3 Days in New York City

 
I often get asked for recommendations of what to do in New York City, especially from people who have never been there before.

I suggest staying in Midtown for a first visit since it is close to all the tourist hot spots.

And as a Broadway Baby, I have to suggest getting tickets to a show for the first and/or second night.  The rest of the schedule can fall into place around the times for the show(s).

So here is the outline that I suggest for a long weekend itinerary for New York City:

 
Day 1: Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and 5th Avenue
 
If you arrive in the morning, drop off the bags at the hotel and head to Times Square and then grab some lunch. For an authentic experience, get something from one of the Halal trucks. I like the one just south of the New York Hilton.
 
After loading up on some lunch, I usually tell friends with kids to go to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. That will take up most of your afternoon.
 
If that doesn’t sound exciting, then I’d head right to MOMA, followed by a stroll up and down Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. If you need a snack along the way I highly suggest a knish from one of the street carts.
 
For dinner I suggest the super cool the top secret Burger Joint made famous by Anthony Bourdain. It is hidden inside the Thompson Hotel at 119 W 56th Street, near Carnegie Hall. Best burger in the city and the fries are yummy too. 
 
Another idea is to head to the Empire State Building (weather and view permitting) first, and then explore.
 
OR – if you have tickets to a show tonight (and I hope that you do!) then I high recommend having dinner beforehand at at Victor’s Café at 236 W 52nd.  It’s a family favorite for us.
 
Day 2: Central Park, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park Zoo, and the MET
 
After grabbing breakfast at a local deli (the best in the area is Pastrami Queen at 1125 Lexington Ave) I suggest heading to the Central Park Zoo or the Museum of Natural History for the morning, then stroll through Central Park and have lunch at the Central Park Boathouse (around 72nd in the park) before spending the afternoon at the MET.
 
If this is a Girl’s Trip, then after the MET I highly suggest grabbing afternoon tea at the Plaza, or at one of the Laduree locations (of the three I prefer the one on Madison, followed by the one on lower Broadway with it’s pretty courtyard).
 
For dinner, I suggest Red Rooster Harlem. If you watch any of the cooking shows, you may recognize the name Marcus Samuelsson. He and his sister were born in Africa but adopted by a Swedish family, so he was raised in Stockholm. His food is a blend of both cultures, plus the American South. The desserts are all Swedish-inspired, which remind me of both of my grandmas.
 
 
Day 3: The Highline Park, Chelsea, the Village, and Brooklyn
I always suggest to pick one day to head toward the Vessel and Hudson Yards, and then walk down the Highline. Check out the Whitney if art is your thing (I love it, and the Whitney is fabulous!).  The Whitney also has a great lunch options at their Frenchette Bakery Cafe. Outside of the museum, I really like Barbuto for some fantastic Italian food.
 
After wandering through Chelsea and the Village, you could check out the Edge New York and/or continue downtown to One World Trade and Calatrava's Oculus.
 
If you want to find some hidden gems in Manhattan, especially lower Manhattan, then do what I do and try to find some weird offbeat things to do, like find the oldest sewer cover in the city (which is in the village) or find the mews new NYU (one of the prettiest blocks in the city). There are a lot on this list of “778 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in New York” from Atlas Obscura.
 
If you need a dinner place after shopping and exploring, and you are in the Meatpacking/Chelsea area then I recommend Buddakan (you may recognize it from SATC – they went there a lot).
 
OR
 
IF you’re feeling adventurous you could walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (great Instagram shots!) and have dinner in the DUMBO neighborhood. But it’s a little bit of a walk from One World Trade, so I’d take a cab from there and have them drop you off at the entrance for the bridge.
 
Here’s a great link to the Best Restaurants in DUMBO.

As you can see - three days is just not enough time. But I hope this is a good sampler tour for you!

---