Battle of the Weihnachtsmärkte
I’ve traveled all over the east coast this season, looking for a Weihnachtsmarkt that would bring me back to the same Christmas feeling I experienced last December when I visited Jan in Hamburg. The traditional Weihnachtsmärkte of Germany consist of tons of baked goods, artisan crafts, and a continuous flow of Glüwein. To fill the void, I hit the road, visiting the Weihnachtsmarkt of Philadelphia, New York City, and even Boston Massachusetts!
New York City
Everything in New York is a tad bit too glamorous for me. If you need an example as to why, check out the movie New Years Eve. It’s spewing with celebrities, glitter, and New York dreams. Anyway, at Byrant Park between 40th and 42nd Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues not only is Citibank sponsoring an ice skating rink, but local designers have set up shop in the park for the entire holiday season. New York City candlemakers, painters, fashion designers, and bakers turn small glass houses into their personal studios where holiday shoppers can purchase goods and support the local economy. The prices are fairly high, but deservedly so as the gifts are extremely unique. I mean, where else can you find a intricately painted wristband made out of a recycled vinyl record?
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| The Shops at Bryant Park |
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| Citi Pond Ice Skating Rink |
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| Celsius at Citi Pond |
New York City in general is a very beautiful place at Christmas time with the beautiful lights and Christmas tree at Rockefeller center, the Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall (they are freakishly coordinated), and Times Square!
Boston
Close to the Boston Commons, there’s a small tent where local artisans such as beekeepers and glass artists have their own tables.
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| Jan and I with Santa! |
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| Glüwein!!!! |
Each city has a different way of celebrating the holidays, and even though I have my personal favorites, each, I must admit, is unique and beautiful in its own way.
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Comments
Tell us what do you think.
I wish we had one hear in Atlanta, but then it would probably seem out of place. We do have a Christmas market that last one weekend at the International school, but it doesn't nearly have the same feeling as those over in Europe.
Hello Kari, in my hometown, the Weihnachtsmarkt is very beautiful, and the day it ends (usually two days before Christmas Eve) after four weeks is always a sad day for me, as it marks the start of the Weihnachtsmarkt-less longer part of winter (which is the season I least like in the first place).
Thank you for showing us the various Christmas markets you've been to, this was most interesting!
Oh, so Philadelphia is the place I need to be in the US if ever I can't make it home to Germany for Christmas
Unfortuntly it's pretty far from Texas as well… It's nice to know that more cities in the US are adopting this German tradition though. Now I'm just hoping the cities further south will too 