Exploring the Big Apple: A Perfect 3-Day Itinerary for New York City

Shoshana Weed
Nov 17, 2024
10 min read

Updated: Nov 22, 2024

Hi friends, today I'm sharing all about my long weekend in New York City. I went with one of my girlfriends, and we had the best time! New York has been on my list for a long time, but it just never seemed like the right time. One day I texted my friend and said, "How about we go to New York City?" and to my surprise, she said, "Let's do it." If your friends are like mine, then you know how hard it can be to get together with everyone's busy schedules, so the fact that this trip left the chat was pretty significant.

Buckle up for this one because there's a lot of information here. I spent months researching this trip, hoping I could make it seamless for us once we got there, and I have to say it all turned out really great. So let's get started!

Best Time to Visit New York City

The best time to visit New York City is really dependant on what you want to do there. New York is huge and the weather there varies greatly. There's tons of things to do and see and I mean spending the Holidays in New York City would be pretty spectacular!

For the most part, the weather in the summer is pretty hot and humid. In spring and fall, the temperatures decrease slightly. Winter in New York (January and February) is cold, but the Macy's Day Parade and the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center are popular attractions at this time.

We decided to go at the end of August and got pretty lucky with the weather. We got one sunny day that wasn't too hot for walking all over, and the rest of the days were cloudy but warm. Perfect sightseeing weather! I recommend going in May or October for ideal weather for sightseeing.

Where to stay in New York City

If you're visiting New York City for the first time, I suggest choosing accommodation close to Times Square. While it may not be my preferred neighborhood in the city and lacks the typical New York vibe, it offers convenience for sightseeing, putting you in proximity to major attractions like Central Park, 5th Avenue, Top of the Rock, and the MET.

We stayed at a really lovely boutique hotel "Merrion Rowe" which was very close to Broadway and 5th Avenue. While it was very close to Times Square, it had a much quieter vibe, which I preferred. It was within walking distance of all the Broadway shows, the famous 5th Avenue, and other major sites.

Top Hotel Picks for Your Next Stay

Merrion Row Hotel

This charming hotel in Manhattan is very close to Times Square but feels like you are a world away. It is in a much quieter area, but it is still within walking distance to Broadway, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, and many other popular sights.
The Knickerbocker Hotel

For a more luxurious stay, I recommend the Knickerbocker Hotel. We didn't stay here, but I heard many rave reviews about this hotel. If you prefer to be right in the action, then this is a good hotel for you.
The Chatwal

While we didn't stay at this hotel we did eat at their very popular restaurant for broadway go'ers "The Lambs Club" and we loved it. This hotel is also in really great location in Manhattan within walking distance to all the top attractions including Top of the rock, Broadway, Times Square (if that's your thing), 5th Avenue and many more.

If this is not your first visit to New York City and you are wanting a more authentic New York City vibe, then I recommend staying in the Chelsea or SoHo area of New York.

What to see and do In New York City

There are endless things to do in New York City after all it is nicknamned "the city that never sleeps" and let me just say we didn't do a lot of sleeping on this trip ha ha! If you like a go go kind of trip than this itinerary is for sure for you! And let me tell say you will do a lot of walking in New York City which I personally love! If you prefer a more relaxed trip than definitely spread this trip into into a week or leave some things out and replace with some "chill" time. While I thrive in jumping into one thing after another I realize that's not everyone's style.

Okay so here is a list of some incredible things to do in NYC!

Central Park
Rockefeller Center
5th Avenue for shopping
Bryant Park
Grand Central Terminal
Go See a broadway show
Visit the Empire state building or Top of the Rock
9/11 Memorial
The Oculus at World trade Center
The MET or MOMA
Staton Island for Statue of Liberty
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Comedy Cellar for Comedy
Hudson yards and the High line
Explore the West Village
The charging bull in the Financial district

How to get around in New York City

I recommend walking pretty much everywhere in New York City! If you stay close to Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, you'll be able to walk to lots of popular attractions. There were a few times we took an Uber, like going to the Financial District and to Greenwich for a comedy show. There are endless modes of transportation in NYC, including the metro, taxis, and rideshares!

Okay here goes everything we did in 3 days in New York City!

Day 1 "A day of sightseeing and the MET".

Start bright and early for this one because there's a lot to see and do today. If you're like us, we flew in the night before and arrived at our hotel late in the evening so that we could have three full days to explore the city.

We started with breakfast and, of course, coffee at the hotel. After that, we began walking to Bryant Park, where a magic show was taking place and people were enjoying the greenery of this little oasis. It was lovely. Following that, we walked a bit more to Grand Central Terminal, which was absolutely stunning. What a fun place to walk around and admire the beautiful architecture.

What a great place to do some people watching and shopping. We didn't stay long as we had other places to go and see but if you're wanting to do some shopping this is a great place for it.

As you continue on your journey, you will pass the New York Library, which we did not go into, but if you have the time, check it out! Everything in New York is stunning. We ventured on to the famous steps of Rockefeller Center and NBC Studios. Here is also where can you check out "Top of the Rock" a viewing deck to see all of NYC!

From here, we continued walking to Central Park. It's about a 10 minute walk to Central Park depending on where you want to start from.

We walked through "the Mall," as it's called, and ended up at Bethesda Terrace. To say I was living out my ultimate FRIENDS dream would be an understatement! It was like a dream!

We continued on and walked past the Central Park boathouse and on to our next stop, "The Metropolitan Museum of Art." It really did feel surreal to be here. The MET is incredible and it is also HUGE. There is so much to see here, and it's pretty easy to get lost! I highly recommend getting a tour guide to explore different "wings" of the museum.

After all our walking, we really worked up an appetite, so we ended up eating at one of the cafes near the MET. It was the perfect light meal before our dinner and a show. You could really spend all day here, but we didn't have time for that. So, we took an Uber to our hotel to get ready for dinner and a comedy show in Greenwich!

We had dinner at "Loring Place," which turned out to be one of my favorite meals of the trip. It was delicious, and the vibe was awesome. It was within walking distance of our final stop of the day, which was the iconic Comedy Cellar! While the original location was sold out, we were able to get into one of their other locations and experience the same kind of show. I thought it was a really great show and well worth the money for all the different comedians, and I love a good laugh. We had a great time, and I would definitely go back.

So phew, that's a wrap on Day 1! Time for Day 2!

Day 2 "Financial district, Statue of Liberty & Broadway!

Once again we were up bright and early because we had a tour to catch! We stopped for a quick to-go breakfast and headed to the Financial district where we stopped for a picture with the iconic "Charging bull". I'm so glad we went early because the line was very short and when we walked back by it later in the afternoon the line was so incredibly long! I definitely recommend getting here early if you don't want to stand in like for along time.

After that, we walked to Battery Park to meet our tour guide who took us on an informative tour of the Statue of Liberty. I highly recommend getting a tour guide for this, as it made it much easier to catch the ferry and learn about the history. We opted for a shorter tour of 2 hours vs a 4-hour tour. Our tour was only of the Statue of Liberty, but there is an option for a longer one that includes Ellis Island as well.

After our tour we walked to the 9/11 memorial and the World Trade Center.

From there, we walked to "The Oculus at the World Trade Center," which is a shopping mall and transportation hub built in 2016. And wow! What stunning architecture. I have to say the Financial District was one of my favorite areas of NYC.

There are tons of coffee shops in the area, and I popped into one for an afternoon pick-me-up. We continued walking towards SoHo until we got tired and caught an Uber back to the hotel.

We were lucky enough to be staying very close to Broadway and within walking distance to lots of restaurants. We got ready for dinner and then headed to "Butter" before the show. I ordered the seared branzino and it did not disappoint. The cocktails were also delicious!

We only had to walk a few minutes to our first ever NYC Broadway show. We went to "Hell's Kitchen" which was a musical built on the music and lyrics of Alecia Keys. And we loved every minute of it! I highly recommend this show if you find yourself in NYC.

Day 3 "The Vessel, The high line, Chelsea Market".

Okay today is sadly our last full day in NYC and it was honestly my favorite day! It really is hard to pick a favorite day though but this one just spoke to my heart.

We got to sleep in a little today and had a nice, relaxing breakfast at our hotel. Then we started walking towards the Vessel, where we were going to start our main event "Walking the High Line." Unfortunately, the Vessel was closed to the public at the time of our visit, but the good news is that it has since reopened so you can now explore the Vessel and get epic views of the city.

One thing I learned about NYC is that there is no end to HUGE shopping malls at every corner. If you want to shop, you can do so at just about every corner here! The Vessel is at Hudson Yards, which is a neighborhood in NYC that's home to luxury shops and restaurants, and "The Edge," which is a 360-degree outdoor viewing deck. You will need tickets if you want to do this.

From here, we walked across the street and began walking the "High Line," which is a public park above the city, away from all the city noise and streets. You will get amazing views of the Hudson River along the way. There are several stops along the way to get on and off. From where we began, we ended in Chelsea, very close to the Chelsea Market. This was a highlight for me of our trip, and I recommend you don't miss it! It takes about half an hour to complete the walk.

We explored the Chelsea Market which was a really cool experience! I recommend coming here hungry becasue there are tons of restaurants and even a butcher shop and a cheese shop! It was one of my favorite things we did on this trip.

After perusing the Chelsea Market, we started walking to explore the area and stumbled upon Starbucks Reserve and coffee roastery. I am always down for a cup of coffee, so we went inside, and wow, am I glad we did! This was the biggest Starbucks I've ever been in, and it was a really fun experience. I recommend checking it out if you end up in the area like we did!

After our coffee break we opted for an Uber and headed to 5th Avenue for an iconic shopping experience. And then we took our tired feet back to the hotel to rest up for a bit before our final night in NYC.

For our final night, we had dinner at one of the well-known restaurants for Broadway-goers, and it was within walking distance from our hotel. We dined at "The Lambs Club," located inside The Chatwal, and it did not disappoint. I had one of the best martinis I've ever had there. It was so good that I still dream about it. I recommend going here before a Broadway show.

After dinner we walked to Broadway to see the Sold out show "Water for Elephants"! I had been wanting to go to this show since it was annouced earlier in the year. In fact, this show is really what prompted this whole trip to NYC.

The show was truly magical and I'm so glad we went! It was a dazzling affair and I loved every minute of it and I can't think of a better way to end the trip! And okay that's a wrap on 3 full days in NCY!!!