4-day itinerary

Arrival In Manhattan

If you arrive at your hotel at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, today isn’t the day to run around like a crazy person.  If you are staying in the Times Square area, OK, but here are other options:

OtherHotel Options***

• Hyatt Grand Central Regency
• Millennium Hilton Hotel – Un Plaza
• Virgin Hotel
• Marmara Hotel

If You Are Near Times Square

Walk downtown and east to 5th Avenue.

• 42nd Street and 5th Avenue: Bryant Park – until February 28 – Winter Village with a bar and nice drinks.
• I love the Bryant Park Grill Restaurant.
• Bryant Park is also next to the NYC Library, which is a pretty awesome place to visit.

Alternative:  Grand Central Station– Walk east to 42nd and Vanderbilt Avenue

• Oyster Bar restaurant
• The Brassiere restaurant
• Lots of history
• Food Court Below

However, if you want to explore, walk a little more east, toward 3rd Avenue, and come to an area called Murray Hill – (My Neighborhood).  There are a TON of places on 3rd to eat.  View restaurants on Third Avenue. It’s a longish walk back to Times Square so, I’d cab it from there or hop on a 42nd Street bus going WEST to get home.

Day 2: 

Head Downtown to the West 30s.

• The Vessel- This is amazing, and going up and seeing the views is spectacular.  I have a gazillion shots of this.  I can’t believe someone built it, but maybe that’s just me.
• Hudson Yard Shops
• Hudson Yards has great places to eat, not only in the Mall (top floors) but also on the street level at Little Spain, which is slightly away from the shops.  Just ask people.
• There is also, of course, The Edge –
• Pro-Tip:  If you eat at Peak with Priceless and spend $60 per person, you get a free Edge ticket.  Not sure if you then pass the lines.

From Hudson Yards, you can walk down the Highline

Evening: Chelsea 

• Either walk Downtown on the Highline (which starts at Hudson Yards) or take a bus down 9th Avenue to Chelsea Piers. MTA Bus: M11 – 9th Ave and get off at 23rd Street.  Walk West toward the Hudson River.
• Little Island – very cool park with great city views
• Pier 59 – Has lots of eateries and also a great view of the city from the roof park
• In Chelsea Piers, Museum de Arte – this was a fabulous digital, interactive art museum.  I spent about 90 minutes there.  Amazing.  Click here for my recap and photos
• Other nearby museums are  The Intrepid (an old warship) and The Whitney
• One of my FAVORITE things to do is take a boat down the Hudson.  There are heated cruises, and it is MAGIC (Even to this local), of course, better in the summer, but contact them and ask about the temp inside the boat.
• Chelsea Market:  Eat, drink, shop!

You can stay in that area and eat dinner at Pier 59, (the food court), or eat at City Winery (nice place, ok food, make a reservation). There are also a gazillion restaurants all around Chelsea.  Click here for a list.  I haven’t tried all of them, but they are cheaper and less crowded than anywhere near Times Square.

Day 3:

Morning

Find a bagel place near your hotel. Or any diner, a place that serves breakfast.  We have something like 26,000 restaurants.  Trust me, you’ll find one!   Just ask at the front desk.  I can’t recommend it because I don’t know your hotel.  You don’t have to stand online at many places.  If you go to the Upper West Side, on Columbus Avenue/Amsterdam Avenue, you will be where NYers are and away from Tourist City.

• Start on the west side of Central Park.  Spend 1 or 2 hours, but this will depend on your ability to tolerate cold weather.  Please don’t support Horse Rides as they are abused.  My favorite place in the park is the Reservoir, which is on West 85th Street.  The views are beautiful.
• There are two great places to eat inside the park.  One is Tavern on the Green, the other is The Central Park Boathouse.  Both are a tad expensive.  Boathouse has a cheaper side to eat light bites, with a beautiful view of the pond.

Afternoon

• For Museums – The west side is the Museum of Natural History, on 86th Street, and it is AMAZING.  You can spend 3 -4 hours there, no joke.
• Then there is THE MET.  It is the largest museum in the United States, and there is nothing like it.  Even if you don’t like museums, you will find something at the Met that you love.  Another 3 hours there, so only pick one Museum

Dinner

• Now, if you want to eat where the locals go, please eat on the Upper East Side.  Here is a list of vetted places (from my friends and me) that you will love far more than the touristy places everyone goes to in Times Square.

Broadway:  If you have a Broadway show, stay on the west side of Manhattan (Museum of Natural History) and eat somewhere near the show. Below is a list of places.

Everyone says they want this, so I’m going to start with the Brooklyn Bridge:  You need to decide if you want to cross from Brooklyn or from Manhattan.  People say the views going into Manhattan are amazing, but if you want to see Dumbo, that won’t make sense!  In addition, you CAN turn around and look at Manhattan as you walk.

Pro-Tip:  Dress in comfortable walking shoes, a down coat, sweater, hat, mittens, and scarf.  It was 30 degrees yesterday, and that wasn’t even the bridge where it is colder.

Start in Manhattan:  You can take the East River Ferry to Wall Street and walk to the entrance, which is right near City Hall.  Or, just make it easy and take an Uber!  Lastly,  there are many subways.  When you do this, is up to you.  The earliest ferry is 6:45 AM, so you will miss the Sunrise over the Bridge

• The main subway is the East Side Green Line (4,5,6) and get off at City Hall.
• OR, take the ferry to Wall Street.
  Directions to Ferry: Take a bus across 42nd Street or 34th Street (which is closer) and go all the way to the East River Ferry.  The Ferry will take you to Wall Street, and it’s a 15-minute walk from there.

Alternatively, there are multiple subways to get to Dumbo.  Then walk over the bridge if you want to catch the Sunrise.

• When in Dumbo, there are lots of things to explore. (Usually after 9 AM)
• This website is all about Dumbo – click here

Afternoon

• Take a ferry back to Wall Street and explore the South Street Market.  Lots of places to eat and very festive.
• Walk to the 911 Memorial.
• 911 Museum (90 minutes to 2 hours)
• Oculus
• Bull on Wall Street
• Financial District

Evening

• Downtown West Side area
• Battery Park Brookfield Place- Great views of the City

Final Day

Depending on what time your flight leaves (if flying) Leave at least 4 or 5 hours before your flight.  It can take as little as an hour to get there, but as much as 2.5.  I am an Uber person when it comes to airports. Many people take public transportation, but with suitcases, I don’t find it pleasant.  There are shared rides like Uber that are less expensive than private.

If it were me, I would pick one of my favorite museums and call it a day.  The museum can be 2 or 3 hours and it’s loads of walking.  My top two are:

• The Museum of Modern Art
• The Whitney

If a museum feels a bit rushed on your last day,

• Run over to Bloomingdale’s
• Go to the Lower East Side and have brunch at my new favorite restaurant, Fossetta.
• Check out the “vintage” stores and pick up something unique.
• Go to Canal Street (Chinatown) and pick up a knock-off designer bag.  Check out my tips for shopping there! Grab a bite to eat — recommended places here.
• Take a cab to Greenwich Village or Soho – walk around the streets and enjoy your last minutes.  Grab a bite to eat.

I could not put every possible thing into this 4-day itinerary, and in fact, I think it is too much — but use it as a guideline to plan your trip.