Guide - Your First Time in New York City
A Long Weekend In Manhattan:
Day 1: You arrived late last night. Let’s say you’re staying at the Plaza Hotel (this hotel is wildly out of budget for most people but the location is great and will give you an idea of a starting point). You wake up and head downstairs to get a coffee at the many cafés in the Plaza Hotel. Then you walk through Central Park to Sarabeth’s or Hutch & Waldo, for brunch (both on the upper east side). After brunch you hop on the Q or 6 train and head all the way downtown to catch the Staten Island Ferry. Taking the Staten Island ferry is one of the fastest ways to experience a true New York Experience. Locals, getting off or on the ferry are in a rush to get back home or work, and tourists are dazed and don’t seem to understand that they have to run onto the ferry as soon as the doors open.
Once on the ferry enjoy the view of the city, from the water, and keep an eye out on the right, for the statue of liberty. Once arrived in Staten Island… RUN! You need to run around the whole terminal to get back on that same ferry, or you’ll have to wait for the next one, no one has time for that. On your ferry ride back to Manhattan Island you’ll have incredible views of the city. Once back on the Island, have an ice cream at one of the ice cream trucks. From here you can walk up into Wall Street and then head up the Freedom Tower. Going up the Freedom Tower is one of the most incredible and overwhelming experiences. As you walk through the bedrock underneath the building, you see photos and testimonials from contractors and workers who were involved in the build, they describe their experiences in the aftermath of 9/11 and their stories of the build. You take the elevator up, 100 floors to the observation deck and see the city at you feet. I’d strongly argue that the view from the Freedom Tower is much more impressive and more worth your money than the view from The Rockefeller Center. Now let’s hop the A train to get dinner at The Brooklynn Diner on W57th St. Then head back to the hotel cause tomorrow is an early start.
Day 2: Wake up around 10am and take the 4 train down to TKTS on Water St. Get on line and pick out, day of Broadway tickets for a show tonight. These tickets are usually 40% to 60% off! After you’ve got your tickets, walk around South Street Seaport. Grab a coffee at either Café Patoro or Made Fresh Daily. If it’s the warmer seasons, the farmers market will be open (Saturdays & Sundays). Then, walk along the water over to the Brooklyn Bridge. You can either decide to cross the bridge or walk up, west, into SOHO. You’re probably hungry by now and should stop in at The Cupping Room. Spend your day walking around SOHO, The East Village and The West Village. Then head up to Times Square and take in all the lights. Make sure not to get too distracted, you have a show to get to! But definitely check out the M&M Store. After the show, take a NYC Taxis (don’t cheat and take an uber, it’s the experience!) up to Café Lalo on the Upper West Side. This is the Café where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s characters meet, in You’ve Got Mail. More importantly, Café Lalo, is open until 3 am and is the perfect place to wind down after a Broadway show. It takes you back to the original European cafés that were open all night.
Day 3: Today, is your chill day, before you head back home. Go to a museum, have a picnic in the park or just wander around the city. At sundown, make sure to be near Battery Park for the sunset. After the sun has gone down, go to the SeaGlass Carousel, just trust me.
New York is the kind of city that people have always wanted to go to, want to go back, or don’t think they’ll like it, but fall in love. I like to think of New York City as a person, she’s whatever you need, whenever you need her. She’ll kick you in the ass, if you need it, or comfort you, when no one else will. She’s the inanimate, physical representation of tough love. She’s an energy force like no other, from the moment you drive up or touch down, you’ll feel her. You’ll feel it.