New York City Bucket List
The second you step onto the sidewalk, it envelops you. Eight million people. 800 languages. A density of ambition and noise and culture and opinion that no other city on Earth can touch. Every neighborhood is its own universe. You could live there your entire life and never see it all. Though most New Yorkers haven't.
Why New York City belongs on your bucket list
The Met has 5,000 years of art. Broadway stages more shows than any other theatre district in the world. You can get a dollar slice at 3 a.m. or a 400-dollar omakase in Tribeca and both will be exactly as they should be. None of that is why New York gets you. It's the momentum. The feeling that everything is happening right now, all at once, on this block and on every block. The guy sitting next to you on the L might be a hedge fund manager or a street musician. You might never know. The city reinvents itself daily and expects the same of you. Exhausting. Exhilarating. You will hate it and love it in the same hour.
When to go
Fall in New York is a cliche because it's so good. September to November: crisp air, golden light filtering through the park, the city humming with the return to school. Spring: April to June. Cherry blossoms, outdoor tables, the weather finally warm enough to walk. Summer: hot. Humid in a way that clings to you like a bad boyfriend. Rooftop bars and outdoor concerts make it worth suffering through. Winter: freezing. Genuinely freezing. But the holiday windows on Fifth Avenue, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, the bizarre spectacle of Times Square on New Year's if that's your scene... there's magic in it. Dress warmly.
Must-visit places in New York City
Central Park
843 acres of deliberate wilderness in the middle of Manhattan. The Bethesda Fountain, the Bow Bridge, the Ramble – these are the obvious highlights. The fun of it all is having no plan. You will find a jazz saxophonist playing near the lake. You will see turtles basking in the sun on rocks with skyscrapers towering above you. You will lie on the Great Lawn and gaze up at the skyscrapers and the sky above you and think to yourself, this is the most designed spontaneity of my life. The fall foliage rivals anything you would find in New England. Seriously.
Statue of Liberty
The Staten Island Ferry is free and will give you a good view of the Statue of Liberty from the water. That may be all you want to do. But if you want to actually stand on the Statue of Liberty itself, you will want to book pedestal or crown access. The crown sells out months in advance. Ellis Island comes with the ferry ticket and it's the part of the trip that actually gets you. The museum of immigrants tells the stories of 12 million people who walked through these doors hoping for a new life. Spend a morning here; it will be worth it.
Brooklyn Bridge
Sunrise. Brooklyn Bridge. Free. Just go. The Manhattan skyline will open up in front of you as you walk across. The wooden boardwalk above the traffic feels like stepping back 150 years. Brooklyn to Manhattan for the best direction for the view. On the Brooklyn side of the bridge, DUMBO has that classic shot of the bridge you've seen a thousand times. Get it anyway. It's worth it. Juliana's Pizza is right there too. Get in line.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Two million pieces. Every civilization. Every era. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur is an entire ancient temple inside a glass box. It shouldn't work, but it does. The European Paintings galleries are so good they're their own world-class museum. The sculpture garden on the roof has Central Park views that make the art seem like an afterthought. New Yorkers pay what they wish. Everyone else pays a suggested price. You could come here 20 times and find something new in one of the many wings.
Times Square & Broadway
Yes, Times Square is everything that is wrong with commercialized tourism. Yes, you should visit once anyway. There are no words for the scale of the light and the noise and the assault to your senses. The reason to come to this area is to see Broadway. See something. Anything. TKTS in Times Square sells same-day tickets to Broadway shows at 20-50 percent off. Pro tip: don't waste your time with the big shows. See an Off-Broadway show. Better talent for one percent the audience. You're close enough to see the actors sweat.
High Line & Hudson Yards
An old elevated rail line turned park that floats over the west side of Manhattan. Walk through buildings, over streets, through wildflowers that change with the seasons. The buildings that line the way are basically architecture class in modern New York design. Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano – they're all here. At the northern end of the park is Hudson Yards with the Vessel (that honeycomb staircase thing) and the Edge observation deck that will challenge your feelings about heights in an open-air kind of way.
Williamsburg
Used to be starving artists. Now it's a full-on cultural powerhouse that still pretends to be scrappy. Bedford Avenue is the main strip with record stores, vintage shops, and restaurants that consistently make the best of NYC lists year after year. The waterfront at Domino Park lets you see the Manhattan skyline with chill Brooklyn vibes as opposed to touristy chaos. Smorgasburg on the weekends (seasonal) is the outdoor food market with over 100 vendors, all great in their own way, but the line for the ube pandesal is always worth it.
Chelsea Market
The Oreo was invented in this building. Now it's a food hall crammed into one city block in the old Nabisco factory. Los Tacos No. 1 for some tacos that will blow your mind. Lobster Place for some seafood that will move quickly. Doughnuttery for fresh mini donuts that smell so good you can find them from across the building. It connects to the High Line entrance too, so start or end your visit to the park here. It's natural.
One World Observatory
1,250 feet up. Three states are visible on a clear day. The elevator ride is worth it for the time-lapse of the Manhattan skyline over 500 years. But the real showstopper is the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the base. Reflecting pools in the exact footprints of the original buildings with water falling down into the void is one of the most powerful memorials ever designed. Two hours for the museum is the bare minimum. You'll need them.
Little Italy & Chinatown
Chinatown is where you eat. Joe's Shanghai for the soup dumplings that explode in your mouth. Xi'an Famous Foods for the hand-pulled noodles with the chili oil that will set your mouth on fire. Nom Wah Tea Parlor for dim sum in the oldest dim sum hall in the city. It opened in 1920. The vibe hasn't changed since then. Little Italy is adjacent to Chinatown and has shrunk to about a few blocks in Mulberry Street. But a cannoli from Ferrara or an espresso at Caffe Roma can momentarily transport you to a different time. Worth the trip.
New York City insider tips
- Subway: Runs 24/7. Tap your phone or get an OMNY card. It's the fastest way to get around the city. There's nothing that beats it. Well, except for knowing whether the train is express or local before you get on. Express skips stops. You end up in Harlem with no idea how the hell you got there.
- Dollar Slice: Now it's closer to a dollar fifty, but it's still an experience. Fold it in half, eat it as you walk, and don't look back. Joe's Pizza in the Village and Prince Street Pizza in Nolita are the famous ones. Every neighborhood has its own legend though.
- Walking Pace: Walk fast. Keep to the right. Don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Ever. And for the love of all things holy, never stand on the left side of the escalator. It's not being rude. It's how 8 million people live in a tiny space.
- Reservations: Popular restaurants fill up weeks in advance on Resy and OpenTable. The trick is to check the sites the day before and the actual date for cancellations. Counter seats at fancy restaurants are the local secret.
- Free Stuff: Central Park. Staten Island Ferry. Brooklyn Bridge walk. The High Line. Museums on select evenings. Yes, the city is expensive. But the best things in the city are free. Really.
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