It's one of New York City's oldest Christmas traditions. Since constructions workers first setup a tree at the Rockefeller Center worksite in 1931, to this year's 75-foot tall Norway Spruce, there is plenty of history behind the tree and annual lighting event. Watch this short video from our friends at Time Out New York highlighting 8 things you may not have know about the tree.

Every Christmas, thousands of New Yorkers (and tourists) travel to the bright and brilliant nexus of town: the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. This year’s version will be the best one yet, so whether you’re stopping by for the ice-skating or to see the Lighting Ceremony, you will certainly feel the magic when you witness the wonder of the 78-foot, 10-ton Norway Spruce illuminated in over 45,000 LED lights. Seriously, you have to see it. Not only is this the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting one of the best NYC events in November, but there’s also a ton of festive things to do around the landmark.

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the MTA will be closing down the 53rd St. tunnel between Queens and Manhattan for repairs. This means that interborough riders of the M and E trains will need to find alternative routes. Check out this video from the transit agency to see some of your options.

As part of our Subway Action Plan to improve the reliability of the system, we're temporarily closing the tunnel between Queens and Manhattan that carries the E and M trains from December 26-31, 2017

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