New York City Archives - Laughing Lindsay

A Look Back at 2025

December 31, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Since it’s the last day of the year, I thought I’d post a look back at 2025!

A Look Back at 2025

Well, back in 2024, I said that I wasn’t sure where 2025 would take me. However, I hinted at a bucket list trip to kick off the new year. That trip was to New York City with my husband! From there on, the year was filled with several last minute trips. I don’t particularly care for last minute trips and prefer to be more intentional with my trips. However, that’s just how some years go! In 2025, I managed to take 9 trips! Granted, several of those were quick 24-48 hour weekend trips. Nonetheless, I felt like I traveled too much in the first half of the year (6 trips) and slowed way down in the second half (3 trips). I also got sick in October and that lasted until late November (Covid that turned into bronchitis). So, that also slowed me down. I’m currently looking to plan some trips in 2026, just trying to narrow down my options. Here’s a look at where I’ve been in 2025 though.

New York at Christmas

My 2025 started with a bang! My husband and I visited NYC in early January to experience it at Christmas! I finally got to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in person! I also go to see the Rockettes perform! It was a quick 48 hours trip, but it’s one I think about often. I hope I get to return to NYC at Christmastime again someday.

Dollywood by Myself

In March, I made a real last minute trip to Dollywood… by myself! You see, I’m not much of a driver. It tends to cause me a lot of stress. So, this was the first trip I’ve taken where I drove myself! I knew if I made a plan too far in advance, then I might chicken out. I booked my room a week or so out and then didn’t tell anyone except for my husband just in case I didn’t do it. Ha! I surprised my mom by sending her pictures of my room and she was absolutely shocked that I drove myself. It sounds crazy, but I am proud of the progress I’ve made to overcome my driving anxiety.

The Beach

The first trip my mom and I ever took after my dad died was to Myrtle Beach. That was in 2013. However, we hadn’t returned to the beach since then. When we were attempting to nail down a spring trip, I suggested returning to MB and my mom liked the idea. We ended up spending a few days in Myrtle and then a night in Charleston. It was a nice trip that I’m glad we took together.

Epic Universe

Yet another last minute trip happened at the beginning of May. I got to visit Epic Universe for park previews before its official opening! I can’t believe I got to experience a park before it officially opened to the public. It’s a real pinch me moment. It was so surreal and I’m glad I had the time and funds to make it happen.

Return to Tweetsie

The first theme park I ever visited was Tweetsie Railroad! I visited with my aunt and cousins as a child, but hadn’t returned. I kept talking about returning as an adult, but it wasn’t until May of this year that I finally did it. My husband and I took a real last minute weekend trip down to Boone, NC and visited this park. It was neat to re-create photos from my childhood and to see how things are going now. I hope I can return someday to experience its Halloween and Christmas events.

I Met Bob Gurr

In September, I took a whirlwind trip to California. While there, I got to meet former Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend, Bob Gurr! Talk about another pinch me moment. I still can’t believe that happened either. However, I am so thankful I was able to meet him and see his home. During that trip, I also got to eat at Tam O’Shanter, a Walt Disney favorite. Then, I went down to Anaheim to visit Disneyland for Halloween again. It was a tiring trip made worse by a flight diversion to Charlotte at the end. Anyways, I’m not sure I have it in me for another West Coast trip anytime soon.

Looking Ahead to 2026

I always like to give a little preview of what’s to come in the new year in these posts. However, as of this writing, I don’t have it figured out yet. Traveling has gotten much harder for my mom. She now requires lots of breaks and we will probably stick to driving distance trips. It’s all pretty new, so we are still figuring it out.

Although, I did renew my Dollywood pass for 2026 and upgraded to a Diamond pass for the first time! So, there should be at least 1 or 2 trips there next year.

Where do you plan on visiting in 2026? Where do you think I should go?

Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular Review and Tips

July 16, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to watch the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular while visiting New York City! Seeing as how tickets are already on sale for a new season, I thought I would post a review along with some tips for attending the show. Also, I thought it made for a great little Christmas in July post!

Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular

I’ve grown up seeing the Rockettes on tv since I was a little girl. However, I never thought that I would actually get to see them perform live. Back in early January, my husband and I took a quick 48 hour trip to New York City so that I could finally experience NYC at Christmas. While there, I had to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! It was a wonderful evening that I won’t soon forget.

Buying Tickets

Tickets are nonrefundable. So, I waited until we were sure we were going to purchase tickets. I bought two tickets for the 8 PM show on January 2nd in November. I was able to use a discount code from QVC to save some money. Based off of my own research, I decided to go with seats in the first mezzanine in order to be able to appreciate the whole show. While we may not have seen every little detail, it was great for watching the drones and seeing various effects. I really enjoyed our view and have no regrets about my choice.

Arriving at the Show

We stayed at a hotel right beside Radio City, so we simply walked over for the show. I couldn’t imagine trying to find parking in that area. We arrived about 1 hour and 15 minutes ahead of time since they won’t allow late entry to interrupt the show. After going through some security, we had plenty of time to admire the building and find our seats.

The Experience

I had only seen the girls perform on television while advertising for the show, so I had no real idea what to expect. I was surprised by the length of the show and the scale of it. I really enjoyed the holiday tunes and wonderful choreography. The drones and other effects were really neat too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this show. There’s a reason it’s a classic must-do when in NYC at Christmastime. I think my husband may have even enjoyed the show.

Tips

Buy tickets in advance – The earlier you book, the better the selection of seats.
Look out for discounts – Last year, QVC put out a nice discount code that I was able to use on our tickets to save a good bit.
Give some thought to where you want to sit – If you want to see the little details on costumes, then maybe sit in the orchestra section in front of the stage. If you want more of an overall view, then a mezzanine seat is perfect!
Arrive early – They won’t allow you to interrupt the show if you are late. So, arrive early to appreciate the historic building you are in and to find your seats.
Eat before the show – They don’t allow outside food or beverages in the venue. So, eat a nice dinner before the show.
Put the phone away – They have a strict no photography/videography policy for the show. I took a few photos of the building and then put my phone away. Besides, I don’t know that a phone would do a good job of capturing the show anyways.

Should you attend the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular?

If you are someone who grew up watching these ladies perform on tv, then I think it’s a must-do. If you are someone who wants to do the classic NYC Christmas experiences, then it’s definitely a must-do. If you don’t appreciate shows, art, or Christmas, then maybe you can skip it. I’m not sure if I will make the effort to see the show again. However, it did make me want to take a tour of the venue just to see how that stage works.

Top of the Rock Observation Deck New York City Review

April 9, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in early January, my husband and I took a quick 48 hour trip to New York City. While there, we visited the Top of the Rock observation deck. Today, I want to give a little review of that experience.

Top of the Rock

As I mentioned in my Rockefeller Center Tour review, we purchased the Rock Pass for $56/each. The Rock Pass included the tour as well as entry to Top of the Rock. However, you can also purchase tickets to just the observation deck for $34-61 depending on the day and time you select. The tour costs $27 alone, so $56 is a bargain if you are interested in both things!

Prior to booking this experience, I attempted to find reviews and saw they were mixed. Lots of folks loved the views but felt it was touristy and crowded. Having visited myself, I think both of those things are true.

The Crowds

We spent just shy of 48 hours in NYC. Without hesitation I can say this was the most crowded place we visited. We waited in the Welcome Gallery prior to being herded in like cattle to the theater for a 5 minute film on the history of the location. Next up, we waited even longer to board an elevator ride up to the 67th floor. Once there, there’s three levels to explore. However, there were people everywhere! I had to wait for people to get out of the way to take pictures. Then, we had to wait to take the escalators/stairs up to the next levels. If you get overwhelmed with crowds, then don’t go in the afternoon or maybe just skip this place altogether. The crowds were starting to thin a little by the time we left, but it was still pretty busy.

The Views

I will admit, the views from here are magnificent! It was wonderful for us rural folks to see the city from this angle. I also enjoyed seeing the city light up when the sun went down. It was also cool to see landmarks that I’ve seen on TV my whole life from there. It was a once in a lifetime sort of experience.

Is Top of the Rock worth it?

My husband and I loved the views of the city from Top of the Rock. However, I believe it was a one and done for us. It’s just not worth the time suck of waiting and dealing with the crowds to go again. Although, I can see why it’s a popular tourist experience with the gorgeous views. I’m glad we went, but don’t need to visit it again.

DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown Fifth Avenue Review

March 27, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back when my husband and I visited NYC in January we stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown Fifth Avenue. Since it’s a recently refurbished and re-branded hotel, there aren’t many reviews available. I thought I would give anyone considering a stay here an overall review.

DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown

I had a really hard time picking a hotel for the NYC trip. Between high prices, not knowing the area, and lackluster reviews, it can be difficult to find the right hotel in NYC. Given its proximity to the things we wanted to visit, the recent refurbishment, and pricing we selected the DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown for our two night stay. I will admit that this was nowhere near a perfect stay. In fact, I will probably choose to stay elsewhere if I ever return to the city.

Room Options

Given that the hotel is centrally located and basically crammed in (like much of the rest of the city), there are loads of different room configurations available here. I booked a 1 King Bed in mid-October for early January using a Hilton Honors discount. Unfortunately, we received a queen. So, this review will be on a queen size bedroom.

I will say that the recent refurbishment is nice. The room looks sleek and clean when you first enter it. There’s also a good amount of plug ins here since they recently remodeled it. The bed was reasonably comfortable as well. Unfortunately, that’s where the good stuff ends.

It was a tiny room. I know that’s par for the course for a room in NYC though, so I can’t fault them too much for that. However, the heat was turned off when we arrived and we had to get someone to come to the room to turn it on. That took multiple trips down to the front desk to get fixed. I also was surprised to see people right outside our window doing construction. The construction crew got an early start each day. So, make sure you pull the blinds here.

The bathroom had several little issues. The shower door doesn’t properly latch close. The cabinet doors don’t have a hinge to keep them from slamming into the wall/picture. There’s no fan in the bathroom (which makes sharing a room a little awkward if nothing else). Lastly, the faucet was installed backwards. You have to turn it to the right for hot water, instead of the traditional left.

Pros

Location – This hotel is right beside Radio City Music Hall. It was perfect for seeing the Rockettes and walking over to Rockefeller Center for the NBC Studios Tour.
Recently refurbished – Rooms were remodeled in 2024.
Good number of plugins – Older hotels tend to have an inadequate amount, so it’s nice to find a hotel with an ample amount.
Italian restaurant – There’s an Italian restaurant housed in the top of the hotel. We had dessert here one night and it was good. The ambiance was nice and romantic. However, the menu was over-priced.
Free cookie – Every DoubleTree by Hilton gives out free cookies upon checking in. We enjoyed ours immediately.

Cons

Check in was a disaster – There’s no other way to say this. This was the worst check in experience I’ve ever had. The lobby is small with no seating. Plus, they store guest luggage here. To add insult to injury, we were told at check in that if our room wasn’t ready by check in time, we would receive an upgrade. A queen is certainly not an upgrade from a king. We ended up taking whatever we could get as we had dinner and show plans to get to. We (along with several others) waited 1.5 hours for a room.
No real luggage storage – This is one of the biggest reasons I won’t be returning here. They appear to have one room for storing guest luggage (maybe?) that gets full immediately. We checked out of the room a little after 8 AM on a Saturday and we still had to stow our luggage in the lobby. They give out a luggage tag to retrieve your luggage. My husband ended up losing ours, but it didn’t matter since we were able to walk right up to take our luggage without anyone noticing or caring! Maybe if you travel light or don’t need luggage storage, this will be ok for you. However, you can expect to walk by lots of luggage in the lobby everyday of your stay.
Room is small and wonky – As I noted above, there were lots of little mistakes in the bathroom.
Long elevator waits – There’s definitely not enough elevators for a hotel with this many people.
Fragrance in lobby – There’s a fragrance dispenser in the lobby of the hotel and of the restaurant. It puts out fragrance every few minutes. If you are sensitive to fragrance (I have a strong sense of smell) then this is a problem to walk by everyday.

Is the DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown worth it?

We paid $487.52 for two nights in early January here. I think that’s a cheap room in NYC. However, if I return to NYC I will probably look for something a little further away for better accommodations. It’s probably acceptable for a quick trip to see a show though.

The Tour at NBC Studios Review

March 5, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

While visiting New York City in January, my husband and I were lucky enough to do The Tour at NBC Studios! I didn’t find many reviews of this experience, so I thought I’d do a complete write-up of the experience.

The Tour at NBC Studios

I think everyone has watched at least one episode of a show filmed at 30 Rock or in NBC Studios in NYC. I’m talking about Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and the TODAY Show. The only way you can get a look at these studios is by taking the Tour at NBC Studios or attending a filming. Unfortunately, all of the shows were on holiday when we visited so we weren’t able to attend a filming. However, that meant that we got to see the two most popular studios on the tour: 8H (where SNL is filmed) and 6B (where the Tonight Show is)!

There are no guarantees which studios you will get to visit on the tour. The schedule of filming and rehearsals dictate which studios are available. However, this increases the repeatability since you don’t know which studios you will get to see this time.

The Beginning

This tour begins and ends in the NBC Studios Gift Shop in Rockefeller Center. The tour guides are two NBC pages. From there, everyone goes through a security check point. Then, you are shown a brief film about the history of the studios at Rockefeller Center. In early January, it was narrated by Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. I assume it has been updated since Hoda’s departure from the show.

Studio 8 H

Then, the group was led out to the elevators and up to Studio 8H! I grew up watching SNL, so it was really neat to finally see where it’s filmed. It’s a much smaller space than I imagined. They told us all kinds of facts about the show. They say the best seat to view the show is on your couch because it can be difficult to see everything live. It was surreal to spend several minutes just sitting in the audience and looking at the stages while discussing the show. We also got to walk down the hallway leading to the Studio to look at pictures of the cast and famous sketches over the years. It was a quiet place, but it was easy to imagine it being lively when they are preparing for a show. We also got to see a few costumes, including The Target Lady!

Studio 6B

Next up, we went back to the elevators to visit Studio 6B! We got to peer in the studio used for Kelly Clarkson’s show but couldn’t actually go in. We learned a little about the history of The Tonight Show and about Jimmy Fallon bringing it back to NYC. Then, we got to enter the studio and sit in the very back of the audience. I will admit, it reminded me of riding the Jimmy Fallon ride at Universal Orlando. Nonetheless, it was a really neat experience.

Finale

Towards the end of the tour, we got to see some behind the camera stuff: where they add sound and edit videos. The grand finale of the tour is allowing the tour group to enter a recording studio to make their own show! I got to be the audio engineer who adds noises over stuff! After the tour, a link to the video was emailed to ticket holders. So, it was a really nice way to tie up the experience.

Tips

Not for children – Our tour group included 3 children. One of those children fell asleep in The Tonight Show studio. Then, another time two of them were crawling around in the floor. The minimum age requirement for the tour is 8, but I think that’s too young. Only the last little bit was hands-on. It was more engaging than the Rockefeller Center Tour, but still probably best for older kids.
Buy tickets 3-4 weeks out – The site doesn’t sell tickets too far in advance. I purchased ours on December 21st for early January.
Buy souvenirs after the tour – This way, you don’t have to carry it around. Also, your pin from the tour gets you 10% off your purchase!
Great for fans of NBC shows – I don’t think this tour is worth it if you don’t already have an interest in these shows. Your time and money is better spent doing one of the many other things available in NYC.
No pictures or videos allowed – You won’t be doing this tour for YouTube or Instagram. They don’t allow videos at all. The only photo I was allowed to take was of the NBC peacock carpet in the elevators. So, go in for the knowledge/experience and not photos.

Is The Tour at NBC Studios worth it?

It’s $48/a person for this tour. I found that to be reasonable, but I am used to theme park prices. Plus, I’m a fan of the shows filmed here. However, if you aren’t a fan of the shows, then it’s probably not worth it. Have you ever taken this tour? Which studios did you see?