New York: the icons and the neighbourhoods behind them

4 days United States 4 min read

New York rewards walking more than almost any city. Manhattan's grid makes it hard to get lost, the subway runs all night, and the famous sights are closer together than their reputation suggests. Between the landmarks are the neighbourhoods, from the brownstones of the West Village to the Brooklyn waterfront, which are where the city really shows itself.

Four days covers the harbour and downtown, Midtown and the park, the museums of the Upper East Side and a day in Brooklyn. Pick one or two anchors each morning, leave the afternoons loose, and plan one evening view of the skyline from a height or from across the water.

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Plan 4 days in New York

Top places to see

1
Central Park
The 340 hectare park in the middle of Manhattan, with lakes, meadows, woods and a castle. Enter at the south east corner and walk north past the Mall, Bethesda Terrace and the Bow Bridge, or hire a bike to cover more ground. The Ramble is good for birds, and Belvedere Castle gives a view over the Turtle Pond. Early weekend mornings are the park at its best.
2
Statue of Liberty
The ferry from Battery Park calls at Liberty Island and Ellis Island, where the immigration museum tells the story of the twelve million people who passed through. Book tickets online in advance, especially if you want the pedestal or the crown, which sell out weeks ahead. Take the first boat of the day to avoid queues at security. The free Staten Island Ferry gives a good view of the statue if time is short.
3
The High Line
A park built on an old elevated freight railway on the west side, running from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards with wild planting, art installations and views between the buildings to the river. It takes about forty five minutes to walk its length. Start at the south end near Gansevoort Street, and step down to Chelsea Market or the Whitney Museum of American Art on the way.
4
Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of the largest museums in the world, on the eastern edge of Central Park. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur, the European paintings, the arms and armour and the American Wing are the usual anchors, but the rooftop garden in warm months is worth the trip alone. Pick three or four sections and accept you will not see it all. Weekday mornings are quietest.
5
Brooklyn Bridge
The 1883 suspension bridge with its stone gothic towers is best crossed on foot from Manhattan to Brooklyn, with the skyline behind you. The walkway is crowded by mid morning, so go at sunrise or in the evening. At the Brooklyn end, Dumbo and Brooklyn Bridge Park give the classic view back across the river, and the Manhattan Bridge framed by Washington Street is the famous photo.
6
Chelsea Market
A food hall in the old Nabisco factory where the Oreo was invented, with stalls selling tacos, lobster, bread, spices and more under exposed brick arches. It is right beneath the High Line and across from the Whitney. Lunchtime is busy, so go a little early or late. The surrounding gallery district of Chelsea is worth a wander afterwards, with dozens of free contemporary art galleries.
7
Greenwich Village
The low rise, tree lined streets around Washington Square Park, the only part of Manhattan where the grid gives way to winding lanes. The arch and fountain in the square draw musicians and chess players. Walk the West Village streets of Bleecker, Grove and Bedford for brownstones and small shops, and continue to the Hudson River Park for a sunset walk along the water.
8
Top of the Rock
The observation deck of Rockefeller Center offers the best skyline view in the city, because it looks directly at the Empire State Building and over Central Park. Book a timed ticket for about an hour before sunset. Rockefeller Plaza below has the ice rink in winter and the Christmas tree in December, and St Patrick's Cathedral and Fifth Avenue are across the street.

Good to know

Tap a contactless card or phone at subway turnstiles with OMNY. Fares cap automatically after twelve rides in a week, and the same tap works on buses. Express trains skip stops, so check the letter and the board before boarding.
Tipping is expected: around twenty percent in restaurants, a dollar or two per drink at bars, and a few dollars for taxi rides. Prices shown rarely include sales tax, so expect the bill to be higher than the menu.
Book the Statue of Liberty, major observation decks and Broadway shows in advance. For same day theatre, the TKTS booth in Times Square sells discounted tickets in the afternoon, and museums often have pay what you wish hours.
Walk whenever a journey is under twenty blocks, and use the avenues to orient yourself: numbers rise going north, and east and west are split by Fifth Avenue. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything else you pack.

Best time to visit

April to June and September to early November are the best times, with mild weather, blossom in spring and foliage in Central Park in autumn. Summer is hot and humid, and July and August bring the biggest crowds. December is cold but festive, with lights and markets, and January and February are quiet, cheap and often snowy.

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