Visiting New York was my childhood dream - ever since I started watching Hollywood movies (Home Alone 2 - I blame you!) so I wanted to spend as much time as possible to soak it in! We managed to plan spending 8 days in New York City, but while I was searching only to find things to do and organize my itinerary, I realized that most of the perfect (!) itineraries are for 3 days! I started thinking - what the heck are we gonna do for the other 5 days if the perfect trip is actually for 3 days!
Luckily, perfect 3 days New York trip is a lie and you need all the time to explore New York! Here, I would like to summarize how!
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Day 1:
Morning in the National Museum of History - you can literally spend your whole day here and still find amazing things to see. Check out the museum map to well-organize your stay.
Picnic in the Central Park is a must-do in New York! Grab a bagel, or visit a supermarket - try Trader Joe's or Wholes Food for products with good quality.
Afternoon in Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka the Met!) So, you know the instructions: you enter the museum and you turn left! (I hope you are a Friends lover and you got the quote!) Anyways, the museum is huge and I honestly hoped I had more time in it. Again, be friends with the museum map for making the best out of your stay.
Evening in the East Village - less touristic zone to discover restaurants and bars. So magical!
Morning in the Lower Manhattan: admire City Hall, One Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial.
I was in love with the architecture in One Trade Center in particular! So amazing...
Spend the afternoon with the boat tour - head to the Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. Be careful about the ferry schedule - especially if you want to use both stops. The Ellis Museum or the Statue of Liberty do not have entry fees once you pay for the ferry.
Afternoon walk around Trinity Church and Wall Street. Depending on your tolerance limit about the crowd, you might want to avoid the rush hours.
For dinner, head to Times Square.
Day 3:
Morning with the guided tour in Rockefeller Center and the Top of the Rock. Going there early might help to skip the crowds. Keep in mind that the guided tour and the Top of the Rock requires different tickets. Pay attention to what is covered by your city pass.
PS: did you recognize the Radio City from the movie Home Alone?
Visit Modern Museum of Art. Visiting the museum should take about 2-3 hours overall.
Walk through Midtown Manhattan to explore the famous landmarks, such as St. Patrick's Church, Bank of America Tower, Chrysler Building, Grand Terminal, New York Public Library, etc.
After dinner, head to Empire State Building to see the panoramic view under the lights! Expect the terrace to be cold and windy - you might want to be prepared.
Day 4:
Explore the streets of Chinatown and Little Italy in the morning.
PS: Chinatown is amazing for souvenir shopping!
Lunch with noodles or pizza.
Keep exploring.
PS2: Many of the apartments from American TV series culture are located in this zone. You can see Monica's apartment from Friends, or Carrie's apartment from Sex and the City.
Pass from Washington Square Park and rest
Head to Flatiron Building.
Happy hour to enjoy the sunset from a rooftop bar.
Day 5:
Explore Chelsea Market
Walk over High Line - this used to be a railway. After having the subway system, this line became kind of useless. After most of the railway was destroyed, a small group managed to save a portion of railway and turned into the High Line to integrate it to the many contemporary art galleries of Chelsea.
Vassel is one of the most recent landmarks of New York City.
Visit some art galleries or hit shopping.
This light scheduled day is specifically great to go out during the night - watch a Broadway Show, or listen to live music somewhere.
Day 6:
Morning in the Guggenheim Museum
Head to Coney Island - aka Little California. Enjoy the sunlight, ocean breeze and attractions in the park.
Back to the city - get foolish in the Color Factory.
Day 7:
A day in Brooklyn - pass the bridge walking, chill out in the Empire Fulton Ferry Park, explore the flea markets and enjoy the sunset over the skyscrapers from Brooklyn.
Labels: Itinerary, New York, United States
