@Will posted:Skip,
I had a chance to read the two articles and wow! More spectacular than I ever imagined!
I also have lots of nostalgia for NYC Christmases, NY being my adopted city where I lived and worked for many years. I never saw the Lionel showroom, but I did noodle around in Madison Hardware.
But the city has become so crowded you can't move anymore, so I don't know when we will go in again. Last trip was not as much fun. You can't even move at Rockefeller Center.
Neither article had wide shots or a track plan though. I'd love to see those if they are floating around somewhere.
Thanks Will!
Our last family trip to the city was in December 2019 and we made the mistake of being there the weekend just before Christmas and waiting until dark to go to Rockefeller Center. I usually make a few trips to the area between Thanksgiving and Christmas but never that close to Christmas. During the day it wasn't bad but after dark it was wall to wall people. We got as close as 49th by the Today Show studio, took a quick photo of the tree from the side and aborted. Of course, 2020 was a wash out due to Covid and I was just talking to Roger Farkash and they're not sure if the train layouts will be back in Macy's and Grand Central in 2021. Social distancing is the big issue of concern. Hopefully the city will return to it's holiday splendor, especially 5th Ave, this coming season.
Here is about as wide a shot as I can get. Shot from the back corner. It takes in quite a bit of the layout.
