Christmas in the Movies

I’ll admit it–though in my household we celebrate Christmas, I’m not a big fan of a traditional holiday. Two of my favorite Christmas movies are Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. Every year my daughter and I spar over the purchase of a Christmas tree. I don’t bake cookies unless I really get the urge, and I don’t send cards pretty much ever (though I do buy cards on sale after Christmas, for stashing for that day I may somehow decide to send cards again…?) And–well, we live in Southern Arizona. We don’t get snow on Christmas. We don’t get snow pretty much ever. (I’ve lived here 30~ years. We’ve had snow…twice? In January both times.)

I’ve never seen Miracle on 34th Street, and I’m pretty blah on White Christmas. But I’ve seen Home Alone 2. And Ghostbusters, and Muppets Take Manhattan, and Godzilla (1998), and Newsies, Sleepless in Seattle, Die Hard 3: With a Vengeance, Rumble in the Bronx, Spiderman, Avengers, Ally McBeal, Night at the Museum–what do all of these have in common?

They’re set in New York City.

Guess where I get to go for Christmas this year?

I am So. Excited. There’s the little kid in me, who remembers watching the Macy’s parade every year. Skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and there’s an awesome bridge in Central Park I remember from some movie, I don’t even know.

There’s the young(ish) lover of every monster movie ever. “Negative impact! That’s the goddamn Chrysler Building!”

There’s the writer, just drooling over the possibilities for research. Roomie asked if I want to go to the Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chinatown or Little Italy, Ellis Island or Central Park…I said yes.

There’s the adventurer, wanting to see everything, to explore a city that’s been almost mythical to me since I was a small child. To be there, and see what that’s like.

We’ve only got a week. We’ll be (supposedly, grudgingly on my part) on vacation. That means I’m not allowed to stress them out, dragging them everywhere and putting them on a schedule a drill instructor would envy to see everything. And it’s family time so I’m not allowed to just leave them sleeping and internetting while I go explore ALL THE THINGS. (we’ve had the “but you can do that at home!” argument many MANY times, I can tell you.)

Sigh.

I need to research, but where do I even start? It’s New York City. It’s got 8 million people and a billion stories and so many amazing things and places and histories…

Where would you go? If you’ve been, where have you been, and how did you like it? What’s an honest-to-dog DON’T MISS THIS, and what’s a Meh? Any hacks for getting around and fitting everything in when you’re on public transportation?

Due to the vagaries of airline pricing, we’re flying in on Christmas Eve, and out on New Year’s Eve, so don’t tell me about how wonderful it is to hang out in Times Square watching the ball drop, please. Also roomie has informed me we are not allowed to blow up the Chrysler building, or try to bring the Statue of Liberty to life, and I am absolutely not allowed to open a portal in order to steal a Chitauri flying whatsit (I’ve been begging since I saw Avengers, but she keeps saying no. She’s so mean!) (Do you think she’d change her mind if I pointed out how much faster we could get around by flying?)

Ahem. Anyway. New York City! Help me, o internets, what do??