Even though I have decided that being out of NYC for right now is the best move for me, I have certainly not given up on our life-long love affair.

And in light of this, I have been thinking about some of the things I love most about NYC, especially this time of year:

Its’s cheesy, yes, but I’m a fan of going to the tree at Rockefeller Center. Never on opening night, but like a week or two later – Sunday nights are great. No matter how long I’ve lived there, I always feel like a tourist in NYC, discovering new things to be excited about.

Also, I used to go ice-skating there every summer with Hoopie and Hoopie Pop so there’s some sentimental value.

• Red wine and dark, cozy bars. Nothing makes me feel more wintery and NYC-y than a subterranean, West Village lounge. You’re all bundled up from the blistering wind and cold and then you walk in and its’ warm and welcoming. Bell, Book & Candle is basically perfect, especially with a Balvenie 21. And if it starts snowing, forget about it: I die. Of happiness, obviously.

Cocktails at hotel bars. Who doesn’t love a nice late afternoon vodka after a stop at the museum? It’s literally one of my most favorite things to do. And NYC has the fanciest, most sophisticated places to enjoy that 5pm (fine, 3pm) adult beverage. I particularly love the ones along 5th Avenue in the chilly months. I spend a lot of time downtown and just really get a kick out of tourist-watching which is a special breed of people watching, and it’s its peak in midtown during the holidays. There is nothing better. Plus, these visits conjure up even more memories of hanging out in city with my family (hot chocolate at Rumplemeyer’s, anyone? Excitedly browsing FAO Schwartz, not being able to buy anything because “Xmas is so close”? The dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum? Ah, childhood…) that make me all warm and fuzzy inside. And I am NOT a very warm and fuzzy person.

And I just love the general feeling of NYC in the winter. It’s cold and gets dark really early and sometimes that’s really, really awful and annoying. But winter is also when I feel like things slow down and I can reconnect with friends who were running around all summer, get back into some version of a routine and enjoy the quiet city streets.

Basically, I am adjusting to life in Vegas but that doesn’t change the way I feel about NYC, especially this time of year. It’s not over for good; we’re just on a break.