Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Windows

wow I can see the appeal there. They are stunning displays. Do you live close to them and do the 'tourists' get in your way?

Well this time of year, the whole city is mobbed with tourists from all over the world, literally. I love them though. I only work in the city, but sometimes I'll stay at a hotel or friend's place for a few days when work gets crazy.

Lots of patience and courtesy is in order here. Most of these pictures were taken very late when most have gone to bed.

Oxford Street, London, England, is very good too.
I liked the 'Austrian' Saks best, the last one.

What a wonderful display :)

It is a wonderful display as Hywel says .But cost must be obscene,I am thinking of people and especially Children in your own country and around the world who need a blanket and food to keep warm,perhaps Mr Trump could put a tax on such displays and donate it to UNICEF.

Thanks for so many wonderful pictures, Paul. Quite an eye-opener! Love the 'snowflakes', the blue lights and the Barrier Reef (I've been lucky enough to swim there, but it wasn't frozen, lol).

Wow and Wow again ,fantastic display Paul , I have to tell you we met a friend yesterday who returned from a holiday in New York this week he said never again will they go to New York the cost of overpriced meals was disgusting even a glass of water cost them 7 dollars .. Ah well I suppose there will be plenty more tourists ready to take their place ....

They are stunning and even though the costs must be horrendous (and there is always something better that it could be spent on) they must give pleasure to a multitude of people. It's all advertising of course, so you could go on and say the ad. costs on TV are high and a waste, but without them there wouldn't be the amount of TV programmes which rely on advertising funds, it's just the age we are in of course, no doubt many of the grand houses, museums and follies were considered a waste in their day.
Strange, Amy how we all get impressions, I always thought that food and drink was one of the things that was dirt cheap in America!!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures Bathgate, which most of us would otherwise never see.

Looks great ....

where are the cars and people ?

In Cardiff we have a 30 thousand pound xmas tree next to the Castle which hasn't pleased the council tax payers in the area and most are saying it could of gone to better use , looks fab though.

Gg

Thanks for being brave enough to say what I think too Bjs! Its beautifully done and very impressive but what has it got to do with Christmas, or Hanuka or Thanksgiving?

Thank you for the interesting comments. Gg No cars or people because I snuck out of my hotel at 3am when everybody was sleeping...insomnia. Steragram - not a lot to do with the holidays, but I can appreciate somebody's hard work and creativity. I just look at it as an art exhibit. There are still plenty of charities and benevolence here - NYC coat drive, city harvest, salvation army, red cross, shelters for the homeless, habitats for humanity. etc.

Honeysuckle - the cost is outrageous but this is the clientele they cater too. Viewing the displays is free to the public.

Amy - yes I agree, I feel really bad for tourists who get stuck paying those prices. There are places to for reasonable prices...off the beaten path.

Thank you Sheila,

Bjs, WE have plenty of homeless shelters and welfare hotels here. They are mainly supported by successful people who can afford to shop at these places. During college, I used to work at summer camp upstate for homeless children completely free for them. They got free clothing, food, medical needs & all the fun of summer camp. Many of you Brits came over to help as well - we had so much fun it was ridiculous. We had to have our fun too.

I think we have to give Trump a fare chance. Abraham Lincoln was also hated and despised when he took office, and JFK. Trump really is a good person who gets things done. He's not the most eloquent but that's not why we voted for him. Let's wait and see what happens after January 20th.

Braver than me walking the streets at 3am
thanks for the update

Gg

lol, I remember thinking..it's either now or never

We're all glad you survived, Paul!

Not heard of NYC Coat Drive or City Harvest - what are they please Paul?

Thanks Bath. I always did the store window display hopping when I lived in the city. As far as those in need, I didn't worry about somebody else helping I always dug into my own pocket. That eliminates alot of finger pointing. To those wanting to visit NYC, do a little research before you go so you don't get suckered into the plentiful tourist traps and you will have a wonderful time.

Wow... amazing light displays...thanks for sharing ..
and I'm glad I don't have to pay those electricity bills !

Goodness me, what a blast of colour Paul.....very festive!!
Merry Christmas(or happy holidays as you say your side of the Atlantic) to you and yours.

Beautiful displays. Thank you for the photos.

I shall never visit New York so it's good to sample its Christmas festivities second-hand.

London prices can be very high if one doesn't know where to go! It's the same with other cities, Loosestrife. One needs to check out where one can get value for money.

Steragram: New York City Coat Drive is an appeal to you, me and everybody else to clean out our wardrobes and donate our "old" coats that we no longer use. You know that old coat that just hangs there in the back taking up space and is never worn anymore? We donate our old coats to the poor and needy so they can keep warm in winter.

City Harvest is collecting discarded food from restaurants, grocery stores, food left over from catering events, banquets, private parties, whatever. Leftover food that would have been discarded from whatever source, is collected and given to the less fortunate so they can have a decent meal to eat.

That's awesome...I was due to go to London next week to see a play with my daughter but my dad is poorly and we have cancelled it. I was so looking forward to seeing the Christmas lights so thank you for your pics?..made my morning...

You are quite welcome Sandra. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he is doing well. This time with your dad is so precious. I lost my dad a couple years ago, while I was overseas. I remember those final days I spent at his bedside at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The doctors and nurses would take time to come in a chat with us. There will be another tree next year, and the year after...

Thanks again everybody for your interesting comments. Feel free to vent all you want and speak your mind. There is just so much to talk about in the world today. I don't judge, but here you can express yourself anyway you wish.

Do you have charity shops in NY as well Bathgate? (ie shops that people donate used clothing to be resold cheaply, usually to raise funds for a particular charity, so they help in two ways.)

Some shops here are starting to donate their leftover food now, thank goodness. The waste before was just criminal. One supermarket in the past even went to great lengths to prevent people having access to their waste food bins. Its a good start but there is lots of scope to do more. When I lived elsewhere in the UK we used to take buffet leftovers to a homeless persons' night shelter but there isn't one in our small town.

Its a pity that food banks can't accept fresh food - guess its for health reasons but it does seem a shame.

Yes, we have charity shops here too. We call them "Thrift Shops" or "Goodwill." The Salvation Army has shops too throughout the city. The churches are now starting to function as "drop off" points. This really took off when Staten Island got walloped by Hurricane Sandy and hundreds of homes were destroyed on one fateful night.

Those are nicer names than charity shops. There are lots in our small town, all raising money for different organisizations. They are using some of the small shops now that the large chains have relocated on the edge of the town and left them empty.Retail has changed so much in the past 10 years or so.

I like the name 'thrift shop' too . . . and remember hearing it (seeing it?) in Helene Hanff's books.

How amazing is that?

Wonderful Christmas displays. Winter wonderland. Love those snowflakes.

Thank you for sharing the Christmas lights where you live Paul, but where is the nativity or Santa? The cost of electricity must be enormous.
I can understand why people want to go and see them though, and love the underwater one. We just have a few strings of lights across our high street, and on Christmas eve there is a carol service in the market place.
Glad to hear that the charities are benefiting. There are a lot of people who need help and shelter, and a lot of people who are lonely who would love a visit, or a hot meal. We have a bin at church where one can donate food to help others who need it. It goes to a food bank and gets distributed out.

Thank you Linda. Enjoy your holiday & Happy New Year.

Speaking of lights I remember that around October the Empire State Building and certain other Manhatten skyscrapers use to go dark for a few weeks to keep migratory birds from getting confused and slamming into them. I wonder if that is still done?

I'm not aware of that happening and the birds are still hitting the buildings. Also discovered colonies of bats living in central park in the caves and canyons of Belvedere Castle.

That is marvelous news Bath! I have not seen one single bat in about five years since the White-Nose Syndrome all but wiped out the bat colonies in my area. When the local radio and tv news shows said " the temperature in central park is....." that bit of information came from a little weather monitor set up in Belvedere Castle. For those in the UK, this castle which is situated in New York City's Central Park is one of the many surprises and curiosities which can be found while walking around in the park.

Yes, the weather station is still there and fully functional. Not too many people know about the bats in Central Park because of course they are nocturnal creatures, but there are bat tours you can go on. Ironically, the surrounding city actually buffers the bats from predators and they thrive. Just imagine the interesting people you can meet on a "bat tour!" I will post a picture of a bat sent to me by a member.

I just saw this blog. I can remember years ago, walking down to Saks just to see the windows. always an amazement, but this takes the prize. I am a true sucker for window display. As you say, art work and stagecraft. Can you imagine what fun this would be! Saks used to be a rather swish place to shop, favoring Bonwit Teller and the like. Saks was still a department store, and most of the people shopping were the old set. Suddenly it emerged as THE place to shop, and everything became luxe... But just to walk around and see the displays was a great adventure. So thanks for letting us see the latest.

You are quite welcome, but you'd be surprised that even here, there are bargains to be found, even for us.

Paul you mention bat predators - I didn't know they had any. What predates on them?

Racoons, snakes, owls, some hawk & weasels. Often during the day while they sleep, bats are easy prey for raptors & other mammals.