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Three Days in New York City – The Perfect Itinerary

New York City, the city of dreams and dreamers. How to spend three days in New York City. See my best tips and spots for your perfect three day trip.

 

Top 12 Main Attractions Of New York City

To help you know what to expect when you visit NYC for the first time, here is a little overview of some of the main sights.

1. Central Park
 A recreational oasis in the middle of the city.

2. Statue of Liberty
 Neoclassical colossal statue on Liberty Island.

3. Metropolitan Museum of Art
 Largest art museum in the United States.

4. Times Square
Public square with neon lights & Broadway shows. 

5. High Line
 Park on an old railroad line. 

6. Brooklyn Bridge
 Famous bridge that connects Manhattan and Brooklyn.

7. Grand Central Terminal
 Architecturally worth seeing station.

8. 9/11 Memorial & Museum and One World Trade Center
 In memory of 9/11.

9. Empire State Building
 Historic Skyscraper and lookout.

10. Chrysler Building
 Historic art deco skyscraper.

11. 5th Avenue
 Famous, sophisticated main street.

12. Wall Street
Main trading center in NYC.

Three Day Itinerary For New York City

Day 1: Morning

Breakfast Option 1: Grab a Bagel

Start your day with a NYC classic. Two of my bagel shop recommendations are:

Breakfast Option 2: American Diner

Another classic is American diners. Try The Red Flame or Morning Star Cafe.

We start the first day with a walking tour through the concrete jungle. Let NYC impress you with its skyscrapers and flashy lights.

Rockefeller Center

Starting with the Rockafeller Center, which is probably one of the most famous sights in New York City.

rockefellercenter.com

Times Square

I know that some people call Times Square a tourist trap, and maybe it is, but I still would recommend seeing it for yourself.
It just has a unique vibrant energy you shouldn’t miss out on.

Bryant Park and New York Public Library

Stroll through the park and wander through the iconic public library.

The Grand Central Terminal is also close by and was oddly enough one of my favorites to see in NYC.

Empire State Building

Another famous landmark of NYC is the Empire State Building. This was the tallest building in the world until 1972.

esbnyc.com

Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building has an unusual architecture and I found it interesting to see, but in my opinion, the stop there could be omitted if that’s not your cup of tea.

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Day 1: Afternoon

The next stop will be the Financial District. You can either go there directly or make a stop in China Town and Little Italy.

Lunch Options Financial District

Get a slice of the famous NYC Style Pizza, at Joe’s which has multiple locations all over NYC. Or enjoy some Tacos at Tacombi. If you’re in the mood for some healthy cuisine, go to one of the Dig restaurant spots.

joespizzanyc.com

tacombi.com

diginn.com

Lunch Options in Little Italy & Chinatown

Food Options here are endless. You could go to Lombardi, America’s oldest pizzeria, Great NY Noodletown which is a fantastic Chinese restaurant, or to one of the many more restaurants nearby.

firstpizza.com

greatnynoodletown.net

Explore the Financial District

Have a look at where all the money is made. 

Things to see in the Financial District are:

  • Wall Street
  • Federal Hall
  • New York Stock Exchange
  • The Charging Bull Statue
  • City Hall

Visit the 9/11 Memorial

It is also located in the financial district and also offers a museum for those who want to delve deeper into its history.

While you are there you should also check out the amazing architecture of the Oculus and the One World Trade Center. Latter is currently the tallest building in America.

911memorial.org

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Day 1: Evening

High above or from afar

End your first day with a view over New York. Either visit one of the many observation decks or take a ferry and enjoy NYC from afar.

It is especially beautiful at sunset, but it might be also especially crowded then. Or go there at night and watch all the lights.

Dinner

Here are my dinner recommendations:

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Day 2: Morning

Start your Day with a good Breakfast

NYC has tons of great breakfast options.
Some of them are:

Visit one of the many great Museums

What would a visit to NYC be without a visit to a museum? Choose your favorite and let the exploration begin!

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Day 2: Afternoon

Lunch Option 1:

Head to one of these unique NYC spots for lunch. Serendipity 3 in particular has a unique feel with a fun menu.

Lunch Option 2: Get a Delicious Pastrami Sandwich

Or try a pastramy sandwich, another NYC classic.

Visit Central Park

There are many fun things to do at Central Parc.
Hang out and relax, row a boat, rent a bike and much more.

centralparknyc.org – activities

Alternatively, you could of course just visit another museum.

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Day 2: Evening

Eat at Ellen's Stardust Diner

Is this entertainment diner a very touristy thing? Maybe. Am I obsessed? Yes.

ellensstardustdiner.com

Visit a Show

Here is a selections of venues you might want to visit:

Or a Sports event

Yankees, Mets, Rangers or Knicks. Go to a game of your favorite sports team!

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Day 3: Morning

Another Day Another Great Breakfast

Choose your favorite, here are some suggestions:

Go to Hudson Yards

Hudson Yards is a newer, fancier neighborhood and definitely worth a visit. Structures that stand out are the Vessel and the Edge. The Edge has also one of the observation platforms I recommended on day one. So if you didn’t have the chance then, you might want to do it now.

The Highline

The Highline is also one of the newer attractions in NYC. It is basically a park in the sky. You can walk it from Hudson Yards to our next spot, the Chelsea Market.

thehighline.org

Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market is a food hall, shopping center and office building. Its industrial design has some weird rustic charm.

chelseamarket.com

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Day 3: Afternoon

Explore Greenwich Village and Soho

Greenwich Village is one of the most atmospheric neighborhoods to stroll around.
Many movies and shows were filmed here and it especially bursts that librarian-in-a-coffee shop vibe.

You can also see that friends apartment building here!

Soho is a vibrant area with tons of stores, perfect for a little shopping tour!

Lunch (and Brunch) Options

There are so many good restaurants in this area, it’s really hard to choose. But here are some of my top recommendations:

Or get some takeout and enjoy it in the park at Washington Square.

For Your sweeth tooth

Also, your sweet tooth can be taken care of. And you may have heard of Magnolia Bakery from Sex and the City. Almost equally famous is the Dominique Ansel bakery and its cronut.

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Day 3: Evening

Option 1: Stay in the Area

Stay in the area, have dinner at the Italian restaurant Parm and watch a show at the Comedy Cellar.

Parm Menu

comedycellar.com

Option 2: A little Brooklyn Explorer

You would need more time to see the whole of Brooklyn but you can at least get an exciting sneak peek.

DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights

Get your Brooklyn Bridge picture in DUMBO and marvel at the NYC Skyline while walking the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.
DUMBO (Washington Street) is a very popular picture spot, and probably very crowded, but still worth it.

Dinner and Fun

Brooklyn has a lot of exciting locations. If you want to have some fun to your dinner I recommend these spots:

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