Stories · United States
5 days in New York
The story I wish I had read before going.
New York always does the same thing to me: you come out of the subway, you look up, and for a second you forget to breathe. It is not a city you visit, it is a city you cross, on foot, eyes up, stopping for a bagel. Here is the thread I give my friends: the icons early, the neighbourhoods as the city wakes, and a show or a game almost every night, because that is when New York is most New York.
Day 1 · Museums and culture
To start, head to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The audio guides are worth it; otherwise, follow a group and steal three anecdotes on the way. Everyone goes; everyone is right. 4.8 out of 5 across 95,529 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
Late morning, meet me at The Obelisk. You’ve seen it a hundred times in pictures; in person it is bigger, closer, more alive. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (785 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: how to get there; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise go through Tiqets.
For lunch, New York is full of options: trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
After lunch, I make my way to Central Park. Rent a bike or wander from Bethesda Fountain to the reservoir. New Yorkers run, read and kiss here: it is their garden, and for a few hours yours. 4.8 out of 5 across 303,313 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Getting there: here is the route by public transport. To get a feel for it: what visitors say.
In the evening, let go: a terrace, a walk, and New York does the rest.
Day 2 · The icons
In the morning, it’s Brooklyn Bridge. Cross from Manhattan to Brooklyn, then walk down to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade: brownstones, the harbour, the skyline at sunset. My best hour in New York. 4.8 out of 5 across 94,303 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there · what visitors say.
Then, I make my way to Manhattan Bridge. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (7,720 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or compare on Tiqets.
At lunchtime, stay around New York: a noisy room, a dish of the day, and you’ve understood everything.
In the afternoon, meet me at Pier 35. This is the breath of the trip. Even one hour changes the day. 4.6 out of 5 across 3,892 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or compare on Tiqets.
In the evening, NBA night at Madison Square Garden: Even if you know nothing about basketball, a Knicks night at the Garden is total theatre: the arena, the music, the city shouting. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or go through Tiqets.
Day 3 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, I make my way to 9/11 Memorial & Museum. You come out silent. Give it the morning and nothing else heavy that day. 4.8 out of 5 across 96,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route · what visitors say.
Around noon, it’s American Museum of Natural History. The dinosaurs, the blue whale, the planetarium: the museum where everyone becomes a child again. Enter at opening time. 4.6 out of 5 across 27,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: how to get there, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your visit or also check Tiqets.
For lunch, trust the rooms full of locals rather than the menus translated into six languages.
Later, I make my way to Grand Central. It’s the kind of place that makes you go quiet for a moment, even when you thought you knew it all. Unmissable, and for good reason. 4.7 out of 5 across 8,200 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or also check Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. New York is a city that tells itself better at night.
Day 4 · Museums and culture
In the morning, it’s The Museum of Modern Art. I always pick two or three rooms rather than seeing everything. You walk out light. Unmissable, and for good reason. 4.6 out of 5 across 62,000 reviews: few places are this unanimous. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Then, meet me at Charging Bull and Wall Street. Ten minutes is enough, but they count: the bull, the columns of the Exchange, and Trinity Church as a counterpoint. Practical: here is the route by public transport · travellers’ reviews.
At lunchtime, stay around Manhattan: a noisy room, a dish of the day, and you’ve understood everything.
Later, it’s Times Square. Go once, at night, for the dizziness of the screens. Then don’t come back: the real New York is three streets away. 4.7 out of 5 across 249,671 reviews: few places are this unanimous. Practical: the public-transport route · travellers’ reviews.
Once night falls, Aladdin on Broadway: A flying carpet that really flies, and a standing ovation. You leave lighter. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, get your tickets in advance or go through Tiqets.
Day 5 · Museums and culture
Early in the morning, meet me at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. Mirrors, sky and the Chrysler Building within reach. Go late in the day and let yourself be surprised. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (37,641 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: the public-transport route; skip-the-line book your tickets, otherwise compare on Tiqets.
Around noon, it’s Chrysler Building. Take the time to walk all the way around it; the best views are rarely at the entrance. Travellers give it 4.6 out of 5 (6,828 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. To get organised: here is the route by public transport; skip-the-line get your tickets in advance, otherwise also check Tiqets.
At lunchtime, stay around New York: a noisy room, a dish of the day, and you’ve understood everything.
After lunch, head to Bryant Park. Go late in the afternoon: the heat drops, the light softens and the photos take themselves. Unmissable, and for good reason. Travellers give it 4.7 out of 5 (108,834 reviews) and I won’t argue with them. Practical: the public-transport route, and if you’d rather skip the queue, book your tickets or also check Tiqets.
Keep the evening free. New York is a city that tells itself better at night.
If you’re still hungry
I still have a few up my sleeve: Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, The High Line, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Top of The Rock and Empire State Building. Your call.
My advice
Get an OMNY card without thinking: the subway is the only honest way to see New York.
Queues are won in the morning; views are won at sunset.
A bagel in the morning, a slice standing up at noon, a real dinner at night: that is the city’s rhythm.
And if you go, tell me what you loved. New York changes, and so do I.
A Triovol story · written by someone who would go back tomorrow
Opening hours, prices and closures change: a quick look at the venue’s website before you go avoids bad surprises.