Sight(s)

BEST LIGHT SHOW Time Warner Center

Photograph: Ben Goldstein

Light shows

Grand Central Terminal (42nd St at Park Ave) The projections are crisp and technically impressive, but it’s mostly pretty tacky. A rotating outline of a stack of presents, for example, reminds us of the commercial nature of the holiday (as if we’d forgotten). The highlight of the show, which runs ten minutes every half hour, is “Sleigh Ride,” with scenes in a small town.

Saks Fifth Avenue (611 Fifth Ave at 50th St, 212-753-4000) White LED outlines of stars on the building’s facade blink on and off to music—or rather, out of sync with it: There are timing glitches. The whole thing is too short (about three minutes), given that you might have to wait 20 minutes in the cold for it to start.

Time Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle at Broadway, 212-484-8000) Three-dimensional stars change colors in time with music, and tiny strobes pop and flash. The show is best from the balconies (or with a drink in one of the third-floor bars), where you’ll see reflections in the windows.

The WINNER
The Time Warner display: It gets better the more you watch it—and you can sit while you enjoy.

Critiqued by New York lighting designer Aaron Copp (aaroncopp.com)