I have always been a staunch believer in Christmas starting after the morning of Thanksgiving. However, the Bryant Park Christmas Village has me rethinking my ways.
The Bryant Park Christmas Village is an annual New York City tradition. Starting in late October, Bryant Park is filled with various vendors, selling anything from Christmas ornaments to sandwich melts. The most popular type of merchandise seems to be hot chocolate. Of those vendors, there was only one I tried, which I would highly recommend.
Loca Madres offers not only hot chocolate, but also donuts and sundaes. Of the various hot chocolate places, it didn’t stand out to me at first. What caught my eye and encouraged me to try it was the mugs that you could get the hot chocolate in. They were some of the cutest Christmas mugs I have ever seen, with options including a snowman, Santa and a gingerbread man and woman. These mugs are not only festive, but also collectable and able to be stacked on top of each other. Needless to say, I will definitely be venturing back to Bryant Park to complete my set.
The mugs may have been the initial reason for my purchase, but any future purchases will also be for the hot chocolate. At first, this hot chocolate seemed very basic, as it just had whipped cream and marshmallows on top. However, it would end up becoming one of my favorite hot chocolates I have ever tasted. The texture was insanely creamy, the chocolate just rich enough so as to have a nice flavor, but not be too overwhelming. If you take a trip to Bryant Park this holiday season, this is a vendor to be sure not to miss.
Of the many other food places available, there are a few worth noting. Cheese Wheel Pasta is exactly what the name suggests. This food vendor serves fettuccine with cheese, a typically basic dish. However, this place stands out because of the experience it provides: customers get to watch as their pasta is mixed in with sauce on an actual cheese wheel. Even if you choose something else to eat, this stand is definitely worth checking out–if only to see the cheese wheel.
Lazy Dog is a vendor that sells corndogs with a twist. Of their many wacky flavors, there is a cheesy Cheeto corn dog, which “features a layer of melted cheddar cheese wrapped in crunchy Cheeto crumbs, surrounding rich, stretchy mozzarella cheese on the inside.” If you are into crazy food combos, this stand might be the one for you.
The last notable food stand is Pickle Me Pete. This vendor offers many different pickle variations, such as a fried pickle “stickle,” or fried pickles on a kebab, and a pickle flight, which is a sample of six fresh pickles. This place offers a variety of pickle themed t-shirt and hat designs for customers to purchase as well. It might just be the pickle lover in me, but this seemed like a can’t-miss vendor.
There were also various art-related sellers. Juni BK and Pinky Pilots both offer art designs based on NYC culture that would be perfect for hanging on a dorm room wall. Gone To The Dogs presents adorable dog toy designs, in the form of things such as dumplings, fire hydrants and more. Melsey’s Illustrations is the place to get cute prints on anything from tea towels to mugs, perfect for anybody searching for a Christmas present for their mothers. However, if you’re searching for roommate and/or friend gift ideas that are cheap, Patches and Pins has it, with their funky socks and many decorative pins.
