Disappointing photos show how crowded New York City's iconic attractions can be during the holidays

Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . Rockefeller Center, Macy's, and Bryant Park are some of NYC's most popular tourist destinations. However, the crowds seem to quadruple at these locations the day after Thanksgiving. I could barely move when I visited some of the city's attractions in 2023. When you're a native New Yorker, one thing you learn is that while the holiday season in New York City is magical, you should avoid tourist attractions at all costs. There are plenty of other things to do during the holidays - for every Rolf's , there's a less crowded, more fun bar like Paddy Maguire's Ale House. But I wanted to see if it was all that bad, so in 2023, I visited some of the biggest holiday tourist attractions in the city. Tourism has only grown since then. According to a report published in November by the city's Economic Development Corporation , 48,000 more visitors per weekend on average visited Times Square in December 2024 than in December 2023, and Fifth Avenue saw 27,000 more weekend visitors in the same timeframe. Seasonal tourism also brings $500 million in revenue to the city. For my holiday tour of Manhattan, I started at Wollman Rink in Central Park, walked to the Plaza Hotel and the Pulitzer Fountain, strolled down Fifth Avenue to Saks Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Rockefeller Center, continued west toward Bryant Park, and concluded my journey at Macy's Herald Square. Here's what it was like. First up was the Wollman Rink at Central Park. I could see people climbing on rocks to stare at the rink before I could spot the rink itself. Wollman Rink, in the southern part of the park, is open from October through March. It's been a popular holiday destination for decades and has featured in numerous holiday movies , including "Serendipity." I knew I was getting close to the rink, but even though I came to skate here in 2021 , I had no recollection of seeing people peering down at me from a giant rock ledge. But, lo and behold, when I climbed up to see what everyone was looking at, I was staring directly at the rink. There were also people lined up around the gates - I felt like I was at the zoo. You can just make them out, but there are even more people across the ice at the other gate. The ice was also swarming with people. When I skated at Wollman Rink, I found it was very disorganized compared to other rinks in the city, and I don't think I'll go back to skate. I wanted something from the refreshments stand, but most of the benches where I would sit to eat were full, so I skipped a snack. Instead, I decided on a hot drink. I bought a hot chocolate, and my spirits immediately lifted. It turns out that hot chocolate was just the thing to help me out. Feeling sufficiently...

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