The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived today from Connecticut. This year the tree is an 88 foot Norway spruce from the home of Rob Kinnaird. Each year helicopters scout the area for a tree, the minumum height being 75 feet tall. No money is paid for the tree but the owner(s) of the tree get the VIP treatment during the lighting of the tree. The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree takes place on November 29 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The tree stays up until January 9, 2007

Local Tips: Rockefeller Center during the holiday season is packed when there is no lighting ceremony so you can imagine during the ceremony that it’s a mob. Honestly your best bet is to watch it on tv because it’s nearly impossible to get a good view. Rockefeller Center is a tightly packed space with narrow streets and tall buildings. The viewing area from a distance is very limited so your time would be better spent elsewhere than waiting for the lights to come on. I watched the lights come on one year and would not do it again. We waited for hours in a tightly packed crowd far across on 5th Ave. only to hear a countdown and see the lights come on. It really wasn’t worth it.

Late nights (especially weekday nights) are best to view the tree and to avoid the crowds. The tree is lit until 11:30pm every night.

Getting there: Subway B, D, F, V to Rockefeller Center/47-50 Streets