NYC Christmas - activities

We are a family of 5 visiting from Australia over Crhistmas (19-27Dec) before heading-off to DC then further south to Florida. We won%26#39;t have a car in NYC. Apart from the museums, my kids (9, 12 and 16) are interested in tickets for basketball, football and ice-hockey. We would also like to see a Christmas show....any suggestions about : which agency to use; whether to buy from here or wait (or will they be sold-out??); or whether we should do the sports things outside of the big cities?? Should we try for %26#39;second-tier%26#39; sports games...will tickets be hard-to-find??

Should we try to squeeze-in a day (or two) to Boston or Philadelphia from NYC.

We are staying in Manhattan.

NYC Christmas - activities

absolutely see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show.. A New York tradition. Get your tickets early. Also you should be able to catch a Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Have a great time. New York is magical at Chriastmas and a really fun and inexpensive thing to do is to ice skate at Wollman Rink in Central park. The city lights lit up as a backdrop is really beautiful. I took my kids there last Christmas and it was great. Be prepared for lots of crowds, as this is their busiest time. This forum will answer any questions you have.

NYC Christmas - activities

Just out of interest where are you staying?

It sounds like you are in for a fun if not busy trip.

We are staying at NY Hilton for first 4 days then Embassy Suites for rest (a bit more room and much cheaper and quieter). We want to see as much as possible but are also happy to chill for a bit.

Any ideas for Christmas day...though anything%26#39;s better than another year of serving for 22!!!!!!! An expensive but effective escape.....

Hockey games are also fun at MSG. But, the New York Rangers schedule won%26#39;t be posted for a while.

Check the MSG webstie:

www.thegarden.com

Tickets (not sure about international purchase, though...):

ticketmaster.com

stubhub.com

For tix to ANYTHING during the Christmas season in NYC, buy as much as you can in advance!

There is so much to do in New York! I don%26#39;t think you have enough time to do Boston or Philadelphia-save that for next time. We are there for Christmas too and after a nice meal at a yet to be decided restaurant, plan to look at the Christmas windows and then iceskate at Central Park. Given its such a busy time definitely prebook your shows-we have booked some through Ticketmaster to pick up at the theatre on the day and others through Telecharge who email you the tickets. Football tickets seem to be the most expensive-my kids were very keen to see Ben Graham(formerly Geelong) who plays for the Jets so we have booked tickets through Ticket Liquator(game on Dec 30th!) and they will be delivered to Australia in September. Unfortunately I don%26#39;t think you are in NY for any football home games for the Jets or the Giants so you will have to concentrate on basketball and ice hockey there-fixtures for both should be out in the next few weeks. Washington Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys in Washington on the 30th Dec if you are there. Have a great trip!

Buy your tickets now for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Their web site lets you see what the view is like from different sections on their seating chart.

http://www.radiocity.com/eventcalendar/home

here is a hint I learned the hard way:

If you are thinking about ';Top of the Rock'; for Christmas Eve be warned that although all of their literature and web site say that it is open 8:30 a.m. to midnight, 365 days a year. Last elevator goes up at 11 p.m. It is not so. They close on Christmas Eve at 8:00 PM, last elevator at 7:00 PM.

We saved this for last as it was a clear beautiful night and got shut out altogether!

For schedules

www.nba.com (basketball) look for the New York Knicks, if they aren%26#39;t available or on the road look for the New Jersey Nets.

www.nhl.com (ice hockey) Look for the New York Rangers, if they aren%26#39;t available or on the road look for the New Jersey Devils.

www.nfl.com (football) Look for the New York Giants or New York Jets (these are the hardest tickets to get). Both teams play in the Meadowlands in New Jersey, but there are ample buses from the Port Authority that go there.

In Washington, you have the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Redskins (Basketball, hockey and football) Redskins tickets are very hard to get. Wizards and Capitals should be easy

I personally think you will have enough to do in New York, though Philadelphia is a much easier day trip than Boston (you would need to spend the night in Boston). Have a good trip.

Don%26#39;t check for any basketball or hockey schedules, as next season%26#39;s have not yet been released! The National Hockey League (including the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils) is supposed to release the schedule sometime this week, so it should be available soon. The National Basketball Association (including the New York Knickerbockers and the New Jersey Nets) is supposed to release their schedule either late this month or early August. Whenever you check the schedule for either hockey or basketball, make sure you are looking at a 2007-2008 version! Back when they were good (and, no, New Yorkers, that is not a slam on the Knicks; I live in Minneapolis; we haven%26#39;t had a good team since the Lakers moved to LA), the Knicks always seemed to play on Christmas Day, but that is no longer the case. Playing on Christmas Day, I mean.

Just keep checking, and the schedules should be released soon.

Thanks everyone.....your advice has been really helpful.