Christmas in New York City + Turks & Caicos
Snowboots and sandals might seem like an odd combination, but pairing New York City with Turks & Caicos felt like the perfect duo. Grace Bay, in the Turks, has been on my bucket list forever, but getting there hasn’t always been an easy thing to plan! Flights to Turks & Caicos from New York are way easier than from Seattle (and involve far fewer connections and red-eyes). And, after a fast-paced winter city trip, a vacation from our vacation sounded like exactly what we needed.
Dan and I had been to NYC once before, back in 2006. This was Kendall and Lucas’s very first visit. And as luck would have it, we arrived right as a major winter storm hit the East Coast. Flights were getting cancelled left and right. Airports were a mess. We were watching delays stack up all day and somehow… our flight made it! We landed to heavy snowfall and absolute chaos, which, really, is there any better way to start a NYC trip?!
NYC temps dipped into the single digits with wind chill while we were there, and we found ourselves slowly counting down the hours until we could finally defrost (& escape the city crowds) in the Turks & Caicos.
New York City (5 Nights)
A few things shaped how we planned New York:
NYC is huge. Each day was built around one general area to prevent us from criss-crossing the city.
Holiday crowds are no joke. Be prepared for the worst and have a backup plan for your backup plan.
A lot of our itinerary revolved around celiac-safe restaurants and then building the day around those locations.
We walked and Ubered everywhere. We never used the subway, which worked great for us.
For tips on how I plan our travel itineraries - read this blog post here!
Day 1: Late Arrival + Snow!
We landed in the evening, right in the thick of the storm. Snow was coming down hard and the city felt electric and calm all at the same time. Snow has a way of doing that, doesn’t it?
Even though we were tired from our travels, there was no chance we were staying in. We bundled up and headed out immediately. Times Square in the snow is wild (well, it’s wild any time you go, truthfully). We intended to see it, cross it off our list - then avoid it for the rest of our trip. Somehow, though the snow brought a stillness to Times Square that it probably rarely sees. Afterwards, we walked past Radio City Music Hall, soaked in all the Christmas sights blanketed in snow, and made our way toward Rockefeller Center to see the famous Christmas tree without all the crowds. We seriously couldn’t believe our luck! We then wandered over to check out the iconic FAO Schwarz, but were shocked that it was closed - turned out it was nearly 11 pm, and we had no idea how late it was! That explained the lack of crowds!
Seeing all of those iconic spots on the very first night, with snow falling, felt like that bar was set pretty high for our subsequent days. We weren’t sure it could be topped, but somehow it did!
Day 2: Central Park & Upper East/West Side
This was our big Central Park area day, and we wasted no time waking up early to hit the ground running. Central Park was blanketed in snow, the sun was (coldly) shining, and locals were already gathering with their sleds.
We started the morning with the American Museum of Natural History. It’s huge, it’s overwhelming, and it’s one of those places you could spend multiple days in. But, we didn’t. We hit several highlights, followed the kids’ interests, and called it good! We all agreed we just aren’t museum people. Our favorite way to explore new places is just to get outside and walk!
Lunch nearby at Modern Bread & Bagel was a HUGE win for us celiac-wise. I’ll recap all our favorite celiac-safe dining recommendations in a section below, but Modern Bread & Bagel deserves its own shout-out. We haven’t had bagels (or should I say, we haven’t had GOOD gluten-free bagels) since Lucas’s celiac diagnosis in August. It was so good we ended up ordering it via Uber Eats to our hotel room multiple times during our trip! Thankfully they also ship and we will definitely be ordering them when we return.
After lunch, we walked, a lot. Down Fifth Avenue and back into Central Park, soaking up all the holiday energy as we went. This is where we made a decision I later regretted: the horse carriage ride. At the time, I didn’t fully understand how poorly the horses are treated. After sharing on Instagram, a lot of followers reached out with information (very kindly, I might add!) that I wish I’d known beforehand. There are active efforts to ban horse carriages in the park entirely. If you’re visiting, I’d skip it and opt for pedicabs instead. Getting around Central Park on foot can easily take up an entire day, so breezing around the park via pedicab would be a great (humane) way to see the sights and rest your feet for a bit.
Next we had another two fails… we had planned to ice skate in Central Park, but didn’t end up doing it because of the crowds (and none of us wanted to expose our feet to the cold to put on skates!). So we pivoted to pop into The Plaza Hotel (from the famous Home Alone 2) mostly to warm up and check out their Christmas decor. Spoiler Alert: the internet told us the lobby is open to check out, turns out it is for guests only. And the CROWDS outside the hotel were insane - are we sensing a theme here?! Thankfully, Bergdorf Goodman’s is right behind the hotel, so we popped in to thaw out and check out some insanely priced items before dinner. We then wrapped the day with The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, which was 1000% worth the price tag and I would go again and again if I could!
By then end of the day our step count rivalled a Disneyland day (nearly 30k steps) so it was back to the hotel for some rest!
Day 3: Downtown Manhattan + Brooklyn
This day was all about neighborhood hopping.
We started our day at The Strand, New York’s largest independent bookstore, boasting 18 miles of new, used, and rare books. We wandered around Washington Square Park, the East Village, and Greenwhich Village, which felt like such a contrast to the Midtown energy where we had made our homebase. If it’s possible to describe a neighborhood in NYC as cozy, it definitely felt that way compared to the chaos of Midtown. Think cafes, locals, dog walkers, and vintage shops.
From there, we took a short Uber ride to the Financial District to grab some coffee before making the chilly trek on foot across the Brooklyn Bridge. We were not expecting the crowds that accompanied this journey, but we were quickly learning that all good things in NYC come with crowds. The walk across took us about 40 minutes. If you want to stop and take lots of photos, plan for an hour.
After crossing the bridge, we spent time in DUMBO and along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which gave us some breathing room, but the cold was definitely starting to take its toll on our moods. Dan surprised us all with a booking at the Brooklyn Cat Café. If you love cats, go. It’s calm, cozy, and such a nice reset in the middle of a busy trip. We all got our cat fix and left happy, warm, and missing our kitties Sydney and Austin even more!
After dinner, we took an Uber to Brooklyn’s famous Dyker Heights neighborhood, where house after house tries to outdo their neighbors with over-the-top Christmas light displays. It’s chaotic and charming all at the same time. Don’t worry about spending the money to do a guided tour here. It’s easy to catch an Uber out of the city and do the journey solo. We just wandered for hours and never ran out of things to see. Getting an Uber back was easy too.
Side Note: We had planned to also do the Brooklyn Botanic Garden lights that night, but energy levels said otherwise. A lot of people recommended it to us, so I’m mentioning it here as something we’d absolutely try next time.
Day 4: Midtown & Broadway
This was a very classic NYC Christmas kind of day.
We started at Bryant Park and the holiday market, then attempted to go into the New York Public Library. The line was so long we bailed and pivoted to Grand Central instead. Zero regrets. The free winter train display there was great, and bonus, no line. Take some time to explore the station - it’s iconic for a reason!
Next, we had tickets for the Empire State Building, but the weather had other plans. Dense clouds meant visibility was basically nonexistent. We pivoted later in the day and went to Top of the Rock instead, which we actually liked better. You get to see the Empire State Building from there, which somehow makes it feel more iconic.
We attempted FAO Schwarz (again!), but the line wrapped around the block and back. They told us it would be at least two hours. We skipped it entirely, and while the kids were disappointed, we were not. Holiday lines in NYC are next-level. Note: If you do manage to get a Jellycat Cafe reservation, you get to skip the line. I tried to score us a spot, but even with an alarm set to snag a reservation the second they were released, all spots were taken. Apparently this is a popular thing to do!
Thankfully, we were off to the highlight of our time in New York City: Gayle’s Broadway Rose. Truly, I cannot say enough good things about this experience. Not only is it a safe haven for celiacs, but the servers are all aspiring Broadway stars, and they take turns signing while serving - the talent was unbelievable. I wish I had booked multiple nights. If you’re going to NYC and you can get a reservation, go. You will not regret it. Book multiple nights if you can. When you consider the cost of the dinner (standard dining prices) paired with the non-stop entertainment, it’s a true steal of an experience.
We ended the night with the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular, which was nothing like we expected, but felt like the perfect way to cap off a big Midtown Christmas day. Lucas was bummed he slept through the soldier scene so we had to rewatch that part on YouTube several times for him. Learn from him and stay awake for the whole show!
Day 5: Lower Manhattan
This was the coldest day of the trip and the one where we changed plans the most (mostly due to the weather - we just aren’t cold weather tolerant people!).
We left early and headed down to Lower Manhattan for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Plan ahead and try to get crown access tickets if you can. We weren’t able to go to the top, but we did get pedestal view tickets and that combined with being on the first ship of the day on the island felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We didn’t book an expensive tour, we just booked directly through the National Parks and Statue City Cruises for our ferry transportation. Expect Crowds. But I think that goes without saying by now!
Once back in Manhattan, we had planned to head north to walk the famed High Line, a public park and path raised 30 feet above the streets below, but it was so cold we couldn’t make it happen. We also skipped a couple of meal reservations that day. I’ll note those restaurants later because we heard great things and will absolutely go back for them one day.
After lunch, we visited The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which was incredibly heavy. My biggest piece of advice: don’t plan too much afterward. It takes a lot out of you emotionally. Plan something lighter or give yourself space to decompress. Also, don’t feel pressured to see everything at the museum, you can always go back and visit again when you feel ready to see more. Outside, the memorial pools are free to visit, and you can pay your respects. Just don’t be like those who use this spot to take their Instagram fashion pics. It just felt wrong to see so many people posing and showcasing their fits in such a somber space.
We ended the day skipping our dinner reservation and heading back to the hotel for takeout. We ended our trip knowing that we’d done a lot and skipped a lot, and that New York would always be there, waiting for the next visit.
Where We Stayed (and What We’d Do Differently)
If we went again, we would not stay in the theater district near Times Square. It was loud all night, extremely crowded, and very touristy. Due to overbooking from the storm, the Kimpton Theta, the hotel we stayed at, actually ran out of blankets on our first night and the kids had no bedding for their bed. How does that even happen?!
Next time, we’d choose a quieter neighborhood and trade a little proximity for better sleep.
Eating Gluten-Free in NYC
New York is one of the best cities we’ve visited for celiac-safe food.
Standouts for us:
Schnippers: Fast food with celiac-safe protocols and lots of gluten-free options (Times Square)
Pappardella: Italian with two dedicated kitchens, one for gluten and one for gluten-free (Upper West Side)
Modern Bread & Bagel: Dedicated gluten-free, breakfast and lunch bagels, pastries, all amazing! (Multiple Locations)
Noglu & Glace by Noglu: Dedicated gluten-free bakery and an ice cream/hot chocolate cart (Upper East Side & Midtown)
Crepe Master: Sweet and savory crepes, dedicated gluten-free. Amazing! (East Village)
Friedman’s: Restaurant chain with both gluten and gluten-free menus that takes celiac safety seriously (multiple locations)
Wild Park Slope: Italian, dedicated gluten-free(Brooklyn)
Gayle’s Broadway Rose: a Friedman’s Restaurant (Midtown)
Kati Shop: Thai/curry, dedicated gluten-free (Midtown)
Push Pop Bakery: One word - Incredible (Midtown)
Keste: Wood-fired pizzas, separate dedicated gluten-free kitchen, and Lucas said it was the best pizza of the trip (Financial District)
There were two restaurants we had planned to visit, Wild and Senza Gluten, but we didn’t due to weather and schedule changes. Both came highly recommended and are on our list for next time.
Turks & Caicos (6 Nights)
After New York, Turks & Caicos felt like a total reset.
We stayed right on Grace Bay at this wonderful Airbnb at the Villa Renaissance, which was beautiful, but our favorite beach ended up being Taylor Bay Beach. We loved it so much, we went twice. Calm, shallow, quiet, and perfect for lingering.
A few planned activities didn’t happen. Three of the four of us got sick, and a big rainstorm stuck around for two days. We skipped out on plans we had hoped to do (clear kayak rentals and ferry to neighboring islands) in favor of more rest and relaxation.
Highlights from Turks & Caicos
Walking puppies with Potcake Place K9 Rescue was hands-down the highlight of our time there. Turks & Caicos has a significant stray dog issue, and spending time helping in even a small way was incredibly meaningful.
Airplane spotting near the airport never got old.
Walking the Bird Rock Trail (even though the only new birds I spotted ended up being at the resorts along Grace Bay).
Early mornings for sunrise and driving somewhere new each night for sunset. Highly recommend.
Puzzles on our Airbnb balcony. I even started a new Instagram account: @puzzlesinplaces to feature all my puzzling!
Driving was easy and very much worth it. Taxis are scarce and expensive. Just be prepared to drive on the left side of the road in a right-hand drive vehicle (British territory things).
We walked through several of the big resort properties and were consistently thankful we chose to stay where we did. Our place was peaceful, quiet, and free of loud music and crowds.
Why Turks & Caicos Felt Different Culturally
This was our first visit to Turks & Caicos, and one thing we noticed quickly was how different it felt compared to other tropical places like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Jamaica, or Hawaii.
Turks & Caicos feels more tourism-focused, with less visible local culture woven into daily life unless you actively seek it out. That’s not a bad thing, just something to know going in. It’s a place for rest, beauty, and simplicity more than cultural immersion. If you are looking to just escape routine and check out - the Turks is a great option! If you are looking for immerisve cultural and historical experiences, I’d skip the trip here! Either way - the beaches are phenomenal and can’t be beat!
Eating Gluten-Free in Turks & Caicos
We relied heavily on our Airbnb kitchen along with our own cookware and food prep items we brough from home, which worked great. Grocery stores were well stocked with vegetarian and gluten-free options, making it easy to prepare most meals ourselves.
We had lunch at The Farm near our Airbnb, and the first thing they asked before we even sat down was if we had any dietary restrictions in our family. I was impressed with their knowledge of celiac safety protocals and we felt safe eating there. We had dinner at Turks Head Brewery one night. There were no celiac-safe options, but worth noting they also offer brewery tours and tastings for those who can have gluten! Lastly, we enjoyed frozen yogurt at Turk Berry and they even went so far as to bring out the packaging on toppings and mixes so that we could check which were celiac safe. Highly recommend!
TWA Hotel Return Stay
Leaving the sun and the sand behind in the Turks & Caicos was not easy, we were dreading returning to the cold, but thankfully, we had one more highlight to look forward to en route back home - a stay at the iconic TWA Hotel. We only had a few hours to explore the many features of the hotel and my only regrets were that we didn’t have more time and that it was dark during our entire stay so we didn’t get the best views.
The TWA Hotel is located at JFK Airport in the former TWA terminal. We chose a deluxe runway view room, which gave us prime views of hundreds of take-offs and landings. And before you worry about the noise, the windows are several inches thick, you can’t hear anything! We also took advantage of the incredible heated rooftop pool to watch all the hustle and bustle of the airport below and had snacks and drinks in the famed “Connie”, a 1958 Lockheed Constellation airplane turned cocktail lounge. Other than the prepackaged popcorn at the lounge, there were no celiac-safe options at the hotel, so I was very thankful I planned ahead and packed sandwiches and snacks for us for dinner that night.
Despite the lack of dining options for Lucas, if a NYC trip ever requires an overnight stay near JFK Airport, we will for sure stay here again!
Final Thoughts & What’s Next:
Looking back, this trip felt like the perfect mix of chaos and calm. Snowstorms, Broadway lights, freezing temperatures, and holiday crowds everywhere… followed immediately by slow mornings, warm water, and puzzle pieces spread out on a balcony overlooking Grace Bay. We didn’t do everything we planned. We changed our minds… a lot. We rested when we needed to. And as I head into 2026, that felt like the biggest win of all.
This year, I’m choosing the word “delight” to anchor my goals and focus my energy. Delight for me means soaking up the small, everyday moments, finding joy in the mundane, and prioritizing peace over productivity. I think this trip was an excellent launching point for doing just that and for setting the stage for our next big trip to England & Scotland in April. Let the planning (ahem… overplanning) commence!
