We love this time of year! And we especially love spending time in New York City in December. There are beautiful decorations on every corner, pop-up food festivals, craft fairs, and of course, Santa Claus!
Below are 10 dog-friendly activities and events we will check out this holiday season. Let us know if you have some doggy traditions not to miss!
Grand Central Terminal
We absolutely love Grand Central Terminal! There is dog-friendly shopping, dining (Shake Shack!) and this time of year they unleash the Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall with gift ideas pawfect for everyone in your family! The Life of Ryley had some really cute and unique doggy gifts, too! Also, don’t miss the Holiday Light Show each evening.
The Life of Ryley at Grand Central holiday shops
Shops at Columbus Circle
Another great place to get out of the cold and enjoy shopping and a pretty holiday light show! Yes, the Shops at Columbus Circle welcome dogs. Their light show “Holiday Under the Stars” runs every evening and is set to beautiful music. The Winter’s Eve party on December 2 is very crowded, but lots of fun, too.
Volunteer/Give Back
So we can’t volunteer in a soup kitchen, but there are lots of ways we can give back this holiday season. We especially like Amazon wish lists because they are easy to use and we like to shop! Ask your favorite charity if they have a wish list where you can purchase items they need. Clean your closet and donate your old towels and sheets to the local animal shelter. Check out lots of ideas here.
Lord & Taylor
Sure there are lots of department stores to visit (many are dog friendly), but Lord & Taylor is our favorite! They are very friendly to the pups and they even carry a special doggy line this season with cute toys, bowls, and sweaters from Hudson’s Bay Company and Harry Barker. Their beautiful holiday windows and interactive photo shoot are great this year!
Hudson’s Bay Company collection at Lord & Taylor
Santa Claus
In the past, the Bloomingdale’s Santa Claus has been dog friendly. He comes down from the North Pole to meet kids and pups and listen to their wishes. Check your local pet boutique for special Santa visits, too!
Bryant Park
Love Bryant Park in every season! Especially love the Winter Village with dog-friendly shopping and dining. The shops are open through January 5. We hope they show outdoor winter movies again this year, too! Not too crowded and fun to snuggle with a pup and popcorn!
Window Shopping
Stores are slowly unveiling their holiday windows this season and we have not been disappointed! We are really excited to see the Saks windows with the Yeti! We are assuming that will be our fave this year!! Most of the NYC department stores are very dog friendly with the exception of Macy’s . . . Racked has good holiday window information.
Lord & Taylor window
Holiday Markets
We love holiday markets because they often feature local shops and products. In general, the outdoor markets are dog friendly, and Racked has a list of 15 best holiday pop-up shops this season. The indoor Grand Central market is dog friendly. We’ll try to update this with other dog-friendly indoor options!
Head to Church
Once again, Christ Church will host a Blessing for the Animals on December 8 at 2 pm. The event is hosted by Cindy Adams and the New York Post. Expect a very beautiful church and a huge crowd.
Photo Opps
Kimpton Hotels usually will host a Santa Paws photo day in December, so we will watch for that information. There are beautiful photo opps at every turn this time of year. Have your camera ready! Also check your local pet boutique and shelter for Santa photo shoots.
the pup diary 