RT2 – Day 3 – Hudson Yards, the High Line, the Brooklyn Bridge and the lights of Dyker Heights

On 24 December the blue sky was back after the grey of the day before. Perfect timing: we had a big day planned, with a lot of time outdoors. On the agenda, the west side of Manhattan and then Brooklyn, ending in a neighbourhood we had been looking forward to: Dyker Heights and its houses decorated for Christmas.

Sunrise from the hotel

Jet lag had struck again and we were awake at dawn. It was worth it: the sun was rising behind the Empire State Building, in an orange-tinted sky. On the other side we could already see the towers of Hudson Yards, our first stop of the day. After breakfast, we set off early.

Hudson Yards and the Vessel

We started the morning with a walk around Hudson Yards, one of Manhattan’s newest neighbourhoods, built over a rail yard that is still in use. Everything is new: glass towers, a shopping centre and, in the middle of the plaza, the Vessel.

This is also where you’ll find The Edge, the observation deck on the 100th floor of the 30 Hudson Yards tower: an open-air terrace about 345 metres up that juts out into the void, with part of the floor made of glass. We didn’t visit it. Tickets start at around $42 per adult, a little less if you book at least two weeks ahead, and The Edge is one of the attractions on the Go City Pass.

The Vessel💡TipOpen daily from 11am to 7pm. Tickets from $10 per person, plus a $2 fee per ticket, free for children up to 5. Booking at vesselnyc.com. 2026 information, to be checked before you go. is a kind of giant copper beehive designed by the architect Thomas Heatherwick and opened in 2019: 154 interlocking flights of stairs over 16 storeys. It was closed for several years following tragic accidents. It has reopened to the public, with safety netting on the upper levels, but you now have to pay to climb it, and it was closed when we came by. So we didn’t go up. For the holidays, the plaza was decorated with illuminated hot-air balloons and small Christmas trees. With a Christmas Starbucks in hand, we were in the mood.

We also went into the shopping centre to warm up and use the toilets. It sits right below The Edge, and it’s in fact the way in for the observation deck. The galleries were completely decked out in strings of lights, with giant nutcracker soldiers, a nice nod after the previous night’s ballet. Given the time, most of the shops weren’t open yet: no shopping for us, but it was lovely to look at. Good to know: there are free, very clean toilets.

The High Line, an old railway turned into a park

Right next to the Vessel is the start of the High Line, a former elevated railway that used to serve the neighbourhood’s warehouses and factories. Abandoned in the 1980s, it was turned into a walkway and opened to the public from 2009. You walk at second- or third-floor level for about 2.3 km, among tall grasses, birches and the old rails left in place.

In winter the planting is inevitably a bit subdued, but it’s still a very pleasant walk, and a good way of heading south without having to deal with the traffic. In the warmer months it must be a real pleasure: with all its trees and plants, the High Line must feel like a green lung in the middle of the city.

All around, the old warehouses have been converted into fairly luxurious lofts, and with the High Line the neighbourhood has become rather cosy. For architecture lovers the walk is worth it: you see the buildings from a little higher up than from the street. And it’s completely free. We followed it to the end, to reach Little Island.

Little Island, on the banks of the Hudson

Coming down from the High Line, we walked to the Hudson waterfront to see Little Island. It’s a small park built over the water, opened in 2021 and resting on 132 tulip-shaped concrete piles. From the quay it looks like a floating island. Like the High Line, it’s an architectural curiosity that is worth a look.

Admission is free here too. Small paths lead up to the viewpoints, with the Hudson, New Jersey opposite and One World Trade Center to the south. There isn’t much to do there, but allow an hour to wander around, which is how long we spent. If you have children, there’s a whole park with a playground.

The wind was wild that day. Be warned: in December it’s truly freezing by the Hudson. But it’s a nice spot, and really one of a kind.

Off to Brooklyn by subway

To get to Brooklyn, we took the subway at 14th Street station. The New York subway isn’t the most modern or the cleanest, but it’s efficient and runs 24 hours a day. You no longer need a ticket to pay: just tap your contactless bank card or your phone on the reader at the entrance.

We took the subway several times during our stay and never felt unsafe. That said, there were two of us, we stayed in the tourist areas and we didn’t use it at the riskiest hours. Some neighbourhoods are no doubt less safe than others.

DUMBO and the views of the bridges

We arrived in DUMBO, short for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”, a former industrial district of red-brick warehouses. This is where one of the best-known photos of New York is taken: from Washington Street, the Manhattan Bridge framed by the buildings, with the Empire State Building showing through the arch of the bridge. Obviously we weren’t the only ones after it, and you need a bit of patience to get the street without a car in it.

We then wandered through the little cobbled streets, where the old rails are still set in the ground, to Brooklyn Bridge Park and Pebble Beach, its small pebble beach on the East River.

From there you get a magnificent view of the Brooklyn Bridge with the whole of Lower Manhattan behind it, all the more beautiful under that day’s blue sky. Close by, we also went up to the rooftop of Time Out Market New York, a food hall in a former warehouse, to enjoy the view before tackling the bridge. We didn’t eat there, but if you’re around at mealtime it’s a good place to stop for a light lunch.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

We then headed back to Manhattan by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. The pedestrian walkway is raised above the cars, between the cables, and you walk towards the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan. Allow a good half hour for the crossing, a little more if you stop for photos.

Packed as it is, it’s a New York classic. The view is magnificent and, on a clear day, you can even make out the Statue of Liberty in the distance. On the far side, the walkway comes out at City Hall Park.

Levain cookies, Harry Potter and LEGO

After all that walking we had earned a sweet break at Levain Bakery, famous for its huge cookies, thick and soft inside without being runny. We went to the one at 2 West 18th Street and bought a box of six to try a bit of every flavour. We love the chocolate chip walnut, and we’d point you to the peanut butter one, not to be missed! A single cookie can be enough to fill you up.

We then walked to the Flatiron District to see the Flatiron Building, the famous triangular building from 1902. Sadly it was under renovation, being converted into homes, and well and truly covered in scaffolding. Even so, it was worth the detour: you can clearly make out its very particular shape, formed by the meeting of the two streets.

Next, for Harry Potter fans, we made for Harry Potter New York, the largest official store for the saga, on Broadway. You’ll find the griffin from Dumbledore’s office, a Honeydukes section full of sweets, wands, scarves for every house… The shop is an attraction in itself and well worth a visit.

Across the street, we had a look around the LEGO Store, with its Statue of Liberty torch made of bricks. They have a few sets that are specific to New York, and we brought two home: a small New York taxi and a New York postcard, with its buildings, its bridges, the Statue of Liberty and, there too, a little yellow cab.

The Christmas lights of Dyker Heights

In the late afternoon we set off again for south Brooklyn, to Dyker Heights. It’s a fairly smart residential neighbourhood, well off the usual routes, which becomes an attraction in its own right every December. Since the 1980s the residents have been trying to outdo each other with Christmas decorations: thousands of lights, giant figures, illuminated trees, sometimes music. Some even hire professionals to put it all up.

We got there just as night was falling, and it was the right moment: the sky still dark blue, and all the houses lighting up one after another. We wandered from street to street, looking up. Giant nutcrackers are everywhere: clearly the theme of our stay.

The most decorated houses are between 11th and 13th Avenues, from 83rd to 86th Street. We went by subway, then walked all around the neighbourhood. We loved it, with a soft spot for the houses guarded by tall nutcrackers.

A sushi Christmas Eve facing the Empire State

Back at the hotel, the Empire State Building had put on its Christmas colours, red and green. It was our first Christmas Eve away from the family. It does feel a bit strange, we’re not used to it, but in the end it’s for a good reason: we’re discovering so much.

For Christmas Eve dinner, no turkey and no yule log: we went for takeaway sushi, eaten quietly in the hotel room. Not very traditional, but after a whole day of walking it was exactly what we needed. There were still a lot of people in the streets. We didn’t get the impression that New Yorkers make a big thing of Christmas Eve, perhaps more of Christmas Day. So we didn’t feel alone far from the family. We ended the evening quietly, ready for Christmas Day in New York (coming out on October 25, 2026).