3 Days in New York City

Whether planning a honeymoon in the United States or a minimoon in New York City, this guide is perfect to hit all the major tourist destinations in just three days! Here is a day by day guide to your trip to New York City in 3 days

Day 1 in New York City: Lower Manhattan

MORNING

Grab a coffee at Blue Bottle at World Trade Center

Visit the Oculus

Visit Ground Zero and the Ground Zero Museum: The Museum is a must visit. The architecture of the museum was crafted beautifully. As you move through the museum, you go on a descend, and you feel a strange feeling of sorrow and death.

If you don’t have time for this, visiting the two pools at Ground Zero is highly recommended. This memorial site for the 911 attacks is something that we should all remember in human history.

Afternoon

For lunch these are some recommendations around the area to try! You probably want to maximize your time in the city seeing things and just wanting a quick bite!

1. Xian Food at Fulton Center
2. Shake Shack at 200 West
3. The Food Court at Brookfield Center

Walk around City Hall

Head down to the West Side Highway and walk down to South Ferry

SEE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY: Catch the ferry from South Ferry Terminal or take the Staten Island Ferry at sunset to see the Statue of Liberty from afar. You can also visit the Statue of Liberty island itself but make sure you book your tickes HERE two weeks in advanced.

Having seen both the statue of liberty on the Staten island ferry and also on the island itself, I recommend the free version. She is a beauty when viewed from a far. When you get too close to her, all you see are her giant feet!

Visit Governors Island. This is mainly a summer activity but if you would like to go for polo parties, Great Gatsby parties, or even do some GLAMPING, this could be a fun activity for you and your family! I also like to come to governors island to do some cycling. You get the best views of the city and there are so many activities here to do. You can even catch a play! Some broadway casts practice their scripts here! These shows are by donation and you see how the casts use their bodies to story tell – without the frills of costumes and an elaborate set.

Night

When you get back to the city, Take the R Train to Canal Street. Here you can have a sumptuous meal over at Chinatown. My Top restaurants in Chinatown are

1. Noodle village
2. Nyonya
3. Aux Epices

Once you’ve had a meal at Chinatown, take a walk down Little Italy! The streets are lighted nicely and you can also get some souvenirs along the way!

Day 2 in New York City: Brooklyn + Mid Town

Morning

At sunrise, visit the Brooklyn bridge. There are two ways of getting on the Brooklyn Bridge – one from the manhattan side and the other from the Brooklyn side. I recommend entering the Brooklyn bridge from the Brooklyn side because 1. it is a shorter walk to get to the center of the bridge 2. You get to see the Manhattan Skyline.

I recommend taking the A/C train to High St Brooklyn Bridge or the F train to York Street. Next, find the entrance of the Brooklyn bridge. Now, the entrance is incredibly hard to find but google 15 Prospect St and it would take you right there!

After visiting the Brooklyn Bridge, you are probably in need of some caffeine! I love One Girls Cookie (Address: 33 Main St, Brooklyn, NY 11201) for their coffee and pumpkin whoppie pies!

After feeling a little more awake, take a stroll down Washington St to take a photo down this street! This street has been popularized with Gossip Girl and other mainstream TV. If you are a gossip girl fan and want to visit Dan Humphrey’s apartment, this is the place to be!

You can also take a walk down the waterfront – Pebble Beach is a must see! Jane’s Carousel is also a family friendly activity to do! I also love going to the top of the Time’s Out Rooftop to get even better views of the New York City Skyline.

Afternoon

Now, after all the walking that you do, you now must be STARVING. For lunch, I recommend going to Grimaldi’s Pizza. Address: 1 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Pro tip: get a basic pizza without the toppings. The extra veggie toppings can make the base of the pizza soggy. If you want to live like a New Yorker, fold the slice of pizza in half and give it a big giant bite!

After lunch, take the train back to Manhattan. I recommend taking the train UPTOWN to Rockefeller Center. The F train from York Street takes you to 50th St Rockefeller Center.

After all the hard work of navigating the New York Subway system, you should pat yourself on the back and reward yourself with a Banana pudding from Magnolia’s Bakery. Address is 240 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020.

Here, you can take a walk down Fifth Avenue and visit St Patrick’s Cathedral. If you visit during the Winter time, seeing the Rockefeller Christmas Tree is beautiful and festive!

Evening

Now that the sun is almost setting, I recommend going up to the Top of The Rock. You get amazing views of the Empire State from here! Not only that, you get to see the entire city in one go! I love seeing Central Park from up here too.

Now that it is night time, visiting Times Square when it is lighted up is an amazing experience. You would feel so small being in such a brightly lighted space surrounded with such tall skyscrapers. PRO TIP: Please keep your bags close to you to avoid being pick pocketed. There are also lots of street performers so if you do stop to watch, they do expect a tip from you.

For Dinner, I recommend Ootoya Midtown or even Los Tacos No. 1 (Address: 229 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036)

I would also suggest catching a night Brodway show. Some of my favorites are:

1. Wicked
2. The Book of Mormon
3. Harry Potter The Cursed Child

Day 3 in New York City: Museum Day, Central Park, and a nice dinner at Manhatta

By Day 3, you would probably want to take it slow. Your feet hurt from all the walking you’ve done and you probably would like to stay indoors in a comfortable environment.

Having a museum day or morning could be a good place to start! These are some of my favorite museums in the city.

1. Museum of Modern Art – Some food locations near the MOMA is the Halal Guys Cart right outside!
2. The Met
3. The Guggenheim
4. Natural History Museum

These museums are usually located midtown or at the Upper East/ West Side. This is the perfect time to squeeze in a visit to Central Park.

Central Park is huge! it is hard to tackle this park is you don’t know where you are going. Always travel with goal in mind.

This is how I would tackle Central Park:

1. Take the C train to 72nd St and Central Park West
2. Enter the park and follow the biggest pathways – if you are on a small pathway, this ususally takes you off course to smaller areas that aren’t “famous”
3. Stop by “imagine” and listen to music by Street musicians who usually plays John Lennon’s songs.
4. Next, walk down Cherry Hill. This will take you down to Bow Bridge.
5. From Bow Bridge, you can take a short 3 minute walk to Bethesda Fountain and Chapel.
6. Walk up the Bethesda Chapel Stairs and you will find yourself at the Mall
7. Walk down the Mall and go to “The Rock”, where you can overlook the iceskating rink.
8. Head out of Central Park – typing the Plaza in Google maps can help you find your way out! You can also take this time to have tea time at the Plaza!

Since it is your last night in the city, visiting a nice restaurant can be nice treat for you! I love Manhatta for their Asian- French Fusion cuisine and also the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

If you are on a budget, You can also visit Artichoke Pizza at the West Village, have Insomnia Cookies for desserts and take a nice walk around Washington Square Garden.

BONUS DAY 4: Day of Architecture

Sometimes, 3 days in New York City is just not enough! If you are lucky enough to extend your holiday because you love New York so much, this extra bonus day guide is for you!

Morning

Visit Chelsea Market! I love Doughnuttery, Los Tacos no1 , and Starbucks Reserve is also around the corner!

Enter the Highline – There are multiple entrances but the closest one from Chelsea market is 10 Av and 16th St.

Walk on the Highline itself and take in the unique architecture of this park. Once a train track, it has been converted to a park with public commissioned art works, with New York City Brown Stone Apartments to peek into!

I recommend walking uptown. This can lead you up to the Vessel at Hudson yards. This bee hive open air architecture is sort of a utopic experience. You walk up and down stairs and it feels like you’re in a maze experiencing every aspect of the space.

Afternoon

From the Vessel, you can take the bus or walk to Korean Town.

Some favorite korean restaurants I love are :

1. BCD Tofu House
2. Jongro BBQ
3. Beekjeong

After lunch, take the R,W,Q train to the Flatiron District. This area is named after the iconic wedged shape Flatiron Building. This triangular steel framed building was one of the tallest buildings in the city after completion in 1902.

Visit Eataly ! I love coming here to get gifts for people! My favorite are their pasta selection! They have the best rigatoni and parpadelle! Their truffle mushroom sauce is also a must try! And a great gift too if you are not limited on luggage space.

After this, hop on the 6 train uptown to 42nd St Grand Central Station.

After visiting Grand Central Station, I recommend visiting the New York Public Library.

Night

Pick up your luggages from your hotel and head to the the airport. If you are flying off from JFK, I recommend taking a yellow taxi over Ubers. Uber prices can vary depending on their surge prices. Taking a taxi costs a flat rate of $65. I recommend getting to JFK earlier because security is strict and it can take up to 3 hours to get through customs if you are flying internationally. You can also be held up by traffic when getting out the city during peak times so give yourself ample time for these potential hiccups!

I hope you enjoyed this short guide to conquer New York City in 3 Days!

Coming soon:

Mini-moon Guide in the United States

How to plan a Honeymoon