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Here is a list of the best apps for visiting Manhattan. I don’t usually use them because I’ve lived here for DECADES, but many others tell me they are useful. I’ll asterisk those that I’ve heard great things about. And the ones that I use. I hope this is helpful!

Navigation & Transit

  • Citymapper — Advanced NYC navigation combining subway, bus, walking, biking, ferries, and ride-share with real-time updates.**
  • Compass App — Helps orient yourself after exiting transit stations.
  • Google Maps — Navigation, transit planning, saved places, offline maps, and nearby discovery. **
  • OMNY — Contactless tap-to-ride payment for NYC subways and buses.
  • The Official MTA App — Official transit info, service alerts, and real-time arrivals.** Yes I do!

Ride Services

  • Curb — Connects you with licensed NYC yellow taxis.
  • Lyft — Ride-share service across Manhattan. **  Yes, I compare all three taxi apps.
  • Uber — Ride-hailing for city travel and airport trips. ** All the time!

Events, Shows & Attractions

  • Eventbrite — Browse local events, tours, talks, nightlife, and pop-ups.
  • Go City — Bundle attractions and tours with passes and discounts.
  • SeatGeek — Tickets for sports, concerts, and major events.
  • TodayTix — Broadway and Off-Broadway ticketing with lotteries and deals.

Food & Dining

  • Beli — Personal restaurant tracker and dining diary. ** I do get reccos from here
  • Resy — Reservations at popular Manhattan restaurants. ** Yes all the time
  • Too Good To Go — Discounted meals from restaurants and bakeries. Never heard of this, sounds interesting.
  • Yelp — Restaurant reviews, photos, menus, and neighborhood recommendations. ** Yes, all the time

Culture, Parks & Discovery

  • Bloomberg Connects — Free arts and culture tours, including museum guides.
  • The Museum of Modern Art
  • Central Park App — Official guide to Central Park with maps, points of interest, and events. ** Love it.

Practical & Utility

  • Avoid Humans — Crowd density at nearby places. Interesting but never used.  I live here.  I live with crowds
  • Pee — Public restroom finder in Manhattan. Heard Mixed things.
  • Weather Underground — Accurate, hyper-local weather forecasts. I just use my phone weather app

Museum & Culture Tours

  • Bloomberg Connects — Free digital guides and audio tours for many NYC museums (e.g., MoMA, The Met, Museum of the City of New York).
  • The Museum of Modern Art
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Google Arts & Culture — Explore partner museum collections and high-resolution artworks from institutions around NYC.
  • izi.TRAVEL — Free audio tours covering museums and cultural sites in NYC.

Museum Specific Apps & Guides

  • Metropolitan Museum of Art App — Official The Met mobile guide featuring exhibits, playlists, maps, themed highlights, and visitor info for The Met Fifth Avenue and The Cloisters.
  • Guggenheim Museum App — Official Guggenheim mobile guide with multimedia floor maps, collection info, and exhibit details for the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building.
  • MoMA Guide on Bloomberg Connects — The Museum of Modern Art’s free digital guide within Bloomberg Connects, with audio, interactive maps, highlights, and exhibition content.
  • Rubin Museum of Art App — Rubin’s own app offering audio, video, interactive maps, and way finding for Himalayan art collections and exhibitions.
  • American Museum of Natural History (Explorer App) — The AMNH has offered an interactive app with tours, exhibit info, and navigation helpful for family visits (check availability on your platform).