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I was always told growning up in NY that the peak tourism seasons for NYC are Spring and Fall
You literally can barely move on, say, 5th Ave during the Christmas season nowadays. Radio City Music Hall during Christmas? It's crazy. I was in midtown on Saturday and it was not too bad at all.
Winter:
Colorado: Winter Sports, more milder condition in the city of Denver.
Arizona/Florida: Snowbirds
Summer: Anywhere on the East Coast for beaching. It's more celebrated than the West Coast.
Fall: The most overhyped in the Northeast for the colors changing and cool mornings / evenings. Not my thing, personally. During this time it's usually "Indian Summer" in the Western States - much more preferred.
Spring: It's variable anywhere you go. Tornadoes in the Midwest and South, Up and down weather constantly in the Mountain West, Upper Midwest / Northeast is generally still freezing (then become pollen hell and everyone is getting sick), Southern California is chilly and gloomy.
NYC is always busy, but I have to say I think the busiest time is from Thanksgiving until New Years.
When I used to work in Midtown the tourist crowds were unbearable that time of year. Trying to walk anywhere at all in Midtown can be very difficult at that time. I started packing my own lunches to work so that I wouldn't have to go outside.
I totally agree with you here. I lived in NYC (Brooklyn also!) for many many years, and as much as I loved Christmas lights, parties, the air of seasonal attractions, I came to dislike the crowding everywhere and always. The crowded streets, stores, pedestrians clogging Time Square, difficulty in getting movie and theater seats, etc. etc.
Otherwise NYC is at prime also most of the city. So many things to see and do, Fall brings the best weather but spring brings the prime theater season. Maybe the summer is the least attractive. or dead winter.
I totally agree with you here. I lived in NYC (Brooklyn also!) for many many years, and as much as I loved Christmas lights, parties, the air of seasonal attractions, I came to dislike the crowding everywhere and always. The crowded streets, stores, pedestrians clogging Time Square, difficulty in getting movie and theater seats, etc. etc.
Otherwise NYC is at prime also most of the city. So many things to see and do, Fall brings the best weather but spring brings the prime theater season. Maybe the summer is the least attractive. or dead winter.
Summer can be kind of gross, especially in the subway. Also that's when all the rich Uptown people escape to the Hamptons and the more bougy places in the city are noticeably a bit emptier. But it's still a huge tourist season just because it's Summer.
I think the rest of Winter after New Years until March is probably the slow season (relatively speaking) if there is any. As much as I hate Winter, there is a certain energy that comes out of the city during the Winter that I can't really describe.
For Pittsburgh, it's summer and fall. The city is pretty much in hibernation from mid-January through mid-May, with Penguins games, the PPG Ice Rink and the St. Patrick's Day Parade being the only signs of life in an otherwise dead time of the year. Pirates games begin at PNC Park in early April, but April is a dicey month weather-wise, so it doesn't really feel like baseball season yet.
The first hint that summer is around the corner is Kennywood Park opening on the weekends, typically beginning on the first weekend of May. The rivers start to come alive with recreational boat traffic by mid-May, and attendance begins to increase at Pirates games as well. Kennywood Park begins its summer schedule on the Thursday before Memorial Day, and school districts throughout the Pittsburgh area schedule their Kennywood picnics on weekdays in late May and early June, giving their students a day off from class during the final week or two of the school year.
Things really get cranking with the Three Rivers Arts Festival, a 10-day festival of music and art at Point State Park in early June. By mid-June, Pirates games are hopping both inside and outside the ballpark, with boats full of people sitting on the river, listening to the games on the radio, and awaiting splashdown homeruns should they happen. This continues through the summer. In early July, Pittsburgh is fortunate enough to have their Independence Day fireworks show coordinated by Zambelli Fireworks, which is based in nearby New Castle, PA. Every river bank, bridge and scenic overlook in, or adjacent to, downtown Pittsburgh is crowded with people, and all three rivers are crowded with boats near the confluence to see the show. In mid-July is the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, which is the both the largest and longest-running vintage car event/race in the United States. If you like hot cars, both new and classic, then this is a must-see event.
In late July, the Steelers report to training camp at St. Vincent College in nearby Latrobe, PA. Training camp lasts through mid-August, and Latrobe gets tens of thousands of visitors Peter King of Sports Illustrated considers it to be the best setting in the NFL for a training camp, and even called it "a wonderful slice of Americana." Back in Pittsburgh, early August is the time for the Three Rivers Regatta, which is the first F1 power boat race in the United States, and also the largest inland regatta in the United States.
The summer schedule at Kennywood Park typically ends in late August, though Labor Day weekend is always packed. After Labor Day, Kennywood is open on weekends for various special events, the most noteworthy of which is Phantom Fright Nights from late September through late October. September marks the beginning of football season, so Heinz Field becomes the big destination for both Steelers and Pitt football games. Through late October, the riverwalk between Heinz Field and PNC Park is lined with boats big and small, with plenty of tailgating and partying on the water. Aside from football weekends, however, recreational boat traffic begins to decline by mid-September. There will still be some boats out on the water, but not as many as the previous four months. Also occurring in September are the Pittsburgh Folk Festival and the Pittsburgh Silk Screen Film Festival. The former is a celebration of up to 50 different nationalities with food, art and entertainment from various cultures around the world. The latter is a celebration and appreciation of Asian film. Then comes the unusual VIA Festival, which is sort of a postmodern festival of music, art and digital media, sort of like SXSW, but even more underground.
By mid-November, most boats are parked for the winter, and most outdoor activities have ceased, but the Friday before Thanksgiving is Light-Up Night, when all the buildings in downtown Pittsburgh are fully lit for a night and Zambelli Fireworks treats the city to another fireworks show to mark the imminent arrival of Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year, a.k.a. "Sparkle Season." During Sparkle Season, there are various activities for the holidays in and around downtown Pittsburgh, including the opening of the PPG Ice Rink, which is even larger than the ice rink in front of Rockefeller Center in New York. After Christmas and Hanukkah comes First Night Pittsburgh, which is a celebration of the New Year downtown.
After First Night, the city goes into hibernation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by po-boy
Any SEC college town in the fall. Auburn, Athens, Baton Rouge, Tuscaloosa, etc, absolutely amazing during football weekends.
Having attended several football games at the University of Georgia, you're right about this. The campus becomes a giant tailgate party, and Athens becomes the third-largest city in Georgia for a day.
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