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WNYC's Holiday Hit List

For many New Yorkers, the holiday season is a hustle. Shopping. Parties. Food. Shopping. Family. Travel. More shopping. But if you have the time, check out some of the city's most festive wintertime treats. Below, some suggestions:

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn is known for its over-the-top holiday decorations. The light displays get more and more elaborate each year.
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn is known for its over-the-top holiday decorations. The light displays get more and more elaborate each year.

We noticed the best lit homes between 83rd and 86th Streets and between 11th and 12th Avenues.

(Photo by Matt Harvey)
The New York City Transit’s "Nostalgia Train" is made up of subway cars that date back to the '30s. They run along the M line between the Queens Plaza and 2nd Ave stations each Sunday in December.
The New York City Transit’s "Nostalgia Train" is made up of subway cars that date back to the '30s. They run along the M line between the Queens Plaza and 2nd Ave stations each Sunday in December.

The Vintage train runs every Sunday from November 28 to December 26, from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Vintage buses run Monday to Friday, November 29 to December 31, 2010.  The train ride may take you back in time with its wicker seats and ceiling fans but the fare is a very modern rate of $2.25. Check out more images of the vintage transit vehicles here, or click here for a detailed schedule.

(Photo Courtesy of the New York Transit Museum)
'Unsilent Night' is an annual boombox sound parade that goes from Washington Square to Tompkins Square Park.
'Unsilent Night' is an annual boombox sound parade that goes from Washington Square to Tompkins Square Park.

Composer Phil Kline's 19th-annual 'Unsilent Night' will be held on December 18th from 7 to 8 P.M. It starts at The Arch at Washington Square Park and finishes up at Tompkins Square Park. "Every year I present Unsilent Night, which is like a Christmas caroling party except we don't sing but rather carry boomboxes, each playing a separate tape or CD which is part of the piece," said Kline. "In effect, we become a city-block-long stereo system.” Click here to share your photos from the event or here to learn more about Kline and his music.

(Photo by Meredith Snider)
The Hester Street Market's Big Social Holiday Market has plenty of snack vendors to keep your energy up while you shop.
The Hester Street Market's Big Social Holiday Market has plenty of snack vendors to keep your energy up while you shop.

The Big Social opens Friday, December 17 and runs through December 23, from 11 A.M. to 8 P.M. at 201 Mulberry St. in Manhattan. Nibble on cupcakes, macarons, lobster rolls, kimchee shepherds pie and fried chicken biscuit sandwiches while shopping for jewelry, handmade toys, natural skincare and terrariums. Click here to see the complete list of vendors.

(Flyer courtesy of the Hester Street Market)
Barney's wishes you a "Foodie Holiday" with its celebrity chef themed window decorations.
Barney's wishes you a "Foodie Holiday" with its celebrity chef themed window decorations.

Barney's window displays can be viewed at 660 Madison Ave. at 61st Street. To check out WNYC's complete holiday window tour, click here.

(Photo by Perry Santanachote/WNYC)
Bergdorf Goodman celebrates old world travel with its glamorous window displays.
Bergdorf Goodman celebrates old world travel with its glamorous window displays.

Bergdorf Goodman's window displays can be viewed at 754 5th Ave. at 58th Street. Click here to check out WNYC's complete holiday windows tour.

(Photo by Perry Santanachote/WNYC)
Peter Greenaway's 'Leonardo’s Last Supper' at the Park Avenue Armory
Peter Greenaway's 'Leonardo’s Last Supper' at the Park Avenue Armory

Greenaway's multimedia reverie of Leonardo da Vinci’s 'The Last Supper' makes you feel like you were right there with Jesus Christ himself. On display at the Park Avenue Armory until January 6, 2011. Check out the armory's Web site for more information, or see more images of Greenaway's installation here. 

(Photo courtesy of the Park Avenue Armory)
The Mark Morris Dance Group brings 'The Hard Nut' back to Brooklyn after eight years of touring the production. It's a refreshing gender-bending, retro take on 'The Nutcracker.'
The Mark Morris Dance Group brings 'The Hard Nut' back to Brooklyn after eight years of touring the production. It's a refreshing gender-bending, retro take on 'The Nutcracker.'

'The Hard Nut' will be on stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House at 30 Lafayette Ave through December 19th. Morris' cheeky dark reinterpretation of The Nutcracker has dancers doing the hokey pokey in kitschy '60s and '70s costumes, rats waging war in Elvis attire. It also stars a really hard, well, nut. Click here to learn more about the play, or here to see more images from 'The Hard Nut.'

(Photo by Peter DaSilva)
Central Park's Arsenal Gallery displays contemporary wreaths.
Central Park's Arsenal Gallery displays contemporary wreaths.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is showing 30 artful wreaths at its gallery in Central Park on Fifth Avenue and 64th Street. The "Wreath Interpretations" exhibit takes the wreath beyond the holidays, and there's not an evergreen in the bunch. Gallery hours are from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Monday through Friday.

(Photo by Perry Santanachote/WNYC)
For ice skaters, the Pond at Bryant Park is a fun and less crowded alternative to the Rockefeller Center rink.
For ice skaters, the Pond at Bryant Park is a fun and less crowded alternative to the Rockefeller Center rink.

Prospect Park's Wollman Rink is closed this winter for renovation. And the Rock Center's rink gets pretty crowded. Instead, why not check out the Pond at Bryant Park, open Sunday through Thursday from 7 A.M. to 10 P.M., and from Friday to Saturday from 7 A.M. to midnight. Admission is free. There are also holiday shops open all through the park.

(Photo by Perry Santanachote/WNYC)
Trinkets and cute crafts are on sale at Grand Central Station's Vanderbilt Hall.
Trinkets and cute crafts are on sale at Grand Central Station's Vanderbilt Hall.

There are holiday shops set up at Grand Central Station until December 24th. Check them out Monday through Saturday, from 10 A.M. to 8 P.M., and on Sunday from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M.

(Photo by Perry Santanachote/WNYC)
Hanukkah may be over, but that doesn't mean you can't stop by the Jewish Museum to check out some top-shelf dreidels.
Hanukkah may be over, but that doesn't mean you can't stop by the Jewish Museum to check out some top-shelf dreidels.

A dreidel designed by enamelist Marian Slepian. It sells for $1,600 at the Jewish Museum store.

(Courtesy of the Jewish Museum)
Clap your eyes on the Acton family tree lit up at Rockefeller Center.
Clap your eyes on the Acton family tree lit up at Rockefeller Center.

It may be an annual event, but the Rock Center Christmas tree is always stunning. The tree is lit up from 5:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. until January 7th. On December 25th, the tree will be lit all day (24 hours) and from 5:30 A.M. to 9 P.M. on New Year's Eve.

(Stan Honday/AFP)
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