Winter whirlwind weekend in NY; why not?

A weekend with no holiday party scheduled and a clear weather forecast was a perfect opportunity to take in the New York holiday energy.

Before the chaos and crowds we visited the School of Visual Art’s gallery on the 15th floor of the Starrett-Lehigh building in Chelsea. An exhibit of one of my favorite illustrators, Roz Chast, was on the must-see-before-it-closes list. It was a terrific exhibit.This year’s holiday window walk began at Macy’s. The theme is “Believe In The Wonder Of Giving.” The windows show Sunny the Snowpal, with the help of her friends and Santa, save Christmas.Lord & Taylor has sold its flagship building so this is the last year for its holiday windows (only two windows on Fifth). Their very first animated and a few Canada Geese to offer some holiday cheer.Heading further north, Patience and Fortitude, the two regal lions at the NYPL main branch were elegantly dressed in their holiday wreaths.The holiday market was in full swing at Bryant Park along with ice skating right behind the library. Of course, there is the tree at Rockefeller Center. Anytime of day, and we took it in both day and night, it is special. This year’s tree topping star seemed extra sparkly.Across from the tree on Fifth Avenue is Saks. This year their window theme is Theater of Dreams. Each window has been curated to take the shopper on a journey through the offerings within Saks Fifth Avenue such as finding the perfect shoe or the spa room for beauty pampering. There is also a spectacular light show that appears on the store’s Fifth Avenue facade after dark.Henri Bendel is also closing this year, but the windows (too much glare to shoot) were terrific. The brand’s fashion illustrator Izak Zenou created a Bendel-scape including a multidimensional, brown and white New York skyline. Inside, there is a great tree of boxes.Tiffany’s had a robot of blue boxes along with a chrome figure playfully displaying gems.Bergdorf had spectacular windows, as usual. This year, named Bergdorf Goodies, the windows capture an array of holiday treats from giant candy canes and gingerbread houses to cotton candy statues and neon confections.Candy canes on the 9 West 57th building with a view of the sparkling snowflake at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street and topiary dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History always factor in to the must-see decorations.The Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle has the color rotating stars and Williams Sonoma has a gingerbread city that is very detailed.We skipped the Grinch windows at Bloomingdales; instead we meandered through several holiday markets, met friends for quick hellos and delicious meals and left the city feeling jolly.