Follow me with merry pleasure...
a festive collection of holiday getaways to sing about

Adam Bisby and Laszlo Buhasz and Karan Smith

Rinks and Rolls in New York City

The holidays are always a big deal in the Big Apple, whether you`re drawn to the city`s classic charms or the Pogues` Fairytale of New York version of events. Whatever your inclination, this year the city`s most famous festive symbol is celebrating a milestone. When the Rink at Rockefeller Center opened its ice surface for the season, it marked the 70th consecutive year skaters have filled the iconic plaza.

The rink first opened on Christmas Day in 1936 with then-rare features such as night skating, a heated changing hut and rinkside dining. Facilities have evolved over the decades, with culinary options that now include the casual-chic Rock Center Café and buffet-style Cucina & Co. but the festive ambience is as strong as ever, with piped-in jingles filling the air, glowing decorations filling the plaza and the world`s best-known Christmas tree soaring over the 130,000-plus skaters who hit the ice each year.

The rink`s platinum anniversary brings with it a number of packages for visitors. "Breakfast with Santa," for example, includes a meal at the Rock Center Café, a visit with St. Nick and his elves, a gift, and "V.I.P" skating. The latter allows guests to skip line-ups, and includes complimentary skate rental.

The nearby Buckingham Hotel, meanwhile, is offering a variety of Rockefeller-oriented packages. These range from a simple amalgam of rink tickets, skate rentals and an overnight stay to the over-the-top "$75,000 (U.S.) Rockefeller Center holiday extravaganza," which includes the chauffeur services of a vintage Rolls-Royce, a helicopter tour of Manhattan and an in-room miniature replica of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, among other indulgences.

For more information on the Rink at Rockefeller Center, visit www.rapatina.com/iceRink. Breakfast with Santa costs $45 for adults, and $40 for children aged 2 to 10. For more information on the Buckingham Hotel, call 1-888-511-1900. Rockefeller packages start at about $490 a night (double occupancy).