Photo Tour – A New York Christmas
I don’t know what it is about this city, but every time I go to New York, I always find something new to explore. From my first time in 2005 when I was able to see the new World Trade Center starting, to my experience insuring contractors on the Hudson Yards project(see my photo tour post here!), to the now multiple times my family has made it to this city, I enjoy my time here more every single time I come. This time was different though….I was able to come during Christmas. Christmas in New York, is something that I have always wanted to see, and now I was able to!
Getting There…
There were quite a few things that felt different on this trip. Over the past year, I’ve had a lot of travel that involved coordinating with groups—multiple people converging on the same city, choosing flights, hotels, and all the logistics that come with that. This trip followed a similar pattern, which meant stepping a bit outside my usual travel routine. I found myself flying airlines I don’t normally take and staying in a hotel brand I don’t typically choose (I’m very much a Hilton person, and now I think I’m going to be a Delta person…more to come on that soon!).
This time, though, I was lucky to travel with one of my good travel companions, and we split the planning between flights and hotels, which made everything feel easier. I stayed at the DoubleTree on 8th, and while it’s not my go-to hotel in the city, it ended up being a solid stay and really nice given the morning temps were in the teens a couple of morning!. The rooftop bar was a highlight, with great views of both the Empire State Building and Hudson Yards.
Running Around the City
With us spending 4 days in the city, we had plenty of time to catch the sites, and I just packed up my bag with me after work hours to carry around, and I got some awesome shots just walking around with a great group of people! I ran out in front of traffic to capture…well a manhole cover in Times Square, and a neat Christmas Tree in a building, and the Cartier building was something to behold!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral…. a New York Icon
This is something that I was not ready for on this trip, and that is the beauty of this cathedral. Built in 1858 and completed in 1879, it’s been the home of memorials for presidents, national events, but in the moment we were there, it was just…quiet, almost like the bustle of New York just went away. I lit a candle and walked around just admiring the architecture and the magnificence of this place…
The inside was a sight to behold, but I found a lot more magic outside with the beautiful doors and just the outstanding architecture of this building. What a blessing it is to see some of the majesty of Heaven right there in His church.
The Main Event – The Rockefeller Tree
As I’ve mentioned…New York City moves…fast. so we immediately left the church and headed to the tree, where it seemed rest of the city had gathered, so we made our way over and got some pictures with our phones and handholding the R4.
One thing I really wanted to do on this trip was come back and take a solid shot at capturing the iconic New York City Christmas scenes for my portfolio. On my last morning in the, I set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. and slowly made my way over to Rockefeller Plaza to photograph the famous tree as the lights came on. I made it with just .43 seconds to spare—and it was absolutely worth it.
I was real happy that I caught that, but I wanted more, and fortunately I had my A7R4A ready to go with on my tripod with the 16-35mm and got to work….and then I got kicked out.
Apparently tripods aren’t permitted at Rockefeller at any time, not even 5AM when the lights come on. I had some flashlights and a guy yelling at me, and decided to boot me as I wasn’t getting my camera off my tripod quick enough. He wasn’t quick enough though, because I got some shots off before I got out.
All is well though, the guard let me walk out slow and told me just to come back later as he had people watching. I decided I had got what I needed and headed on down the road to get my next target!
Other New York Christmas Activities
There is so much to see at New York during this season, but I didn’t have to venture far, I just walked one block over to find the best sculptures and obviously…the legendary Radio City Music Hall, which glows at 5AM just as bright as always.
The Grand Finale – Getting a shot right
I had one more task that I wanted to conquer before I left the city, and that is to finish what I started over a decade ago.
This was shot in Dumbo with my RX-100M3 when I was on an inspection with my prior company, and I loved how this turned out, but I always yearned to come back to this spot with my full professional rig, and capture it right, so I got this before I went back for my day and flight home.
I think I nailed, but I was feeling great, and so I went to capture a little bit more. I pulled out the 16-35 and went to work, and I think I captured some of the best I’ve ever captured of a city.
Final Thoughts and What Really Matters
It was such a good time in the city, even though it was exhausting during the day, I am really glad I brought my gear. I reignited my passion to engage photography again, and to share on this site. I’ve really been in a funk creative wise, and this really put me back on the track to make great art again and I hope you enjoyed this post. What really matters though is my support system, and these 3 are some of the best I could ask for. The laughs, the crazy drink cups and the time made this trip so much worth it. My family wants to come here for 2026, and I am all here for it.
I have a lot of changes coming in my life over the next year, but it was good to end a rough 2025 in a city that I love with great people I get to work and share a little life with. The laughs, the crazy drink cups and the time made this trip so much worth it. My family wants to come here for 2026, and I am all here for it. Oh yeah, I also got my NYC pizza….FINALLY!
