Catch the 'Catcher in the Rye' version of NYC

NEW YORK - Where do the ducks go in the winter?

It's a question that Holden Caulfield, the teenage narrator of the classic novel "The Catcher in the Rye," asks about the ducks in the Central Park pond.

The book, by J.D. Salinger, was published in 1951. But nearly all the landmarks Holden mentions as he wanders around Manhattan at Christmastime - the Rockefeller Center skating rink, Radio City and the Rockettes, the zoo and carousel in Central Park, Grand Central, the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art - still draw holiday visitors more than a half-century later.

You can create a "Holden tour" of New York at Christmastime. Here are some of the places mentioned in the novel, with nearby attractions and what is new:

ROCKEFELLER CENTER: Holden took a date skating at the ice rink here, and caught a show at Radio City. In those days the Rockettes performed in between movies, but today the dancers' trademark kickline is the main attraction at the annual "Radio City Christmas Spectacular," which celebrates its 75th year this season. Take Radio City's "Stage Door Tour" and meet one of the Rockettes, or take the elevator up at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a bird's-eye view of the city from Top of the Rock, the observatory on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors. (It's the building where the fictional TV show "30 Rock" is set.)

Details can be found at www.topoftherocknyc.com/

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CENTRAL PARK: As you walk up Fifth Avenue to Central Park, enjoy the holiday windows at Cartier, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co., Henri Bendel and FAO Schwarz. The pond that Holden visited is northwest of the park entrance. You'll likely see the ducks.

The zoo entrance is near 64th Street and Fifth Avenue. You can see sea lions and polar bears, just as Holden did. He also took his little sister to the carousel, west of the zoo in the middle of the park. The carousel there today replaced one that burned down in 1950, but it is considered a masterpiece of American folk art.

Details can be found at www.centralparknyc.org.

GRAND CENTRAL: Holden checks his bag at Grand Central and chats with some nuns over breakfast there, but you'll want to check out the architecture, shopping and the Grand Central Kaleidoscope, a holiday light show that premiered last year. The free seven-minute show runs from Saturday until Jan. 1, on the hour and the half-hour, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The station also has a holiday gift fair with 70 vendors, through Dec. 31.

A Municipal Arts Society tour is offered Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m., from the information booth on the main concourse (212-935-3960). Grand Central Partnership tours of the station and neighborhood start 12:30 p.m. Fridays in the Sculpture Court of the Whitney Museum at Altria, 42nd Street across from Grand Central; www.grand

centralpartnership.org or 212-883-2420.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: New York City kids grow up visiting this museum's dinosaurs, blue whale and planetarium. "I loved that damn museum," says Holden, whose favorite exhibits include the Great Canoe, which hangs suspended from the ceiling of the Grand Gallery.

Check www.amnh.org for holiday hours.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: Holden describes the museum's Egyptian Wing as "pretty spooky," but most kids (and grown-ups) are fascinated, not frightened, by the mummies. Also head to the Medieval Sculpture Hall to view the museum's tree and Neapolitan Baroque creche, on display through Jan. 6.

Details can be found at www.metmuseum.org.