Things to do in New York City | 3 Days in New York City Itinerary
New York City—the city that never sleeps. I went to New York the first in college, more than a decade ago. It was great to finally be back to the busy city and see things I couldn’t see the first time.
For this trip, I was in New York for 3 full days. Here’s a quick rundown of all the things I did for the 3 days. (Click here to see my New York daily reels).
DAY ONE:
Summit One Vanderbilt - Summit One is an observatory deck. You can get tickets here. It’s interactive and super fun! I personally love all observatory deck so this one is a must do in my book!
Grand Central Station - It’s right next to the Summit One building so worth checking out if you have time. It’s free and the interior is absolutely beautiful!
New York Public Library - Another free admission place to check out. It’s still a library so there are rooms that you can only access through a tour or if you’re there to study. Even so, everywhere else that you’re allowed to go is absolutely amazing. The architecture and interior is so beautiful! Worth checking out. Also, the first floor has an exhibition hall, open to the public—which is essentially a free museum!
St Patrick’s Cathedral - A beautiful cathedral. Free to enter. Just be mindful to those there to pray or if there is mass.
Nintendo Store - If you’re into Nintendo characters, this is worth checking out! A very fun shop.
Rose Room - A speakeasy with entertainment. It was so cool. All the performers were amazing!
Lunch: Luke’s Lobster
Dinner: Nan Xiang Soup Dumpling
DAY TWO:
Central Park - The infamous park of New York City. It’s free and totally worth checking out! Definitely spend some time walking through. It’s a beautiful park.
MET Museum - The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is huge and amazing. Definitely take your time in the museum. We spend 2.5 hours here and didn’t even get to see everything in the museum. There are life-size exhibitions that are amazing—worth checking out!
Flushing - A neighborhood in Queens. There are amazing Asian food here! There are also of cute shops and malls, so check it out if you’re in Queens.
Coffee: Butterfield Market
Lunch: Thai @ Lex
Dinner: Tangram food court
DAY THREE:
Brooklyn Bridge - Recommend walking across if you have time! It’s not that long and it’s a beautiful walk across the river. You will also see the Statue of Liberty which is amazing. A free thing to do! We went on a cloudy day but I’ve heard it’s beautiful during sunrise and sunset. If you start on the Manhattan side, you’ll end up in DUMBO which is a great neighborhood to check out.
DUMBO - a neighborhood in Brooklyn. There are cute shops and eateries in the area. You can also stop by the parks there to get the Manhattan view against the river. This is also where the infamous DUMBO photo area is of the Manhattan bridge.
Chinatown - Chinatown has a lot of shops and restaurants in the area. Definitely worth checking out!
Little Italy - Right by Chinatown. Check out the restaurants and shops here! There’s a Christmas store here that’s open year-round.
MoMA – Museum of Modern Art - Another amazing museum to check out. Loved the Pinocchio exhibition. Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is also here along with a few Claude Monet paintings. There are also a lot of modern art which is always great to see. Don’t forget to check out the store on the lower level or across the street. Definitely put this on your itinerary.
Rockefeller Plaza - A free place to check out, there are shops and eateries. There’s also a ice skating rank if you want to skate!
Times Square - You can’t go to New York City and not visit Times Square! I love all the bright lights and build boards—it’s a whole other energy. I’ve been here twice and it’s still amazing to see.
Coffee: Joe Coffee, Blue Apron Coffee
Lunch: Uncle Lou
Dinner: Fiorentina
New York definitely has a lot of things you can do depending on your interests. If you’re someone who is pretty open and likes to try/see new places, here are my top 3 must visits:
Central Park
For this trip, a friend hosted us so we stayed with her. While I cannot recommend a hotel or place to stay, I do recommend staying in/near Manhattan if you plan to be in the city. It will be more convenient. Otherwise, Brooklyn and Queens are great neighborhoods to stay as well and they’re not too far!
Transportation:
Uber/Lyft – prices can add up, but great for greater distance traveling
Taxi – more affordable than uber/lyft
Train – the subway system now takes credit/debit cards. You don’t need a subway transit pass to use the trains, which is amazing!
Walk – everything is really in walking distance if you’re in Manhattan.
I hope this was helpful! New York is a great city of visit. There is a lot to do and a lot to see. We didn’t even get to see some of the other neighborhoods! Definitely take your time to explore if you have the time.
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