Starting Point:  The King Cole Bar – the Birthplace of the Bloody Mary.  Start your day off with a kick, at The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel for breakfast and Bloody Marys which were invented here in 1934, as the “Red Snapper.”  The drink will cost you about $18. A full breakfast is about $45, but you can snack on pastries for about $15.  Pricey for sure, but the ambience and history are priceless and you can still feel the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio – it was one of their favorite spots.   King Cole Bar is located at the St. Regis New York, 2 East 55th Street at Fifth Ave in Midtown (212-339-6857 kingcolebar.com).

Next up, Saks and The Tree at Rock:  Stroll down Fifth Avenue to view the windows at Saks Fifth Avenue and the tree at Rockefeller Plaza, which is especially beautiful this year. The Bloody Mary’s will have you feeling jolly despite elbowing your way through the crowds. 50th Street & Fifth Avenue.

Now Head to Bryant Park.  Stroll down 5th, cross over 42nd street, hang a right and viola, you’re in Bryant Park. Grab a quick bite at Public Fair, the pop up Danny Meyer restaurant that is there during the holiday season, and enjoy the ice skaters, or take a turn on the rink yourself.

Lord & Taylor’s Classic Windows.  Head back to Fifth Avenue and stop to view Lord & Taylor’s classic New York City windows.  These are always our favorite windows.  Fifth Avenue between 37th and 38th Streets.

Next Stop:  A Little Dickens at the Morgan Library and Museum.  Every holiday season, the Morgan displays Charles Dickens’s original manuscript of A Christmas Carol in Pierpont Morgan’s historic Library. Dickens wrote his iconic tale in a six-week flurry of activity, beginning in October 1843 and ending in time for Christmas publication. He had the manuscript bound in red morocco as a gift for his solicitor, Thomas Mitton. The manuscript then passed through several owners before Pierpont Morgan acquired it in the 1890s.  Madison Avenue and 37th Street.

Yes Virginia, You Must Stop at Macys. Their front windows change every year, but we love the windows on 34th street that depict the classic, “Miracle on 34th Street.”  Now, buy lunch from one of the street vendors (no it won’t kill you”) and sit in the square outside Macy’s and people watch.  Sixth Avenue and 34th Street.

Rolf’s German Restaurant. The Most Christmassy Spot in NYC. If you have never been here, you will not believe it, so we’ve posted a video below so you’ll understand what the experience is about.  Grab a beer and clink your steins but save your appetite for our last stop. Third Avenue @ 22nd Street.

A Perfect Ending. Italy is Eataly. The Best Pasta in NYC. If you’re still in a strolling mood (and want to work off that beer) walk over to 23rd Street and head to 200 Fifth Avenue which is the home of Eataly.  Explore this 50,000 square foot high-end Italian food market/mall with a variety of restaurants, food and beverage stations, bakery, and retail items including the most dazzling array of pastas, olive oil, and balsamic vinegars you will ever see in one place.  Eat dinner at one of the restaurants — the pastas are incredible, the fish fresh and superb, and the meats melt in your mouth. Or just stand at the wine bar and order a tray of Italian meats and cheeses. And the wines?  They’re Italian, need we say more?  End your evening at the gelato bar.  200 Fifth Avenue @ 23rd Street.