One Day Itinerary:
West Side

When you arrive, you might be jet-lagged, whether you are from Europe or the Western US (or further), and this certainly will impact what time your day starts.  But wherever you are from, please know that the majority of Bagel stores in New York are pretty darn good.  You do not have to run hither and dither looking for a good bagel.  Just find a bagel place near where you are staying OR where you are headed.  This is a CHOCK PACKED DAY, and you won’t be able to do everything on this list, so pick and choose.  The good thing is, it keeps you all on the Mid-Town to Upper West Side, so you won’t be traveling all over the place.  And you can walk through the city.  The street walking is 3 miles.  But add in the Museum and Central Park, it’s probably 6 or 7 miles.

Transportation Down:  You can take a bus down 5th Avenue (5th Avenue splits the city into the East and West Side.  Or you can stay on the west side and take the 7th Avenue bus down, if you don’t want to walk.  Subway:  Red Line #1, headed Downtown

I like to start my trip heading North to South, but you can do this in any order that you like.

Breakfast:  Near your hotel OR head to Columbus Avenue in the 70s -80s.  I would try any of these places:

• Solid State Coffee:  104 West 71st Street (Near Columbus Avenue)
• The Viand: 517 Columbus Avenue, Opens at 7AM (85th Street)
• Broad Nosh Bagels : 314 W 58th St or 86th and Broadway (order online if you want to save time)
• H&H Bagels:  526 Columbus Avenue (Around 85) – Also one near Penn Station.  They are all over the city and I LOVE THEM! Everything bagel, double toasted with Lox Spread.  But that’s me.

Next Up – Pick one in any order

1. Museum of Natural History:  200 Central Park West ( between 77 and 81) – 10AM to 5:30PM, buy tickets online.  You can easily spend a minimum of 2 hours there.  Don’t ask me what to see, because it’s all pretty amazing.  My favorite is the prehistoric and dinosaurs. Hayden Planetarium is very cool, though!
2. Children’s Museum of Manhattan:  Small museum for kids up to 6 (212 West 83 Street)
3. Central Park – I am not a pedicab person- but others like it (and NO to the abusive horse carriages.  They get boxed in a tiny stall all day and then hooked up to a carriage. I know people make their money this way, but people make money in a lot of bad ways that I don’t support.)  Download the free App and discover places to see. This can take 2 hours
4. Stroll up and down Columbus Avenue for shops and places to eat. Usually Open at 10AM

Depending on what you pick first, you can select one of the other options next (obviously).  **If you end at Central Park, I would recommend eating at the Boat House.  Make reservations -you will have crossed the park onto the east side. But it’s only about 1/2 mile (according to Google). After lunch, you can stroll back west, or continue to East Side things.  (coming soon.)

Staying on the West Side: depending on the time of day and what you want to do, you might want dinner first.  At Columbus Circle Mall — there are restaurants and quick bites.  Everything from Michelin (Per Se) to Hamburgers (Shack Shake).

1. Go to Columbus Circle – and check out the gorgeous Mall with Shops AND events.  Lots of Holiday Happenings are going on.
2. Lincoln Center: Many events are  now through January, including the Big Apple Circus, Films, and the Metropolitan Opera (they have subtitles on the seats.)
3. See a show on Broadway: Evening start times: 7 PM or 8 PM, Matinée days – Wed, Sat-Sun – Start time 2 – 3 PM.  Pick up cheaper tickets at TKTS
4. Meander down the streets and enjoy the sights.
5. If none of these suits your fancy, you can head to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, Saks Fifth Avenue Light Show (5th Avenue and 52nd Street)
6. Top of the Rock –  Buy tickets in advance.
7. If you’re up for it, the Rockettes.  Buy tickets in advance. That is on 6th Avenue.

Dinner (every time I write about food, I get hungry and want to eat even though I just ate.)  You will eat before a show, most likely, but you can eat after a show as well.  If you don’t want any fine dining, there are Pizza places (6th and 7th Avenue) and other casual places.  I can’t vouch for the yumminess of it, though!

• Jams (at 1 Hotel Central Park):  1414 6th Ave
• Quality Italian: 57 W 57th St
• La Grande Boucherie: 145 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019 – I went here – a bit pricey but good
• Lodi (Rockefeller Center):  1 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
• Serafina (Times Square / The Time Hotel):  224 W 49th St, OK Italian
• The Terrace at Times Square 1568:  Broadway, New York, NY 10036
• The Modern:9 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
• Quality Bistro: 120 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019