Travel, United States

Easter Photo Fun! A Photo Essay of the Big Egg Hunt in NYC

I’m ashamed to admit, but when I was growing up, Easter was more about where we were going than the holiday itself.

Often times, our family had extravagant plans to someplace tropical to shake off the winter blues like Mexico, the Bahamas, or, even once, Venezuela. Other years we visited family in Tampa, Washington, DC, or Los Angeles. Rarely did we stay in Ohio. If we did, we made a road trip from Youngstown to visit my Dad’s family in Lorain. I realize that Lorain is about as depressing as Youngstown, but at least there was Lake Erie and the giant Easter basket.

Easter was exciting! It was a time to get away. A time to explore.

NYC on Easter Weekend 22014015

NYC on Easter Weekend 2014

Then the travel stopped. My house in North Carolina soon became the destination for family seeking a break from the winter that always seems to linger a bit too long over Ohio. I started to feel cabin fever as the weather broke, and I made Lenten vows. My fast would lift while I was cooped up in our townhouse overlooking the cesspool our developer has yet to turn into the promised pond oasis.

I began to resent Easter as just any other weekend of the year (It’s not like we had time off from work to celebrate…).

Last year my Easter travel fast was broken and we traveled to NYC for a family wedding.

High Line Park in NYC

High Line Park in NYC

Easter weekend might be the perfect time to visit NYC.

The city seemed more manageable than normal, and we were able to see and do everything that we had planned. Our four day weekend allowed us to explore the Top of the Rock without being over crowded, take a behind the scenes tour of Rockefeller Center, visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty at a leisurely pace, enjoy a Broadway musical, taste the best of Chelsea Market, walk High Line Park, stalk Waffles & Dinges food truck until we found it, and visit the World Trade Center Memorial without waiting for hours. We even managed to catch the beginning of the Today Show’s Concert Series and see the hosts greet the crowd. I realize that last bit is tourist cheeseball, but it was fun to see ourselves on TV thanks to our DVR.

Chowing on Some Waffles from Waffles & Dinges Food Truck

Chowing on Some Waffles from Waffles & Dinges Food Truck

I even found a return to the meaning of Easter.

The highlight of our weekend was the Easter Celebration itself. We attended services at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It wasn’t the typical Sunday service with the world famous choir performing, but a reenactment of the passion story that brought a tear to my eye and made me feel selfish for putting travel over the meaning of Easter.

Travel Tip – If you plan to attend Easter Services at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, be sure to arrive an hour in advance as the line is quite long. Check out the service times here.

Then there were the Easter eggs…

Last year NYC hosted Fabergé’s Big Egg Hunt. In the weeks leading up to Easter, 300 two-and-half foot eggs decorated by famous artists and brands were hidden throughout the city in the world’s largest Easter egg hunt. Participants could download an app and mark where they found eggs. The person who located the most eggs had the chance to win a gemstone pendant worth tens of thousands of dollars. At the end of the hunt, all of the eggs were gathered in Rockefeller Center for display to the public and an auction to raise money and awareness for Elephant Family Charity.

The Fabergè Big Egg Hunt was a creative display of a traditional icon that has become boring. Through artistry and technology, Fabergé helped make an Easter egg hunt relevant again. There were humorous eggs like a tiny chicken laying a giant egg. NYC centric eggs like a one decorated as a cabbie. And artist renditions like my personal favorite, Britto. Enjoy our photos of the Big Egg Hunt in NYC!

 

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

big egg hunt in nyc

 

Happy Easter! What are your Easter plans?