at the thought of you guys trying to navigate the city during the holiday season. All I can think of are the lines! I agree with going to more congested sites later in the evening. Dress in layers!! New York City winters can be quite bitter. Plan on lots of indoor site seeing, unless you enjoy the cold. Feel free to message me if you have questions.

Boston has so much to do. Quincy Market, doing at least part of the Freedom Trail/Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill memorial, Bell in Hand bar (oldest bar in the US), New England Aquarium, Fenway Park (might need to check about a tour), Museum of Fine Arts, the North End, Spirit Cruise in the harbor, Duck boat tours (may be too cold)..and this is all within Boston there may be other things if you choose to venture out farther than the city itself. Hope you have fun!

When in Boston, go to Regina Pizzeria! It’s famous, but has a very hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. I’m a Chicago Italian gal, and my fiancé’s parents are from Boston and they told me I’d love it, but I’d never had east coast pizza that met my standards lol Regina’s is AMAZING!

I can say with Boston, the duck tour boats a PP person mentioned won't be running. They take the winter off. There's the famous ice skating in Rockefeller Center, but if you want to ice skate, you can ice skate at the frog pond in Boston Common. It's a lot less crowded. For Boston, perhaps make dinner reservations at the Top of the Hub or at least go up there to grab some drinks. It's the tallest building in Boston and there are great views. Not sure if you are beer drinkers, but there are a lot of breweries/beer tours in Boston. Sam Adams is a classic, but Harpoon Brewery has a tasting room and tour as well. Night Shift Brewing is another popular one that is more local and not as widely distributed. There are a lot of great Italian places in the North End. Down by the waterfront will be cold, but it's very up and coming with a lot of great restaurants. Omni Parker House in Boston is the oldest hotel in the US and is the inventor of Boston Cream Pie, so definitely a Bostonian place to check out (plus it's haunted and a lot of famous people have stayed there if you are into that sort of thing). It really depends on your interests. There are a ton of historical sites (anything on the Freedom Trail as mentioned in PP), the aquarium is really cool. If you want to hop over to Cambridge you can do a tour of Harvard University and they also have a Museum of Natural History and an art Museum (plus a lot of history and famous people who went there). Not sure how long you are staying in Boston, but Salem can be a nice day trip. The witch museum is still open even when it's not Halloween. If you go to Fenway (tour is pretty awesome), they just opened this crazy new Time Out food court thing with a bunch of restaurants that is cool. They also have the Cask n Flaggon, which is a classic for Red Sox games, or Bleacher Bar will be open and it is right against the park with a glass window wall so you can see the field from the bar. I live near Boston and work in Cambridge, so that's just some stuff off the top of my head, but feel free to respond to me with your interests and I can probably help narrow down some more stuff. There is a decent local music scene if you are into that (particularly in Somerville and Cambridge just outside of Boston).

New York during the holidays is rough! The weather and the big crowds is just a lot! I personally loved top of the world observatory more than even the Empire State. If you like wine you can do some wine tasting in Long Island. I don’t know if wineries are open during the winter but if they are is a great activity outside the city. If you’re a foodie NYC has the best restaurants. You can even do some cooking classes.

So, avoid Times Square like the plague and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse that it is. Just... UGH.

Don't go to chain restaurants.

Check out the Rubin Museum, the Transportation Museum in Brooklyn, and all the little small museums you can find on Google.

With NYC, your best bet, food wise, is to find those little hole-in-the-wall places. (Check the health department grades on the window, though, avoid places that have anything below an "A".) Be prepared for sticker shock. Everything is expensive, here.

Use TKTS to get theatre tickets. Or, if you want to go really NYC, look for the tiny theatres doing shows for $25 or less. Usually festivals or indie shows, there are a ton of these at any given time, and often feature super talented but as yet unknown theatre artists. (Full disclosure: like my friends.)

Wear so many layers. SO. MANY.
If you keep an eye out for the rare New Yorker who isn't in a rush, they will usually be very glad to help you figure out the subway. It's terribly late all the time, but it's so much cheaper than a cab, and won't take you for a ride just to jack up the fare.

Mostly, know that we walk FAST in NYC, but we also don't mind helping, if you ask! Have fun!