Janelle Victor – Urban Tourism HMGT 4987 Fall 2024

Discovering NYC – Janelle Victor

The Shops at Columbus Circle

I visited the Shops at Columbus Circle. Which is a shopping mall located in Columbus Circle in the upper west side. The entire mall is decorated with holiday lights. The mall is popular with locals and tourists, but the holiday decor invites people to just view the decorations, which are beautiful. Taking the subway home, I ran into a discovery of the “Turnstyle Underground Market” which is a market inside of the train station. I had no idea it existed, so it was very cool to of stumbled upon it. It was after 8pm so the shops were closed, but I could imagine how busy it gets during operating hours. Especially during this cold season, commuters can eat and shop, without ever going outside. It was fun to actual discover a part of NYC.

Turnstyle Underground Market

Discovering NYC – Janelle Victor

Lincoln Center

I visited Lincoln center. which is a performing arts center located in the upper west side. It is the largest Arts center in the United States. The center has several different theaters and hosts different shows throughout the year. Events are ticketed but during the summer a lot of outdoor events that are free and open to the public take place. The center attracts tourists from around the world at any time of the year. On my walk to the center, I noticed lights in different areas surrounding the center. It did not seem to be holiday lights, as the color was blue. So, I was very interested. When I got closer, I noticed a sign advertising “Lincoln Square’s Magical Lights.” When I later looked it up, I learned that it was an installation with radioactive lights. The lights change color based on music played, singing or even clapping. I think the sign should have had a QR code to allow visitors to scan it and allow them to be informed of this cool factor. I feel I missed out on the opportunity due to the lack of information. The lights, which were hanging from the trees were still very pretty to view.