New York rewards walking more than ticking off attractions, but some things genuinely justify the time and the queue. This is what to prioritise on a first visit, and what to skip.
The view from above
Three observation decks compete: the Empire State Building for the classic art deco experience, Top of the Rock for the better view because it looks at the Empire State, and Edge or Summit at Hudson Yards for the newest and most theatrical. Book a timed slot; walk-up queues run over an hour at sunset.
Central Park
843 acres designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1850s and entirely artificial — every hill, lake and outcrop was placed. Enter at the north end around 110th Street and walk south to find the parts most visitors never reach.
The museums
- The Metropolitan Museum — two million objects; pick two wings rather than attempting the building.
- MoMA — the finest collection of modern art anywhere, and small enough to see properly.
- The American Museum of Natural History — the dinosaur halls and the Rose Center.
- The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side — guided tours through preserved immigrant apartments, and the most affecting museum in the city.
The 9/11 Memorial
Two pools set in the footprints of the towers, with the names of the dead cut into the parapets. The museum below is exhausting and worth it. Allow at least two hours.
Where to walk
The High Line is an elevated freight rail line converted to a park and running from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards. The Brooklyn Bridge is best walked toward Manhattan at dawn, before the crowds. In Brooklyn, DUMBO and Williamsburg give a completely different city.
What to skip
Times Square is worth ten minutes and no more — it is an advertising display surrounded by chain restaurants. Skip the hop-on-hop-off buses; the subway is faster, runs all night, and a seven-day unlimited MetroCard costs less than one bus ticket.
Practical notes
Tipping is expected at 18–20% in restaurants and is effectively part of the price. Sales tax is added at the register rather than shown on the label. Most museums have a suggested rather than fixed admission for New York State residents only.