Sensational New York

TRAVEL | United States
Sensational
New York
Das vielfältige Angebot an Attraktionen und Aktivitäten macht die Stadt zu einem lohnenden
Reiseziel gerade in der Winterzeit. CLAUDIA HELLMANN stellt Tipps vor.
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Spotlight 1|14
N
ew York City is extraordinary in all seasons, but never is it more beautiful than during
the holidays, when the bright lights of the big city create a spectacle of Christmas cheer.
e holiday season officially starts after anksgiving, in late November. e explosive
crescendo arrives on New Year’s Eve, when a million people gather in Times Square for the
countdown to midnight. e festive atmosphere then lasts several weeks into the new year.
With so much happening in New York during this season, I decided to ask everyone I
know — New Yorkers and others who love the Big Apple — for their top holiday tips. In
some ways, I already knew what to expect: lights everywhere, Christmas carols playing in
public places, and busy shoppers pushing through the streets. But when I landed in the city,
I found all of these things and more. Happy Holidays!
A CLOSER LOOK
Fotos: A1PIX; LOOK
The greeting “Happy Holidays!” may seem strange at first. What’s wrong with
a simple “Merry Christmas”? Americans say “Happy Holidays” to show respect
to people of other religions and cultures. The end of the year is not only the
time for Christmas, but, for example, for Hanukkah and Kwanza, too. Kwanza
is an African-American festival lasting from December 26 until January 1.
Big Apple [)bIg (Äp&l]
cheer [tSI&r]
Christmas carol [(krIsmEs )kÄrEl]
Hanukkah [(hA:nEkE]
holidays [(hA:lEdeIz]
Kwanza [(kwA:nzE]
New Year’s Eve [)nu: jI&rz (i:v]
Spitzname für New York City
hier: (Fest)Stimmung
Weihnachtslied
Chanukah (jüd. Fest der Tempelweihe)
hier: Weihnachtsfeiertage
afro-amerikanisches kulturelles Fest aus der Tradition
afrikanischer Erntefeste
Silvester
Two great perspectives:
the Brooklyn Bridge over
the East River (left); and
the Empire State Building
TRAVEL | United States
The skating rink at Rockefeller Center and the famous
Christmas tree; above, the angels welcome shoppers passing
through Rockefeller Center on their way to the shops
It’s lovely to see the tree and watch the ice-skaters on
the rink below. e day I visited, an Indian family was having what looked like their first-ever experience on ice. e
women, dressed in colorful saris underneath thick down
jackets, were wobbling along happily on their rented
skates. eir cheeks were red, and they were laughing, having a wonderful time.
While it’s an iconic New York holiday experience, there
are other places in the city to go ice-skating, too. Maria
Grosch, who runs popular stands at the Christmas markets
at Union Square and Columbus Circle, prefers the Wollman ice-skating rink in Central Park.
“It’s much bigger, less crowded, less expensive, and you
can’t beat the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, especially when there’s snow,” said Grosch. ere is free iceskating, too — free except for the cost of renting the skates
— in Bryant Park’s Winter Village, which is several blocks
south of Rockefeller Center.
Classic Christmas
Christmas begins on December 4 in New York City, when
thousands of people gather at Rockefeller Center for the
annual tree-lighting ceremony. Nearly everyone I asked
told me to go see the tree.
“It’s ‘holiday central’ in New York,” said Mithra Mastropierro, an opera singer who lives in Hoboken, New Jersey — across the Hudson River from Manhattan. She also
told me that it wasn’t worth waiting around to see the ceremony. “People start lining up around lunchtime, so for a
good viewing spot, you’ll have to stand there for hours.
And it can be pretty cold in December.”
If you miss the ceremony, don’t worry: the big Christmas tree stays in place until January 7. It is a spectacular
sight: the giant Norway spruce is at least 65 feet (20 meters) tall and 35 feet wide, and is illuminated by 30,000
lights. “e Rock,” the skyscraper at the heart of Midtown’s sprawling Rockefeller Center, provides it with a dramatic backdrop.
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Spotlight 1|14
Magical Manhattan:
best when it snows
annual [(ÄnjuEl]
backdrop [(bÄkdrA:p]
down jacket [)daUn (dZÄkIt]
free [fri:]
ice-skater [(aIs skeIt&r]
iconic [aI(kA:nIk]
illuminate [I(lu:mIneIt]
line up [laIn (Vp]
Norway spruce [)nO:rweI (spru:s]
rink [rINk]
skates [skeIts]
sprawling [(sprO:lIN]
wobble [(wA:b&l]
(all)jährlich
Kulisse
Daunenjacke
kostenlos
Eisläufer(in)
kultig
beleuchten
sich an- / aufstellen
Rotfichte
Eislaufbahn
Schlittschuhe
weitläufig
schwanken