I’m almost ashamed to say that despite living just a few hours away, until a couple weeks ago, I had never been to New York City. For my birthday, my husband booked a weekend trip for us to go explore some of the highlights.
I put together an itinerary based on what we did that is good for a first time visit to the city or for those that want to see many of the “highlights.” There are so many other things we want to see and explore in the city, but we used this trip as a way to get a sampling of the sites, then subsequent trips can be spent exploring the less touristy areas of the city.
We went to New York City on what was supposed to be one of the hottest weekends of the year. The city was warning residents to stay inside. While these conditions were not ideal, it at least kept the crowds at bay, so we could explore much of what the city had to offer without having to fight through as many people as we normally would have. Despite the heat, we walked over 26 miles in those two days, and were able to see much of what we had hoped to.
Top Recommendations for your First Visit to New York City
- See a Broadway show
- Check out an observation deck for aerial views of the city (Rockefeller Center, One World Trade Center, Empire State Building)
- Stroll down 5th Avenue to see many of New York City’s iconic buildings
*My husband says that you should be sure to get a slice of authentic New York City-style pizza while you’re in the city.
Itinerary
Since this was just a quick weekend trip up and my first time to New York City, I wanted to divide the trip in a way that allowed me to maximize the amount of things I could see, but still in a logical way so it wouldn’t become too crazy. I also wanted to hit a number of the highlights and more touristy sites in the city, bearing in mind that future trips can be used to take a deeper dive into exploring off-the-beaten-path areas.
What made the most sense based on what I was looking to do was to divide the trip into one day in Lower Manhattan and the second day in Midtown Manhattan. This allowed us to get a good sample of the city, but still plenty to explore on future adventures.
Here’s a quick breakdown of our itinerary by day, but I’ll go into some more detail below.
Day 1 – Lower Manhattan
- 9/11 Memorial & One World Trade Center
- Wall Street & the Bull
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Chinatown
- Little Italy
- Dinner & a Broadway Show
Day 2 – Central Park & Midtown Manhattan
- Alice’s Tea Cup
- Central Park
- 5th Avenue
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- New York City Public Library
- Grand Central Station
- Empire State Building
- Time’s Square
- Joe’s Pizza
- M&Ms World, Lego, Nintendo
Day 1 – Lower Manhattan
One World Trade Center & 9/11 Memorial
Wherever you’re coming in from, Lower Manhattan is a great place to start exploring New York City. After dropping our car off at our Airbnb, we took the Path Train a quick 15 minute ride into the World Trade Center stop. Our first stop of the day was to the 9/11 Memorial and the One World Trade Center. The perk to starting the day here, is the crowds haven’t had a chance to fully descend, so it was still very peaceful when we were there. It was truly powerful to stand at Ground Zero and see the simplicity of the memorial outlining where the Twin Towers once stood, with the names of all those who were lost that day etched in stone.
While you’re there, the 9/11 Museum is another great option for things to do. The museum itself extends over the entire underground space of the memorial site. A worker said you could easily spend 3 hours exploring the exhibits. We didn’t get a chance to go this time, but it’s definitely something we want to do one of the next times we’re there. You can click here to go to their site and get all the details for a visit. Another thing that we’d also like to do in the future is to go to the observation deck of the One World Trade Center. Interested? More info here.
Fun Fact: The new One World Trade Center is 1,776 ft. tall to honor the year the United States was founded. This is also the tallest building in New York City.
Wall Street
We took a quick walk through the Wall Street area; however, I was fairly underwhelmed. We saw the bull, but it was so crowded that you couldn’t get much of a view of it, let alone an unobstructed picture. We also walked over to the main Wall Street area. The main square houses the New York Stock Exchange, the original J.P. Morgan & Co. building, and the Federal Building, where George Washington was sworn in and the Bill of Rights was written.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
From there, we wandered down to Battery Park, which is the southern point of Manhattan, overlooking Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We originally planned to do the ferry tour to both sites, but the tickets sold out before we had a chance to get them. It was still cool to stand in the park overlooking such an iconic view. However, next time, we’ll plan ahead better to be able to experience them up close.
Pro Tip: Book ferry tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island well in advance – they do sell out!
PSA: There are tons of hawkers outside the ferry terminal trying to sell tickets for these experiences. The website explicitly states that they are the only approved source for these tickets. Could you get a valid ticket from the hawker? Potentially. Could you also get totally screwed over? Definitely. Use caution – I would just recommend getting them from the approved vendors.
Brooklyn Bridge
From Battery Park, there’s a lovely walkway that follows the river up towards the Brooklyn Bridge. I initially wanted to walk up to and cross the bridge, but due to the heat, we decided against it. You can still get a lovely view from the walkway though, even without going too far from the park.
Chinatown & Little Italy
Chinatown and Little Italy are located right next to each other and are both fun areas to explore in the city. We didn’t get a chance to spend too much time in the area, but there are tons of options for shopping or a great meal!
Chinatown has tons of shops and restaurants. My favorite was a little tea place we stumbled into. Chinese and Taiwanese teas and teapots covered the walls. We also stopped to grab a bubble tea in a little corner cafe to cool off. They had all kinds of wonderful looking pastries as well. It’s a fun area to wander around in and see what you stumble on.
I was really excited to explore Little Italy. I love all things Italian – the food, the wine, the culture, the language, the people, my husband. I’m so bummed that the heat kept us from being hungry, or I would have tried so many places! We still made sure to stop into the famous bakery, Ferrera, and try their incredible cannolis. We also stopped in to a few local delis, and let me tell you, I wanted to buy everything. The abundance of handmade pasta, fresh meats and cheeses, and all sorts of other wonderful goodies had my mouth watering!
Dinner & Broadway
When planning our trip to New York, I knew that one of my priorities was to see a show on Broadway. I feel like this is the case with many others as well, but if you’re on the fence, I highly recommend it! I was torn between seeing a few different shows, but ultimately decided on Chicago. The Lion King was my other top choice that I was between, so this is definitely on my list for future trips.
Chicago was a classic show for my first Broadway experience, and it certainly did not disappoint. The casting was amazing, the choreography beautiful, and the talent incredible. I was entertained and amazed the entire show, and the live band is such a fun addition.
There are so many great shows to choose from when planning your trip – there’s bound to be something for any taste! Feeling something classic? Wicked, Oklahoma, and The Phantom of the Opera are all great choices. Feeling something a little more modern? Aladdin, Frozen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Come From Away are just a few of the options. Hamilton, of course, is a fan favorite, and Moulin Rouge is the newest show that just debuted at the end of July.
However, there are so many other shows – you can take a look here to browse all that are available.
You can also go to the TKTS booth in Times Square to get discounted tickets for same-day shows.
Day 2 – Midtown Manhattan
We started the second day of our New York City trip exploring Central Park. I wanted to explore the park in the morning before the oppressive heat fully settled in for the day.
We grabbed a lovely breakfast just a few blocks east of the park at Alice’s Tea Cup (the Chapter II location). It was a delightfully charming tea house offering plenty of breakfast options, classic scones and tea, as well as, a tiered “morning tea” option. We split a scones and tea and the French toast. Let me tell you, the French toast is so good. I usually don’t like sweet food at breakfast, but for this, I would make an exception. Fluffy French toast pieces covered in a decadent vanilla anglaise with fresh berries. Divine. Also, if you know me at all, you know that I have a special place in my heart for Mauritius, and this was the first place I’ve ever seen Mauritian tea on the menu. It’s a delightful black tea with vanilla bean powder. Add a bit of sugar and cream to bring out its indulgence. It is definitely worth a try! If that’s not your style, they had an extensive tea menu with over 100 teas.
Central Park
From breakfast we walked about 3 blocks over to the entrance of Central Park at 5th and 67th. This path brought us to the Mall, the quintessential tree-lined path bringing you to the Bethesda Fountain. We strolled along the Mall, taking in the different vendors and musicians that were playing. When we got up to the Bethesda Fountain, we took several minutes to just enjoy the view and take in the lake. We continued on, hoping to make a more or less direct walk over to the Belvedere Castle; however, the paths get pretty intertwined as you get towards the ramble, making it more difficult to get anywhere on a direct route. We managed to find the castle without getting too lost, thankfully.
The Bethesda Castle is a visitor center, centrally located in the park. You can walk up to the top of the castle, which provides the highest vantage point in Central Park. From here, you can look north towards the Great Lawn and south toward the Rambles. We hung out here for a good bit, enjoying the shade and company of a new friend.
The next stop on our tour through Central Park was Strawberry Fields and the memorial to John Lennon. This is the part where we did end up taking the long way, ending up in the ramble (which is a beautiful area to walk around in, complete with gorgeous rustic bridges), but finally got over to the right path and over the memorial. Naturally, there was a crowd waiting to get their shot of the mosaic, but also a street musician playing Beatles music.
Our last stop in the park was the Gapstow Bridge. You know, the bridge where you can get the shot of the bridge reflecting in the water, making a perfect circle, and the city in the background? That one. While that’s a beautiful shot, I loved looking at it from the other angle, with no buildings or other hint of the city in the background, a true oasis, just steps from the hustle and bustle of its surroundings.
Other Things to See and Do in Central Park:
- Rent a bike to explore the park – from what I saw, you can rent them for about $20/2 hours
- Rent a boat from Loeb Boathouse and live out your dreams from The Notebook
- Central Park Zoo
- Alice in Wonderland Statue
- Azalea Pond
5th Avenue
For the second part of the day, we wanted to focus on some of the highlights in Midtown Manhattan. I noticed that many of these centered around the general area of 5th Avenue, so once we left the park, we just set off down that direction and made a direct line to many of the sites we wanted to explore.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Our first stop along 5th Avenue was St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I’m a sucker for exploring beautiful Cathedrals, so this was an obvious choice for us. The architecture of the cathedral was stunning, and the interior design is reminiscent of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.
New York City Public Library
I mentioned that I’m a sucker for gorgeous cathedrals, but a beautiful library? That might be even harder for me to pass up! The New York City Public Library is like walking through a magnificent museum with castle-like ceilings before entering into a spectacular library area. If I lived near here, I would find allll the excuses to spend my time there!
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station was just a few blocks off of 5th Avenue. From the entrance at Park and 42nd Street, you’re just a short walk from the main terminal area. The architecture of some of New York City’s famous landmarks certainly does not disappoint.
Empire State Building
One of the few things we bought tickets for ahead of this trip was to the top of the Empire State Building. Whenever I visit a new city, one thing I love to do is find somewhere to get an aerial view of the city. I loved getting to take in New York City from the Empire State Building. Getting to see Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center from this perspective was such an awesome experience! One of the things I really liked about this observation deck was that they had an outdoor balcony area that wrapped around the perimeter of the building, so you could see all of Manhattan and not be confined into a small indoor viewing area.
Time’s Square
There’s so much to see in Times Square, depending on what you want to see/do, you could wander around for 15 minutes or spend several hours here. There are a ton of fun shops, like M&Ms World, LEGO, and FAO Schwarz toy store. Of course, you can also walk by the famous area where they do the New Year’s Eve ball drop. Food wise, there is just about any chain restaurant you could desire in this area; however, if you want something other than a chain, your best bet is to get a bit further away from Times Square.
Tips, Tricks and Resources
Where to Stay
We stayed at an Airbnb in Jersey City. It’s super easy to get to from the main highways and then you also have easy access to the Path stations which will take you right into Manhattan in about 15 minutes.
How to Get Around
After parking in Jersey City, we exclusively used the Path and Metro trains to get around within the city. They go everywhere, they’re quick, easy to use, and pretty cheap. My recommendation to make getting around via subway even easier is to download the Citymapper app. You can enter a location you want to go, and it will tell you the nearest station to you, which line to take, where to get off, and even which exit to use once you get to the station.
For subway maps and info: http://web.mta.info/nyct/subway/
Where to Eat
With so many great restaurants to choose from, you’re unlikely to go wrong with whatever you decide on for a meal. There’s just about any kind of food you could want from around the world or if the classic chain-style restaurants are more your thing, there are plenty of those to choose from. However, with so many diverse options, why not branch out and try something new? I’m including a short list below of a few places we tried and a few others I wanted to try out, but didn’t get a chance to.
- Joe’s Pizza – quintessential NYC-style pizza
- Alice’s Tea Cup – With two locations throughout the city, perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea
- Cafe China – A Michelin-starred restaurant serving up incredible Chinese. My recommendation? Get the Cumin Lamb dish. You won’t regret it.
- Nom Wah Tea Parlor – the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Chinatown. Famous for their dim sum. Definitely on my list for next time.
- Laduree – A touch of Paris in NYC. They’re famous for their macrons, but you really can’t go wrong here.
- Junior’s Restaurant & Bakery – Famous for their NY-style cheesecake. Also didn’t make it here, but really wanted to.
What’s on Our List for Next Time
- Moulin Rouge on Broadway
- Afternoon Tea at Bosie
- Eating all the things in Little Italy
- Explore the Met
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