3-Day Trip to New York: Must See

New York’s iconic city is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that needs to happen. With so much to see and typically with limited time to explore, here is a 3-Day Trip to New York itinerary. People like to offer advice and ideas for sights to see but ultimately, it’s important to figure out what type of tourist you are first. Do you like theatre, strolling around the city, finding amazing restaurants, walking in nature or experiencing live music? If you’re open to many different opportunities, New York has it all for you. If you’re more interested in specific New York highlights, you can find those as well. Do some research prior to your trip to make the best of it once you arrive.

Live theatre is always wonderful in my books but I’ve never seen it done so well compared to New York City. I’d highly recommend checking out a Broadway show. Here are some ideas of different performances that might be of interest to you. It’s an amazing city to encounter new experiences.

Broadway

Broadway offers many different types of shows depending on your interest. These live shows don’t offer a meal like some dinner theatres we have in Edmonton. Most shows start promptly at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. on weeknights. Some matinees are offered on Wednesdays and on the weekends. Typically, there aren’t any performances on Mondays.

Tip: Make sure to eat lunch or supper before attending a Broadway show.

Specific Shows

If you’re looking to see a specific show with preferred seats and don’t want to miss out on seeing it, you might want to consider buying a full-price ticket on their site. Note that you could pay $400 USD for every ticket you purchase.

Any Show

If you’re open to seeing any Broadway show and don’t care about your seating placement, did you know that you can get discounted last-minute Broadway tickets? The prices vary by show but follow these tips for a successful purchase. ⁠

⁠Tips:⁠

• Purchase the tickets online on their site.
• Buy discounted tickets at TKTS in Time Square from 3 p.m. onward on the day of the show.
• Tickets can be purchased beside the money exchange booth in Time Square at any time.⁠
• Depending on show/time availability and your preference for tickets, you might get to see a show at a lower price. ⁠
• The customer service attendant will ask for your preferred seat and you may be seated there if there is availability.

⁠We saw Harry Potter. It was exceptionally well done! I felt like items were moving in mid-air like in the movie. It was really cool! I would highly recommend checking it out!

Tip: It’s not necessary to dress up. Many people were in jeans and sweatshirts for the Harry Potter show. Many children attended this event as well. Some people do make it an occasion to dress up and make it a nice night out on the town. The choice is yours.

Time Square

Time Square is unique and cool to see! I’d never seen anything like it! Everywhere you look throughout the area, huge screens display advertisements and shows to see. Something might catch your attention and entice you to go try a new restaurant, go shopping or see a Broadway show. On your 3-Day Trip to New York, Time Square is a must-see. We purchased our Broadway tickets beside the money exchange booth in Time Square, which can be purchased at any time.⁠ You don’t have to spend a lot of time here if it’s not your cup of tea but I recommend at least checking it out, taking a few pictures to last a lifetime, and then continuing on your journey.

Tip: There are people at Times Square every hour of the day even during the middle of the week. Be aware that you will find it difficult to take pictures without people in them. It’s flooded with tourists and people dressed professionally who work downtown taking a lunch break or on their way to their next meeting.

Central Park

Central Park is a gorgeous long rectangular park in the middle of Manhattan offering places to walk, run, bike, go on a carriage ride and so much more. Filming of the park in Home Alone Two was captured in Central Park and of course, I had to go searching for the scenes! It was awesome to recognize various landscapes and feel like a small kid in a big city! The scenes might make you feel like it’s a small park like I thought, but Central Park is actually quite big!

Huge Park

It took us a couple of hours to reach the lake to the north end starting from the south end on our day trip in New York. It has many beautiful green spaces even in March, a surprise for a Canadian like myself who is used to snow at that time of year. You can go for picnics, play baseball, go bird watching, do yoga, listen to concerts held in the park, and so much more. During the summer months, boats are out for people to explore Central Park on the water. In the winter, skating can be found in the park.

You could spend hours in Central Park if you wanted to and had sufficient time. We couldn’t check into our hotel until 4 p.m. the day we arrived so we thought we’d make the best of our time in the city by walking in it. I got an extra workout pulling my wheelie bag along with me and wearing my backpack. I told myself it would be endurance training for hiking this summer.

Tip: If you don’t want to walk the entire park, I suggest you figure out where you’d like to spend a couple of hours or the whole day and access the area closer to your destination.

Statue of Liberty

We walked along the south side of lower Manhattan. It’s a fantastic path for walking, running or riding a bike. I saw the Statue of Liberty from afar. I didn’t have enough time to take a ferry to go see it but Kris did see it up close.

Ferries

Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty is located is only accessible by ferry. From Manhattan, there is a ferry terminal across the way from the Castle Clinton National Monument. The ferry can also be taken from New Jersey at the Railroad terminal. Before boarding the ferry, you’ll go through airport-style security (no beverages permitted). The time on your ticket indicates the security check-in time and not the ferry departure time.

Tip: Allow for enough time to get through security. During the summer, there can be long wait times. Depending on the ferry terminal, the ferries leave every thirty to seventy minutes from the dock.

Different Tickets

Different tickets will allow different access to landmarks as Kris found out after booking the ferry. Here’s a breakdown of what your ticket will get you:

• Crown: ride on the ferry, access to the grounds, the pedestal and the crown of the Statue of Liberty. $24.80 USD/person (they have limited tickets and typically sell out months in advance. Be sure to buy your ticket online so you don’t miss out).
• Pedestal: ride on the ferry, access to the grounds and the Statue’s pedestal. $24.80 USD/person (more tickets are available; buy online to avoid disappointment).
• General admission: ride on the ferry, access to the grounds on Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty) and Ellis Island (Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration). $24.50 USD/person (they have the most tickets available; buy online to get a priority lineup. If you buy them on-site at Castle Clinton National Monument, you’ll be placed in the general ticket line with potentially long wait times during peak season to go through airport-style security). If this is important to you, be sure to include the Statute of Liberty in your 3-Day Trip to New York: Must See.
• For a detailed breakdown of the types of tickets, check out this website.
• Book your ticket online here.

The Brooklyn Bridge

We saw the Brooklyn Bridge walking up to it on the east side of lower Manhattan on our day trip to New York. It’s a beautiful bridge in the New York City landscape. We pondered if we should walk on the bridge but we decided ‘yes’ and it was absolutely worth it! It’s a very unique bridge design. It was cool to take pictures and check it out. Many vendors try to sell you merchandise as you approach the bridge with many tourists walking on it in the middle of the weekday. It’s a perfect opportunity for them to make sales.

Tip: Bring cash if you want to buy something and be aware of the vendors if you’re not interested in purchasing anything.

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is another landmark that you need to put on your 3-Day Trip to New York: Must See list.

Tip: You’ll see the city landscape inside the glass windows initially. If you want to take pictures put your phone directly against the glass to avoid glare. Note that you’ll take another elevator higher up to reach the outdoor observatory that will allow you to take gorgeous outdoor pictures of the city without any glare. You could encounter wind, however on the 86th-floor observatory. We never went to the 102^nd floor. We were happy with the stunning views from the 86^th floor.

There are two main tickets to pick from:

• Main deck: 86^th Floor Observatory: 360-degree open-air observatory that costs $44 USD/person
• Top deck: 102^nd & 86^th Floor Observation Decks: 102^nd floor offers floor-to-ceiling views of the city $79 USD/person
• Both tickets give you access to a museum inside describing the efforts and cost it took to build the Empire State Building. This is before reaching the observatory.
• You can purchase your tickets online here or in person at the Empire State Building if there’s availability. If you don’t want to miss out, especially during peak season, I’d recommend buying them online in advance.

Tip: The Empire State Building also has airport-style security with no beverages allowed past the entrance.

Someone will take pictures of you at the beginning of this experience and you will be asked if you’d like to purchase them once you’re done with the tour looking at the city landscape.

9/11 World Trade Centre Memorial

The 9/11 World Trade Centre Memorial was important for us to include in our 3-Day Trip to New York: Must See list. It’s located at 180 Greenwich Street. It was heartbreaking to see all the names of the people whose lives were lost. Both memorials list the names of all the deceased on the outside of the fountains that run all the time. The two memorials are perpendicular to each other. The memorials are open until 8 p.m. daily. There is also a museum open six days a week (Wednesday to Monday) from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Buy tickets up to six months in advance online here.

Restaurants

Kris and I had a delicious lunch at Industry Kitchen in a heated glasshouse overlooking the East River in Lower Manhattan. Stopping here was entirely unplanned but Kris spotted it as we were walking and we are one hundred percent happy that we tried it out! It was a different and unique experience in New York City. Sometimes being spontaneous is fun! Check out their delicious menu here.

On another occasion, we tried supper at Cathédrale, a French-Mediterranean restaurant in New York City. We were happy that Open Table had last-minute availability to accommodate us! The restaurant felt like we were in a Cathedral with tall ceilings and dramatic art hanging from the ceiling; it was quite beautiful!

I had the shrimp appetizer special which was absolutely delicious while Kris tried the truffle pasta which lacked a bit of flavour, unfortunately. However, if you love chocolate, you’ll love this dessert. We both had the President Cake (chocolate, hazelnut, and vanilla) and that was to die for with its rich chocolate flavour; we both felt like we went to heaven. That was splendid! The icing on the cake was to each be able to have a glass of wine since we weren’t driving and travelled by subway to this wonderful restaurant. Check out their amazing menu here. New York City won’t disappoint if you love amazing and tasty culinary experiences.

Mercury Lounge

Are you a fan of music? I was introduced to the Mercury Lounge which made for a wonderful evening checking out different artists such as Melanie MacLaren. The cost to attend was $26.10 USD per ticket which was very reasonable for one evening. I went to this event with a few women I met at the Women’s Travel Fest. It made for a fantastic night! If you like to check out different types of music, check out the Mercury Lounge to see if there are artists that interest you while you’re in the Big Apple.

Hotel on Rivington

Our Hotel on Rivington provided a nice continental breakfast including bagels, chocolate croissants yogurt, coffee, apples, and oranges. They have tables provided for many people to eat before venturing out for your day trip in New York.

It’s located in the lower East Side of Manhattan, where the young crowds like to hang out. It is close to the Mercury Lounge, The Mayfly, and The DL Rooftop & Lounge for those looking to experience some nightlife. They are all in close proximity to a few subway stations that provided us access to explore different parts of the city, which was convenient.

The hotel is eco-friendly for those interested. We found that it didn’t provide a lot of light in the bathroom with black walls and countertops and also had a low flush toilet, which at times didn’t flush very much. Some might not like this setup. Thankfully there was enough light in the bedroom and the bed was comfy.

Subway System

The New York City subway system is amazing! It’s really well-designed compared to our Edmonton LRT train system.

Some parts of New York City’s subway system are built into the sidewalks which is super practical.

Tips:

• Walk down the designated steps to your desired station. The subway station is reachable throughout the entire city.
• Different stations are within walking distance of downtown depending on which direction you want to take.
• Maps and signs are displayed once you reach the lower levels to help with navigation.
• Purchase a single-use Subway ticket by tapping your phone or using a credit card in the machines. Make full use of the metro pass by using it ten times in three days.
• The single-use ticket costs $4.09 CAD/ticket.

We took the subway everywhere we needed to go. It was much cheaper than a taxi and quicker than dealing with NYC traffic.

Flights

We booked our flights through Expedia. The first picture is overlooking Toronto as we head on our second flight to NYC. The second picture is a mandatory selfie as we are excited to land in New York to start our trip. We booked our hotel separately as I attended the Women’s Travel Fest. I was offered a discounted price by booking through their direct link. It could be cheaper to book the hotel and flight together depending on which airport you choose and where you plan to stay.

Tip: There are three airports: JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Airport. You should consider which airport to choose based on where you are planning to spend most of your time.

Weather

Seven degrees Celsius required a winter coat, mitts and a toque for Albertans visiting who are used to a dry cold instead of the humid weather found in New York City. Compared to our Alberta weather, when it’s fourteen degrees Celsius in New York, it feels cooler and a thick coat might be required. Without the wind though, it can feel warm with a winter coat. Just note that it might feel colder for you in NYC.

Final Thoughts

Are you feeling excited and inspired to go on a 3-Day Trip to New York City? I wasn’t overly prepared when I was travelling to New York City. Thankfully, we were off-season and able to see everything. You might not be so lucky to visit if you go during peak season without reservations. Make sure to book tickets online beforehand for the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building if you want to explore them. For a Broadway show, however, wait until the last minute for tickets to become more affordable, if you are open to seeing any show. That way you won’t spend an arm and a leg and will still get to see an amazing show!

Go to the 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial to acknowledge the heartbreak that occurred in NYC and pay your respects. Don’t forget to take a quick peek at Central Park, it’s a beautiful place to escape the big city noises and relax in a gorgeous park. If you’re a foodie, look up amazing restaurants to try out or see what you might encounter on your city walk. There is so much delicious food to consume! Enjoy!

Here’s the link to download the travel checklist.

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