A Very Vegan Christmas in New York City

* I am not encouraging travel during COVID. I personally think it is unwise & irresponsible to do so. This post is for daydreaming & future vegan travel planning. Happy Holidays – A Blog About Stuff *

New York City is a very special & magical place; it is even more so, during the Christmas/Holiday season. Awhile back my husband & I were fortunate enough to experience this wonder & I thought, with the holidays fast approaching & this year being pretty travel-less, it might be a fun time to reminisce.

Keep in mind; these wonderful experiences will be available to us soon enough so be sure to save this article for future holiday reference.

Things to do in NYC during the Holiday season:

1. Window Displays – New York City is famous for their giant seasonal window displays & Christmas is usually when the stores go all out. It is something that is free to do and an awesome way to get into the holiday spirit. Some of the biggest & best window displays are found on 5^th Avenue. Due to the Pandemic, a lot of stores have chosen to showcase their beautiful windows online. This article by Town & Country has all of the deets for seeing them safely this year.

This brings me to the 2^nd item on our list…

2. Shopping on 5^th Avenue – 5^th Avenue has some of the largest department stores with some of the biggest brands. The cool thing about department stores is that they have pretty much everything you’re looking for in one place.

On the other hand, the best part about NYC is their unique boutique stores that you can’t necessarily find anywhere else. One of my absolute fav Vegan Boutique stores was located in NYC but sadly I just found out that after 12 years they have had to close their doors. Vaute Couture was an amazing ethical luxury vegan coat store & I’m super sad to see them go. But, hopefully as the world is starting to lean more to caring about what they purchase, more stores like this will open up.

Stella McCartney is another one of my fav vegan clothing stores. Although they can be found world wide, their New York store is very large with massive high ceilings & it feels very bougie haha. It’s nice to even glance through, take a look at their sales, etc.

Not on 5^th Ave. but Orchard St. in the Lower East Side (my personal fav area) is a wonderful little shop called MooShoes! All vegan shoes, belts, bags & accessories for everyone. Definitely recommend checking them out.

A couple of other vegan shops to checkout in NYC… Matt & Nat (They’re actually an amazing vegan leather bag/accessory store originating in Canaday, yay!) and an eco conscious clothing store Kaight.

3. Ice Skating – I feel like if you’re going to New York City for Christmas you have to go ice-skating either in Central Park ($5 – $19 USD) or at the Rockefeller Centre ($5 – $50USD) It’s such a classic NYC Christmas experience and leads into my next reco…

4. The Big Tree – When skating or visiting the Rockefeller Centre, be sure to checkout the massive Christmas Tree. I mean, it’s so hard to miss especially if you’re in the middle of the plaza. It is quite a spectacular sight & another completely free way to enjoy the Holiday Season.

5. Walking Around/Biking in Central Park – or all over NYC/Brooklyn for that matter. There are so many beautiful Christmas displays all over the city. Certain neighborhoods have such amazing walkability that just going for strolls at night to see the beautiful lights is quite something.

If you make it across the Brooklyn Bridge be sure to checkout Dumbo & its surrounding areas. The old buildings, Jane’s Carousel, the path along the bay are all incredible ways to get your festive spirit on.

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6. Vegan Restaurants – There is no shortage of amazing vegan restaurants in NYC, in fact I have already written an article for my Vegan Travel series – NYC Edition.

But… you might wonder, what will I be able to eat on Christmas eve or Xmas Day?

From experience, I can tell you that New York has so many amazing vegan restaurant options open during these times. My hubby & I had the most delicious Christmas Eve dinner at Hangawi. So amazing that we went back the next day for Christmas dinner, haha it was that good!

For Christmas brunch we went to one of our regular joints, Caravan of Dreams. This place never disappoints & is very eco conscious with all of their food & even in the way the space was built.

Again, check out my NYC vegan travel article for more info on both of these restos & more.

Christmas Day in New York feels like you’re in some strange apocalyptic world.

The whole city is quiet. The décor is still everywhere obviously but most people are inside doing Christmas things. So in a way, it’s like the best time to get those touristy moments because you’ll have way less people to maneuver around. And the thing with NYC is, anything can happen; you might even randomly find yourself at a private party with an underground performance by The Misfits (true story).

I know you’re going to love a vegan Christmas in New York. One last fun thing to try, visit all of your favourite Christmas movie scenes like Home Alone 2 & Elf.

A Very Vegan Christmas in New York City – A Blog About Stuff