New York City is truly iconic, but even more so at Christmas. It is visually stunning and every corner feels like a movie scene. The city is built on lights and production, which only grows bigger during the festive season. The tree at the Rockefeller Center ice rink, along with the light display at Saks Fifth Avenue, makes it a place you will feel the festive spirit.

As a designer, it is hard to visit somewhere so impactful and not notice the beauty in the chaotic layers of design this city offers. Times Square, with its billboards, visually stunning chaos, and digital advertising, is a place where a creative mind could stand all day and never be bored.

New York is full of iconic visual elements, from yellow taxis to Lady Liberty, that speak for themselves. The city is also full of architectural genius, including the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Centre, Radio City, and One World Trade Center. Grand Central Station stops you mid-walk with marble walls and elegant detailing everywhere you turn.

The shopping scene in New York is unlike any other. Each shop is immersive, from the Lego store, which recreated its own version of Times Square, layering design within design, to the Disney store, where Tangled lanterns hang above the escalators. And of course, shopping in Soho to visit Bloomingdale’s is a must for true fashion lovers (the Rachel Green way).

At the American Museum of Natural History, the first thing I noticed was the 2024 Origami Holiday Tree, themed Proboscideans on Parade, which brought thousands of hand-folded paper ornaments into a 13-foot spiral. It felt uniquely New York, playful, and immersive. The museum’s incredible rooms of historic beauty and dinosaurs made the visit even more memorable.

Unlike Salem MA, New York does not have a single unified identity. Its visual power comes from layers of iconic elements and curated chaos overlapping to create a city that is instantly recognisable. Central Park is full of timeless beauty, and in a city of skyscrapers, it provides the perfect contrast. The city is a living lesson in how multiple visual elements can coexist and still feel like one.