New York City has something for everyone whether it’s the touristy places, food festivals with food from all over the world, beautiful architectures, museums, parks, you name it and you have it. Three days are certainly not enough to experience this amazing city, but they are enough for you to get a glimpse of the city.
New York City consists of 5 boroughs or sections: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. As a tourist, Manhattan is where you will be spending most of your time. Use the subway to hop over from one place to the other -it’s cheap, easy to use, well connected and will save you loads of time.
Day 1
9/11 Memorial & Museum, One World Observatory & Oculus
9/11 Memorial & Museum is built at the site where World Trade Center once stood. The museum commemorates the 9/11 attacks.
Next to the 9/11 memorial, you will find the One World Trade Center also known as the Freedom Tower. At about 104 stories, it is the tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. It is the seventh highest building in the world. You can visit the observatory here.
Make sure to visit Oculus, a $4 billion train station, that is a beauty in itself.
Wall Street
A 10 minutes walk from the 9/11 memorial will bring you to Wall Street wherein you can pose with the raging bull.
Little Italy
At the time of our visit we got a chance to visit the Italian food festival of San Gennaro taking place in Little Italy. Though extremely crowded, the festival had an amazing layout of food.
Day 2
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
No trip to New York is complete without a visit to the Statue of Liberty. A single ticket will give you an entry to both Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can visit the museum of immigration at Ellis Island.
Empire State Building
Empire State building which was once the tallest building in the world is always a treat to watch.
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is one of the world’s ten most visited tourist attractions. It’s been featured in a lot of films and television.
Times Square
This place needs no introduction. What’s amazing about Times Square is the confluence of cultures from all around the world- think of any country and you will surely find someone associated with that place.
Day 3
Central Park
Located right in the midst of Manhattan, this is a huge park. It has castles, a zoo, lakes and a lot more.
Brooklyn Bridge
As the name suggests this bridge connects Manhattan with the neighboring borough of Brooklyn. It offers a beautiful view of Manhattan as you walk in from Brooklyn.
The High Line
What makes this park different from the many other parks in the city is that, this park was created at the site of an abandoned railway. The park has art, food stalls and many many different varieties of plants. The park is a perfect example of how to redevelop obsolete infrastructure as a public space.
Tips & Tricks:
- Always check out for festivals that are happening during the time of your visit. New York City is a very vibrant city. Chances are that there will always be something interesting taking place.
- Wear comfortable shoes. Walking will help you appreciate the city more.
- Use subways rather than uber- they are much cheaper & faster.
- NYC is full of tourists. You are also more likely to get cheated here, so beware. As were returning to the airport, our Lyft driver took a longer route, because of which we ended up paying double the fare. When we raised an issue with Lyft we were immediately given a refund. But the point is you do need to be very careful here.
- Keep cash handy. There are a lot of food trucks serving food from across the world.
- Keep your phone charged and make sure you got internet. You will need to check out the subway timings, etc. In this huge city, it’s easy to get lost and Google will be your best friend.
- When you need to use the washroom, hop into any of the restaurants. There is a Starbucks every two blocks, but mind you, there will be always a queue to use the washroom there.
If you are planning to visit NYC and need help planning, feel free to connect with me.