Hollyday Planner

Travel Smart. Live Full. With decades of planning trips, this blog is my real, tested & to the point travel advice.

recent posts

New York City

New York City

I’ve spent lots of time in NYC. I love it. This itinerary most closely follows my most recent 4-day Girls Trip. It’s a good way to group things together to fit in all the big sites in one trip.

For more details and pictures, check out my NYC post.

Day 1

  • Usually landing mid-day. By the time you get from the airport to the hotel, settle in, and get your bearings, you won’t have too much free time left. I do recommend a hotel in the Midtown area.
  • Grab dinner from a street vendor in Times Square.
  • Catch a Broadway Show
  • Cheesecake from Juniors – Go ahead and hop in that to-go line. It moves fast & is worth it.
  • Enjoy Times Square
  • Connolly’s Pub – this was right next door to our hotel. It became our nightly meeting place for the girls trip.

Day 2

  • Leave the hotel early and hop on the Subway. From Times Square/42nd, take Red Line 1 to S. Ferry.
  • SUBWAY TIP: on your phone’s Map app, change the setting to Transit. That will help you find the stations & see 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.
  • Battery Park & The Wall Street Bull are close by if either of these interest you.
  • Hop back on the Subway. From S Ferry take Red Line 1 to WTC.
  • 911 Memorial & Museum
  • Trinity church & New York Stock Exchange are closer by this stop.
  • We grabbed a quick bite from any of the near by delis.
  • SUBWAY: Cortlandt St. Take W/R line to Canal St.
  • Chinatown / Soho – Interested in some shopping, or a fun neighborhood? There’s a whole lot to do in this area. I’ve done something different every time depending on the group I’m with.
  • BeetleHouse – One of our favorite restaurants
  • SUBWAY: Grab one close by & head to the Grand Central – 42nd Street Station
  • Grand Central – Take a picture in this iconic station
  • Next, we stopped back by our hotel to recharge.
  • SUBWAY: Times Square – 42. Take Yellow N, R or W to Lexington – 59.
  • Serendipity – A little dessert break
  • Bar 54 – enjoyed a night with some drinks & the views from this Rooftop Bar.

Day 3

  • Walk around Times Square. It’s a great time to see it without all the crowds. Then head down to see the windows of Macy’s.
  • Empire State Building – If you want to avoid the crowds, go in the morning. But the night views are spectacular. If you’re not in the first time slot, do pay for the Express Pass. The lines can wrap the building during the busy times.
  • Shopping time a Macy’s – Even if you don’t buy anything, seeing the historic wooden escalators is fun.
  • Grab a slice of pizza from any pizzeria. Yum!
  • Cab ride to Chelsea Market. I love walking through this market. Something for everybody.
  • CAB TIP: most cabbies will know the landmarks, but the best way is to give the streets. Chelsea Market is on 15th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues.
  • Head up to Gallow Green for dinner. While this wasn’t our favorite food, the place is gorgeous and connected to our next stop. We walked & enjoyed the architecture of the area buildings.
  • Sleep no More – Our favorite experience by far. I won’t give away too many details but it’s a must do.

Day 4

  • Breakfast at Tavern on the Green – One of my favorite restaurants for over 20 years.
  • Carriage ride through Central Park. Some of the more famous stops are Strawberry Fields and the fountains Cherry Hill & Bethesda.
  • Ask the driver to drop you off on Central Park Street (preferably close to 7th Ave.)
  • Walk down 7th Avenue to see Carnegie Hall.
  • Walk across 57th street to get to 5th Avenue & stroll down 5th Ave. You’ll pass Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, high end shopping stores, Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, FAO Schwarz, New York Public Library.
  • Catch a Broadway show

Notes from other trips

  • Yankee Stadium – Use the Orange line to get to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
  • Madison Square Garden – Little south of Times Square. Closest Subway stops are Penn Station.
  • Christmas Time – Great time to go to NYC. Rockefeller Center has the tree & ice rink. Plus, the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.
  • Broadway Tickets – If there is a must-see show for you, do pre buy tickets from the official site. But a great way to get discount tickets is from TKTS. They have a booth in Times Square for last-minute tickets.
  • NYC Library – Check out what exhibits they have while you’re in town. They’re great.
  • MOMA – Museum of Modern Art is a little North of Rockefeller Center.
  • The Met – The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in the middle of the east side of Central Park.
  • Mood Fabrics – this was a must for my daughter because she was in love with Project Runway. But the Fashion district is fun to see.