7 Places in NYC to Take Your Family This Holiday Season

One for each day of the week!

So your family decided to switch things up this year and told you not to come home. Instead, they booked tickets to the Big Apple to see their very own New Yorker! Yay! Not sure where to take them? Want to avoid big crowds? Tired of the same trite tourist traps?

Worry no more. We know how to provide a Real New York Experience, and — since it’s the Season of Giving — we’re sharing that knowledge with you! Skip the usual spots and check out this list of locales for a staycation your family won’t soon forget.

1. Take them for a holiday drink at your favorite coffee haunt

First things first — grab the fam and get caffeinated! Take your loved ones to the depressing Starbucks by your office where you accidentally cut the line that one time and then took 2 minutes to order. They don’t love you there. But you’ve got your family with you now, so you’re good! Go ahead and order that festive drink.

If your family is more the “We’re not saying ‘Happy Holidays’ goddamnit, this is a War on Christmas” type, you may want to give Starbucks a wide berth. But you can still get your caffeine fix! Skip the holiday cups altogether and take your loved ones to your favorite outdoor coffee cart. No holiday options here, but they’ll be able to sip their joe to the ear-splitting sound of sirens. Grandma will love it!

2. Take them to the place you first cried in public

Everyone’s got that place — where, in sheer desperation, you finally broke down sobbing out in the open — maybe even in broad daylight! Take your family to this special spot for a unique experience no one else can offer. The sadder the better! Pro tip: street corners and subway cars make for the most dramatic spots, and are also the easiest for a potential reenactment.

If you want to personalize the experience further, give them the backstory —what pushed you over the edge? That finance douche that stood you up 4 times in a row? Your power hungry boss? A roach infestation in your apartment? Relive it right there. Colorful narration makes it a much more immersive experience, both for you and your loved ones.

3. Take them to Central Park

More specifically, show them the exact spot where you sat when you tried to catch a free concert that one time. You ended up hundreds of feet from the venue, and you could only hear half of the songs, but that’s okay. They’ll love the remote location you chose, and the quiet will be a nice break from all the hustle and bustle!

If you really want to give the fam a treat, whip out your phone and play the artist on Spotify to recreate your concert experience! It’ll be extra authentic if you muffle your phone with your palm for most of the songs.

4. Take them to where you first got stuck in traffic on the FDR

Remember that time you missed your first ever flight home for the holidays? That was awesome, right? Show the fam where it all started! Find that special spot on the FDR where your cab slowed, then stopped, and you slowly realized there was no way you were making that flight out of LaGuardia. Bonus: retelling the story can help add to the desired atmosphere of frustration and helplessness!

5. Show them the street corner where you found your first slush puddle

Nothing says winter in New York City like puddles of old slush and undetermined depth. So ask yourself — where was it that you first stepped off the curb and ended up knee-deep in grimy city water? Pay it a visit with the family in tow! Treat them to a one-of-a-kind experience, and show them that grayish-brownish-green is actually a color found in nature. For extra verve, bring along the pair of leather boots you ruined that day!

6. Take them to see The Tree

We know what you’re thinking — and no, not that tree. Skip Rockefeller this year and save your family from the hustle and bustle of midtown. A big tree that draws even bigger crowds? B o r i n g. Take your family to see “The Tree,” your friend Sarah’s 6-foot tall, real live Christmas tree — that fits in her apartment! She’s the first of your friends to actually have a real Christmas tree of their own, so your family will definitely be as excited about it as you are.

For the full experience, make sure to have Sarah herself on hand to answer any questions about the decorations (paperclip chains), lights ($6 at Duane Reade), and her overall creative process (one whole bottle of wine). At the end, you and your family can have some fun trying to squeeze together in front of the tree for a one-of-a-kind souvenir picture!

7. Take them to see snow

We saved the best for last! This one is open to interpretation, so it’s up to you to decide what your family will love most. Whether it’s a dirty pile of week-old slush, a half-melted snowman, or your friend Josh’s rampant coke habit — the options are endless, and the choice is yours!

Happy Holidays!