Hollyday Planner

See my itinerary for NYC to get the summary

This post follows my more recent 4-day girls’ trip, with memories from a few other trips sprinkled in. My itinerary will have more details on “how-to” other places not mentioned in this post.

Day 1

• Arriving – I prefer to fly through LaGuardia. There are no airports on Manhattan & I find this the easier airport. To get to the hotel, just take a taxi or Uber. The drive will take approximately 30 minutes.
• Times Square – I loved my daughter’s reaction the first time she saw Times Square. So fun to see all the lights at night. Grab a bite from a street vendor & enjoy the stroll.
• Broadway – Broadway is right off Times Square. Pick a show and enjoy the magic. You can pre-buy tickets directly from the official site. Alternatively, check out the TKTS booth in Times Square for last minute deals.
• Juniors – Did you see the size of slice?! No wonder it’s famous. There’s usually a long line for the grab & go, but it moves fast.
• Connolly’s Pub – So happy we found this pub on a girls trip. Thankfully, it was next door to our hotel. It became a place where we felt like Cheers. Enjoyed meeting the regulars and felt perfectly at home.

Day 2

• Subway – I strongly encourage the subway to get down to this part of NYC. It’s much cheaper and super easy. A good tip to navigate the NYC subway is to change the setting on your phone’s Maps app to Transit. That will show you where the stations are & the routes.
• The Statue of Liberty – The National Park Service uses City Cruises. This is (currently) the legitimate site for tickets. Do buy them ahead of time! The line is ridiculous. You also have to go through TSA level security so plan for that time. I plan this first in the day to try to avoid the crowd. My daughter & I did do the Pedestal Tour and we enjoyed that. I’ve never done the walk up to the crown. Plus, you’ll get to stop at Ellis Island.
• 911 Memorial & Museum – somber. When I took my daughter, the museum wasn’t open yet. But I got to visit it with the girls trip. It’s massive, and it’s heavy.
• Chinatown – I love Chinatown. Looking for good buys? Just walk down the streets. Vendors are pretty much everywhere. Don’t be scared if they ask you to follow them. They took our group to a side street connected to their warehouse. We did all stay together though.
  Also, I had fun with my daughter when we tried an authentic Dim Sum restaurant. That was an unforgettable experience. We don’t know what we ate but we made great memories there.
• BeetleHouse – If you love Tim Burton, you must try BeetleHouse. Every inch is kept in the theme & we had so much fun trying all the different drinks. Plus, the food was really good. It wasn’t just a fun, themed restaurant but a good restaurant.
• Grand Central Station – You don’t need to spend too much time here. Be sure to grab a picture in the iconic terminal.
• Serendipity – This was a must-do for one of the ladies on our girls’ trip, and I’m glad it was. Super cute. We stopped by for a little evening dessert and loved it. The desserts are massive & delicious.
• Bar 54 – Highest rooftop bar in NYC. We enjoyed ending the night with a drink & the view.

Day 3

• Macy’s – If all you do is see the window displays it’s worth a walk by. But I do recommend going inside to find the original wooden escalators.
• Empire State Building – When I took my daughter, we did a night tour. Thankfully, I had bought the express pass because the line wrapped around the building. Having learned that less, for the girls’ trip we did ESB first thing when hey opened. If you want to avoid the crowds, go in the morning. But the night views are spectacular, but do pay for the Express Pass.
• Chelsea Market – I love walking through this market. It is large, and some businesses in here are very well known. There’s shopping and places to sit & eat. Plan to spend enough time to just walk from one end to the other.
• Sleep no More with dinner before at Gallow Green – So Gallow Green wasn’t our favorite food. However, it’s super cute and connected to the show. Sleep no More was a request from one of the ladies on our girls’ trip. She had been before. This was our favorite experience by far. I don’t want to spoil any of the fun but this should be a must-do on any NYC itinerary.

Day 4

• Tavern on the Green – Need some of the best coffee to get you through this trip? It’s at Tavern on the Green. This is also where I once had my first ever Oysters. This restaurant has great history, and even better food.
• Central Park – Take the carriage ride. They’ll get you to all the good sites and share information during the ride. Of course, we had to see the “Friends Fountain”. And Strawberry Fields is he memorial for John Lennon.
• Radio City Music Hall – For the trip with my daughter & I, we were here at Christmas time. So the Rockettes’ show was a don’t miss.
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Beautiful building. Worth a quick walk inside to see.
• Rockefeller Center – Beautiful any time of year.
• FAO Schwarz – The “Big” piano is back! Kids of all ages will love a trip inside FAO Schwarz.
• New York Public Library – I finally got inside the library on a quick weekend trip to NYC. Super glad I did so I can add it to my recommendations. Check out what exhibits they have when you’re there. We got to see the original Winnie the Pooh & Friends. Plus, another beautiful building.