We are the family that jumps into the car and hits the road for a trip that we probably planned that morning. Not all families can do things at the last minute, but for us, it works.
Sometimes not having a structure to your day or not having to be anywhere by a particular time is a recipe for a great adventure. Everyone should try this method at least 5 times in their lifetime.
In this post, we will take you along a spare of a minute journey we planned to the Hudson yard.
The Vessel
Planning a last-minute event will not work out all of the time. However, what you do after your original plan fails is the part that creates the adventure.
When we first got into the car and headed to New York, we had every intention of climbing the stairs of the Vessel in the Hudson Yards.
Due to Covid, access to the Vessel was by timed entry only, and you had to get your tickets in advance.
Once we looked up tickets online for the Vessel, we saw that tickets were only available a month out. So I booked the tickets and made plans to revisit the Vessel at a later date.
Due to unfortunate events at the Vessel, we could never climb the stairs.
Where is the Vessel?
The Vessel is located at 20 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 1001
What is the Vessel?
The Vessel is a public attraction built in the Hudson Yards, designed to be a beautiful sculpture but not overshadow the buildings around it. This structure is intended to be a public gathering place for people to socialize.
The attraction has 2,500 steps in total, with about 154 landings. This unique monument stands at 150-feet tall.
The Vessel is currently closed due to a series of unfortunate events. There are talks of adding safety nets to the structure. Hopefully, the Vessel will re-open soon.
Click here to learn more about the Vessel.
The base of the Vessel
The Vessel base is still open to the public, where you can enjoy various activities. During the Christmas season, the base is decorated with beautiful lighting, which is a part of the Shine Bright event.
There’s also a huge tv screen with lawn chairs facing it. There was a football game on the day we went, so limited seating was available.
Parking near the Hudson Yards
You can find parking garages pretty much on any street in the city. For this adventure, we decided to park our car in the garage next to the Hudson Yards.
Click here for more activities to do near the Hudson Yard
Hudson Yard Mall
Since we could not make our way up the Vessel, we decided to go to the mall. At first, we did not realize it was a mall because the beautiful light display mesmerized us.
Once we got inside, that’s when it dawned on us. (Well, at least that’s when I realized it.)
The Hudson Yard Mall is upscale with 7 floors and over 100 stores. In this mall, you will find stores such as; Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Tumi, Tiffany & Co., and more.
Click here to view the list of stores in Hudson Yard Mall.
Shine Bright Event
Shine Bright is the name of the spectacular lights and music event you will only see at the Hudson Yard, sponsored by Wells Fargo annually.
With over 2 million lights shining, sparkling hot air balloons, and Christmas decorations all around, this is a sight that you don’t want to miss.
How long is the Shine Bright display at the Hudson Mall?
The Shine bright display starts this year on November 14, 2022, and continues until January 8, 2023. Don’t wait until the last day to go, because this is something you don’t want to miss.
Special Guest
This year will be the first year the Hudson Yard Mall will have a Santa. You can find him on the 4th floor on December 5 – December 16.
Click here for more details about Santa’s location.
Time Square
After our adventure at the Hudson Yards, we decided to stroll to Time Square.
Instead of getting our car out of the parking garage, I thought it would be an excellent idea for us to walk. Yes, it was the end of November and a little cold, but sometimes the weather makes the memories even more memorable.
Time Square was about a 1.2-mile walk from the Hudson yard, and our GPS said it would take about 24 minutes to get there.
Nothing ever takes an exact amount of time when you have small children with you, but I was up for the challenge.
Once we got to Time Square, the lights lit up the entire area. There was so much going on. We saw people dressed up in costumes taking pictures with tourists for tips, street performers putting on shows, and street carts with workers trying to sell you souvenirs.
Timesquare
We stopped to look at the performance by a group of street performers dancing and doing flips.
They asked for volunteers in the crowd to stand in the middle so they could do backflips and jumps over you.
The only thing is, if you did not have money in advance to put in their tip bucket, then you would not be one of the people they jumped over in their show. (They don’t make it obvious, but they make it obvious)
They did a great job, by the way.
Next Stop
After watching the performers, we made our way to the historic Rockefeller Center, about a quarter of a mile away. What was supposed to take only a 9-minute walk turned out to be a little more.
Where is the Rockefeller Center?
We finally reached the famous 1 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111. The place that’s known for being an easter egg in movies, the Christmas Tree lighting, where the Today show is aired, and the famous ice skating rink.
We finally made it over to Rockefeller center to see the Christmas tree, which was not lit. Can you believe we were there a week too early?
When is the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lite?
This year the Tree will be lit on November 30 at 8 pm. I thought the Tree stayed lit the whole time it was up, but I found out the lights are only on from 6 am until midnight. On Christmas day, the lights stay on for 24 hours.
On New Year’s Eve, the Tree will stay lit from 6 am until 9 pm.
Even though we did not see the Christmas Tree lit, the kids were still happy with the adventure we took them on in the city.
*My advice to the wise, check the schedule before you go.
Rockefeller Rink
The ice rink was open, but the children had never ice skated before, and we did not want to spend a lot of money just for them to experiment.
When does the Rockefeller Rink open?
The ice rink opens every year in early November and stays open until the middle of March. The hours are from 9 am until 12 midnight. (Check the website before planning your trip.)
Time to go home
To some that read this article, it may seem like the trip was a failure, but I had a ball, and so did the kids.
Since the big guy did not feel like lugging his entire family back across the city, we jumped on some nearby bike carriages to make our way back to the Hudson Yards.
Bike Cart
At first, I did not want to get on the bikes because I felt terrible for the guys who had to ride us back to the Hudson Yards.
Then I discovered that the bikes were electric assist bikes, and that’s when I was sold on the idea of hitching a ride with the bike carts.
Yes, it was cold outside, but the carriages had a blanket inside of them for you to cover yourself during the ride. With all of the beautiful scenery in the city on our way back to Hudson Yards, no one got a chance to think about the cold.
How many people can the bike cart hold?
Each bike could hold 2 people, so we reserved two bikes to take us back to Hudson Yards. Since the kids are small, the 3 of them fit on one carriage while me and the big guy took the other carriage. (This night was a great date night idea)
Summary
We went to New York without plans or expectations, and it was a great adventure. Sometimes you have to wing it, and those days turn out to be the best times.
Thank you again for coming along this journey with my family and me. If there’s any place you feel my family would enjoy visiting, please tell us in the comments below. You can also put any questions in the comments if there are any questions I have not answered about the our adventure to New York.
