My 2025 bucket list began with a passport and ended with a boarding pass.

Not because I think I’m at the end of anything — I don’t — but because I looked honestly at my biological timeline and decided that if I was going to travel, this was the year to do it.

Two long-held dreams topped the list: Botswana, to see the Big Five animals on safari, and the South of France, to indulge my lifelong love of art.

I did both, and I wrote about both — including the wardrobe gymnastics required for safari life and the jet lag that lingers in Provence like a bad houseguest.

My final trip of the year, though, didn’t require an overseas flight. It took me to New York City in December, where I set out to see the holiday windows, Fifth Avenue’s over-the-top decorations, a few Broadway shows, and new exhibits at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the newly reopened Frick Collection.

I also wanted good meals, great coffee, and just enough shopping to feel indulgent without regret.

You can’t do everything in Manhattan, so I narrowed the list with help from friends who live there part time and reminded myself that next year’s list includes taking one of my granddaughters — preferably when the weather doesn’t require thermal layers.

  • The flagship Louis Vuitton store at 57th Street in Manhattan.
    The flagship Louis Vuitton store at 57th Street in Manhattan. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • The Vessel lights up the night at Hudson Yards.
    The Vessel lights up the night at Hudson Yards. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • A leather dinosaur poses in the Coach store on Fifth Avenue.
    A leather dinosaur poses in the Coach store on Fifth Avenue. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Anyone for brunch at Sadelle’s?
    Anyone for brunch at Sadelle’s? Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • The Frick Collection has reopened inside the Henry Clay Frick mansion in New York.
    The Frick Collection has reopened inside the Henry Clay Frick mansion in New York. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Street food convenience.
    Street food convenience. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Tartan is always in fashion at the Burberry store.
    Tartan is always in fashion at the Burberry store. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Tiffany & Co. featured its own brand of Christmas tree.
    Tiffany & Co. featured its own brand of Christmas tree. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • The works of American artist Man Ray are on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist, who died in 1976, was known for his radical experiments that pushed the limits of photography, painting, sculpture and film.
    The works of American artist Man Ray are on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist, who died in 1976, was known for his radical experiments that pushed the limits of photography, painting, sculpture and film. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Le Violon d’Ingres, in a 1924 Man Ray gelatin silver print.
    Le Violon d’Ingres, in a 1924 Man Ray gelatin silver print. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Glass Tears, in a circa 1935 Man Ray gelatin silver print.
    Glass Tears, in a circa 1935 Man Ray gelatin silver print. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • A marble female figure from the Early Cycladic II period peers out from a case on exhibit at The Met.
    A marble female figure from the Early Cycladic II period peers out from a case on exhibit at The Met. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • The Shed Cultural Center.
    The Shed Cultural Center. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Cultural mementos.
    Cultural mementos. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • The Redeye Grill is a fixture across from New York’s Carnegie Hall.
    The Redeye Grill is a fixture across from New York’s Carnegie Hall. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo
  • Signs of Christmas were everywhere.
    Signs of Christmas were everywhere. Credit: Judy Foreman / Noozhawk photo

Packing for New York in December is about survival. My roller bag held boots, scarves, gloves, hats, sweaters and a down coat.

I left Southern California early in the morning, REAL ID in hand, and landed in a city that never fails to energize me.

New York is not the capital of the United States, but it has the confidence of one — a place where culture, style, theater and music collide daily.

I walked faster, averaged 12,000 steps a day (my iPhone app counted), mastered the subway, dodged electric bikes and reveled in Times Square’s lights, honking cabs, street food aromas, and jaw-dropping window displays at Dior, Tiffany & Co., Saks and Bergdorf’s.

I balanced the spectacle with quieter pleasures — Madison Avenue galleries, coffee at Sant Ambroeus and hours lost inside museums.

I saw more than 100 Man Ray works at The Met, visited the beautifully remodeled Frick, and applauded until my hands hurt at three Broadway productions, including a Tom Hanks performance at The Shed.

People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes — and a New York tradition. After-theater dinners spill into delis, bars stay open all night, and markets never close.

Night-shift workers, students, Wall Street traders and insomniacs crisscross the streets at all hours.

It’s easy to see why it’s called “The City That Never Sleeps.” Lucky for me, the three-hour time change meant I didn’t either.

Now the calendar turns. People ask where I’m going next. I’m not an easy traveler, but I don’t want regrets.

For now, I’m content at home, listening to the rain, watching holiday movies and sports — and best of all, watching my grandchildren open their presents.

That joy requires no passport or boarding pass at all.

Judy Foreman is a Noozhawk columnist and longtime local writer and lifestyles observer. She can be contacted at news@noozhawk.com. The opinions expressed are her own.