36 Hours in New York City
Downtown Manhattan from Brooklyn at sunset
A quick note...
This 36 hour guide does not feature all the massive tourist-intense locations in NYC, so if that's what you're really chasing, perhaps this isn't for you. Don't get me wrong, I still cover a lot of major attractions in New York, but, if you're like me, you like to balance out some of the big things with some of the little things. If you follow this guide, which obviously you can customise to your liking, you will enjoy some of the absolute best New York City has to offer in a very short time.
I hope you read on, and find this guide helpful!
Day one - Getting your bearings
9am: Make your way downtown if not staying in the area and head to the Tin Building which is a reasonably new offering to New Yorker's, featuring some of the absolute best produce money can buy!. There are 12 food and drink vendors at the Tin Building, head to Double Yolk and order yourself an incredible egg sandwich made to order of your liking, coupled with a coffee from T. Cafe to set yourself up for the day. You may wish to spend a lot of time here, Crepes and Dosas make incredible fresh croissants also!.
10am (ish): You can explore the area if you like, there are spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge if you walk behind the Tin Building, along the East River. Once you've seen enough of the area, either take the subway, or preferably, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
This can be frustrating with slow crowds at times, but is an absolute must to help work off some breakfast!. The walk will take around an hour, and head to Dumbo and Pebble Beach on the Brooklyn Side for arguably the best vantage point of the Brookyln Bridge, and also the Manhattan Bridge. There is A LOT to see around here, some fantastic stores, cafes, bars and eateries should you feel the urge.
12:30pm: You can head to Washington Street while in the area to take the obligatory famous photo of the Manhattan Bridge should you wish - you know the one!. From here, make your way however you choose back over to Manhattan any way you like (walk over either the Manhattan or Williamsburg Bridge, Subway F Train from York Street, or cab), to Katz's Deli. This place has been in NY since 1888 and makes maybe the best pastrami sandwich on the planet, along with a seemingly endless list of wonderful delicacies.
2:00pm: Its been a big day so far I know, but I feel the absolute best way to see NYC is to throw yourself into it as much as you can. So far, you've seen a large section of New York and enjoyed some classic, and new, places to see and eat.
With this in mind, and perhaps a bit of slower-paced time, take a very short walk around the corner to the Tenement Museum. This, I can't stress enough, is a wonderful experience. They offer multiple tours around the local neighborhood, where you will enter original NY tenements with a guide in small group tours (private is possible),
Tours usually range from 60-90 minutes and are an absolutely fascinating look back into New York's history.
5:00pm: Make your way onto Washington Square Park either by foot, or perhaps the F train from 2nd ave. and continue the slower pace around this beautiful park with street performers (good ones!), and view the stunning Washington Square marble arch, which, built in 1891, commemorates George Washington's inauguration as President of the USA.
7:00pm (ish): By this time depending on where you're staying, you may wish to head back and chill out for awhile, take a shower before going out for dinner. Or, just keep on rollin'!. Now, dinner rec's are of course dependent on budget and can vary wildly.
For the first night however I think go with a banger, and head to Bowery Meat Company. This New York steakhouse may not have been around quite as long as some others, but I can assure you, the food and service here is incredible and is situated right in the middle of where you've been all day.
Afterwards: Well, after a big day you may wish to keep going with a few drinks or head home ready for day two. Wherever you choose, don't forget the subways run 24/7, and of course rideshare and cab options are everywhere.
NYC Subways - quick tip:
Travelling on the subway is super cheap, and quite reliable. I’ve travel using the subway every time in the city, at all times of the day and night and have not once had any feeling of being unsafe. That said, they can be pretty filthy at times!.
You can purchase a 7-day or 30-day unlimited travel metro card from most automated machines with the 7-day currently costing $34 and the 30-day $132. This is very good value, and I highly recommend purchasing these - they can be used on the JFK train also if catching the train from the airport.
You can view more info about the NYC metro at the official website here.
Day two - Heading to Midtown craziness!
9am: Well, today is the day for getting into the midtown area and the high-paced nature that comes with it (I'm walkin' here!). May I suggest starting your day at Union Square Park, which is a lovely way to kick things off slowly, and if you're around at the Christmas time features a brilliant Christmas market, perhaps not quite as hectic as the market at Bryant Park.
This is still quite downtown at 14th street, but from here you can walk up Broadway to view the historic Flatiron Building, a historic architectural landmark of NYC certainly worth the stop. Between Union Square and Flatiron is a quirky store called Fish's Eddy, I'd definitely recommend a stop in here to view some of their unique, and often hilarious wares!.
For breakfast I'd recommend Ole & Steen, these guys feature some incredible Danish food and coffee - the Smoked Salmon on Salt & Pepper Roll is fantastic!.
N.B - Special mention to the Gramercy Tavern in this area also. This is a Michelin star rated gastropub, and features one of the best burgers around - although with the price tag to match!.
11am: OK - without doubt from here you'll have seen the monumental Empire State Building towering over everything. You can of course walk uptown and go into the building if you like and to the viewing deck - but be prepared, it is crazy all year-round. Personally I think there's a better option, but more on that later.
From here assuming you don't go up, either keep walking along 5th Avenue or take many subway options uptown (N, Q, D, F), and view the New York Public Library. You don't need a membership to enter, but of course, be mindful and quiet when inside - please be sure to go in as the interior is absolutely wonderful to see.
1:00pm: Once in the midtown area that you are now in, you'll notice many major landmarks are quite close to each other, so walking does make sense. Literally walk one block over and one block uptown along Broadway and you're right in the middle of Times Square!. This of course is a tourist nightmare, however its definitely something to see at least once.
Be patient though - thousands of people looking everywhere but where they're walking will test you. I must mention that around this area is the entire Broadway Theatre district, home to some of the worlds best shows - something to take note of if you are heading to a show one evening.
Now - in this area there are an endless amount of eateries, of course, lots of fast food chains. Take your pick if that's your thing, but why not try a chicken gyros or chicken and rice meal from one of the many NY sidewalk food vendors - this can be an inexpensive, but delicious lunch that you should try at least once.
4:00pm: Once you've had enough of Times Square, take the subway uptown and one of a gazillion subway station and head to Columbus Circle. You will instantly recognise the area from who-knows-how-many movies and TV shows, and also features a wonderful Christmas Market along the sidewalk bordering Central Park around the Maine Monument. Enter the park here and walk at your own pace basically as much as you want.
I personally love the park and its somewhere I come back to time after time. And whilst in there, head to either Tavern on the Green (I think the best cheeseburger ever) or to the recently reopened Loeb Boathouse and have a wine or two, watching the sunset over the park.
7:00pm: Heading back downtown, go to the Rockefeller Centre and head up to the Top of the Rock. I've always found this a cheaper, less crowded, and better view compared to the Empire State. Don't get me wrong, it wont be a peaceful oasis, but it's tolerable. The best thing about the view is - the Empire State Building is in it!. You can of course do this during the day, but the bright lights look spectacular from up here.
Afterwards: Depending on if you ate at Central Park, you may wish to eat around here, or do some shopping at Saks 5th Avenue, or one of many high-end department stores in the area. Macy's isn't far away, and if you have a sporting event or concert to attend at Madison Square Garden, you can easily get there on the subway.
If taking the subway from around Times Square be sure to visit Grand Central Terminal, a jaw-dropping building, and an absolute joyful way to enter the subway. A personal recommendation for one of the best casual Irish bars in the city is the Molly Wee pub right by the Garden. Its the type of place I go, and come back years later, and get greeted with "well, look who it is" as soon as I walk through the door. The wings and burgers here are first class, the service is unbelievable.
An additional note - if you’d like to experience something extra special and unforgettable, book dinner at the brilliant Daniel restrauant. After having experienced this myself recently, I can attest to their extraordinary food, and professional, yet warm service.
Day Three - Liberty, Soho and more...
9:00am: Its your final 24 hours in the city the never sleeps, and again we're going to pack in as much as we can, with some well times breaks along the way. Starting downtown for a cheap yet classic NY breakfast, head to Leo's Bagels for some fantastic freshly baked bagels and coffee to get you set up for the day.
From Leo's, walk up William Street two short blocks and turn left on Wall Street, walk two blocks further and you'll walk right into the New York Stock Exchange, historic Federal Hall building, and then heading South on Broad street youll see the iconic Fearless Girl bronze statue. Keep heading south on Broad, turn right on Beaver street and you'll then run into the Charging Bull statue. These are all in very close proximity to one another and you'll be able to see these within a matter of an hour or two at most.
11:00am: Continuing on from the Charging Bull, head down State Street and walk through Battery Park which is a lovely area year-round, walk all the way to the Hudson River's edge and head towards the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, this free ferry will give you a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty on the round trip to Staten Island, without having to actually go to Liberty Island and battle the immense crowds.
A quick tip if you dont want to explore Staten Island, when you arrive be sure to move quickly to avoid missing the next ferry back to Manhattan. Don't stress too much if you miss it, ferry's run every 30 minutes minimum, and at peak times every 15 minutes.
12:00pm: Once back on Manhattan, take the R train depending on time of day from Whitehall Street South Ferry Station to Prince Street and walk a couple of blocks to Cafe Gitane and get yourself some lunch and more coffee (which is exceptional here), or glass of wine. This French Cafe features a wide range of French, Moroccan and NY classic dishes and is an absolute must anytime I'm in town.
Now, I must also mention if you haven't had the chance to get some New York pizza yet, Lombardi's is just two blocks downtown and has been serving NYC since 1905. Lombardi's actually claim not only to be NY's first pizzeria, but the first in America!. I'm absolutely not going to wade into the "who makes the best NY pizza wars", but suffice to say, these guys make great pizza!.
2:00pm: You should now be feeling pretty relaxed and ready to wander around Soho to visit some of the endless shops in the famous shopping district, which caters to ultra high-end tastes, bespoke boutiques and some more budget-friendly options.
There are some helpful shopping rec's on the NYC official tourism website but obviously do some research prior to arriving in NY to find that perfect unique store to find that perfect New York item you can treasure forever.
4:00pm: Now, this might seem like a stretch but you'll want to push that bit more and take the subway from Broadway-Lafayette, the B, D, F or M up to 47-50 Rockefeller centre and walk to the Museum of Metropolitan Art (MoMA) MoMA closes at 5:30pm, and at this time of day you should be facing massive ticket or entrance lines at all. It is worth the effort of coming up here just to view artworks such as Monet's "Water Lillies", and Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" alone, not to mention the many many other priceless artworks on display.
5:30pm: OK, its your final dinner in the big city and the choices are literally endless. You may end up somewhere close to where you're staying, you may go all out on some fine dining at a place like Daniel, you may just grab a hot dog somewhere!. But I would certainly recommend going to visit the Chelsea Market which features something for everyone.
The very highly rated original Los Tacos No.1 is located here if you're after some very tasty, but cheap Mexican food. However, there really is something to meet everybody's taste.
8:00pm: Now you've come this far, you might as well have a farewell drink or two at one of the world's best bars, literally the most awarded bar in the world, and stop by The Dead Rabbit for a masterfully made cocktail which is often accompanied by some authentic live Irish music. I must mention the smoked salmon devilled eggs and corned beef sliders are incredible here also if still feeling a little peckish.
Afterwards: Well, its the end of your trip in NY, or...maybe just a few more drinks??, if you're keen to tie one on, you can stumble very easily to Fraunces Tavern, which is New York's oldest bar, and with patrons such as George Washington, how can it be wrong!. I must also mention Cedar Local on Cedar Street, the guys here make some lovely cocktails which I found to be quite inventive, in the best way!.
By now you're either charging all the way through the night, or heading back to your hotel to try rest up before leaving in the Morning. Either way, I very much hope this guide has brought you joy, and has helped you navigate through one of the best cities in the world. Thanks for reading!.
