Things to Do in New York City

Eight million people. Five boroughs. The most iconic skyline on earth. New York City has more to do in a single block than most cities have in their entirety.

The Big Attractions

Times Square — Overwhelming, loud, and brilliantly lit. Not where New Yorkers hang out, but seeing it at night is a rite of passage.

Central Park — 843 acres in the middle of Manhattan. Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, the Reservoir, Strawberry Fields, and the Central Park Zoo. Rent a bike and cover more ground.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island — Ferry from Battery Park. Book the crown access tickets months in advance. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum is deeply moving.

Empire State Building — The 86th floor observation deck is the classic NYC view. Go at sunset for the best light. The Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center has the advantage of including the Empire State Building in the view.

Brooklyn Bridge — Walk it from Brooklyn to Manhattan for the best views. About 30 minutes at a steady pace. Go early morning to avoid crowds.

Broadway

New York’s theater district has 41 professional theaters. The big shows (Hamilton, Wicked, The Lion King) run years and still sell out. TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day discounted tickets — the line moves faster than it looks.

Off-Broadway — Smaller theaters with more experimental productions, often at lower prices. Some of the best theater in the city happens off-Broadway.

Museums

Metropolitan Museum of Art — One of the largest art museums in the world. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur, the rooftop garden bar, and the European paintings galleries are highlights. Suggested admission (pay what you wish for NY residents).

MoMA — Modern and contemporary art. Starry Night, Campbell’s Soup Cans, and rotating exhibitions.

American Museum of Natural History — The blue whale, the dinosaur halls, and the Rose Center planetarium. Go with kids or without — it holds up either way.

9/11 Memorial & Museum — The reflecting pools where the towers stood. The underground museum is one of the most powerful museum experiences in America.

Food

Dollar pizza — A real slice of New York for $1-2 from the window pizza joints. Joe’s Pizza (Greenwich Village) is the gold standard.

Bagels — Russ & Daughters (Lower East Side) for the lox and cream cheese. Ess-a-Bagel, Murray’s, and Black Seed are all excellent.

Chinatown — The best and cheapest food in Manhattan. Joe’s Shanghai for soup dumplings, Xi’an Famous Foods for hand-pulled noodles.

Fine dining — Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Peter Luger (Brooklyn) for steak.

Neighborhoods

Greenwich Village — Jazz clubs, comedy clubs (Comedy Cellar — where every famous comedian has played), Washington Square Park.

SoHo — Cast-iron architecture, high-end shopping, galleries.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn — The hipster epicenter. Smorgasburg food market on weekends, vintage shops, rooftop bars.

Harlem — Gospel brunch at Sylvia’s, the Apollo Theater, soul food.

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