So whether you’re taking a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry, visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, strolling along Wall Street, or paying tribute at the 9/11 Memorial, a break on Stone Street is a must.  Often, we’ll end our private customized tours here. The perfect place to rest and refuel!

Area Map of Stone Street

A Quick Stone Street Primer

This narrow cobblestone street in the heart of the Financial District was the first street paved with stone in the city, back when it was a small Dutch farming and trading colony called New Amsterdam.  It was originally paved in 1658, when Wall Street was still a wooden wall built as a protective barrier at the northern edge of New Amsterdam.

After decades of neglect in the middle of the 20^th century, Stone Street became a seedy, derelict back alley (think crack vials and trash).  It was finally restored and repaved in the 1990s and became a Historic District in 1996.

Today, this charming old street, flanked by restored lofts and warehouses from the late 1830s, is one of the best dining destinations in Downtown Manhattan.  This is especially true in the warmer months, when restaurants and bars place long wooden tables in the middle of this pedestrians-only street.

The whole vibe feels very European and helps you forget that you are on Manhattan island, better known for noisy traffic and countless skyscrapers than old-world charm.

Do you want to discover New York’s layers of history, explore its architecture and famous landmarks with a professional guide?  Check out our private Downtown Highlights NYC walking tour, which will include a visit to Stone Street.

OK, enough history, now for the actual dining and drinking options:

Restaurants and Bars on Stone Street in New York City:

(Listed as they appear from west to east)

Note: Each listed establishment is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner (most also offer weekend brunch)

Route 66 Smoke House

Views menus here

If you’re in the mood for good BBQ and cold craft beer, Route 66 Smoke House is the place for you.  Cool off inside or enjoy an outdoor meal on communal tables.  Route 66 applies an “all-American” theme to their bar menu by featuring only American whiskey and craft beer.

Beckett’s Bar & Grill

Views menus here

Beckett’s is great option for checking out a game and throwing back a couple of cold ones. Stick around a while and grab a bit in this historic building that’s stood since 1603.

Stone Street Tavern

(next to Route 66)

View menus here

Burgers, beer, wine, rustic wooden décor, and outdoor seating.  There are also multiple TV screens with the day’s important games on.

Adrienne’s Pizzabar

(mid-block)

View menus here

Adrienne’s is the best place for pizza Downtown.  Enjoy thin-crust brick oven pizza made to order in an inviting and upscale setting.  Adrienne’s also offers salads and some baked classics like lasagna and eggplant parmesan.  Pair it with a glass of wine or a cold beer.  Outdoor seating is available in the summer months.

Underdog

View drinks menu

Underdog is a popular, dimly lit cocktail bar spinning great tunes and serving craft beer and great cocktails, along with a wide variety of bar food — from salads and sandwiches to burgers and lo-mein. Grab a stool at the long bar or a table for larger groups.

Ulysses’ – A Folk House

(eastern portion of Stone Street)

View menu here

The first pub to open on Stone Street in 2003, Ulysses’ has become a Financial District (“FiDi”) staple.  Office workers enjoying happy hour and neighborhood locals looking for a good drink and a bite to eat make this a bustling destination for beer, wine, cocktails, and an impressive food menu that includes a raw bar.  So whether you’re clamoring for clams, oysters, a gyro sandwich, or a juicy burger, Ulysses’ has you covered.

Enjoy the outdoor seating if you can find a spot on the long communal tables.

Notable Places to Eat and Drink Near Stone Street:

White Stone Street offers plenty of dining and drinking options, there are a few great spots not on Stone Street itself but just a stone’s throw away (we couldn’t help ourselves). Let’s start with the most historic and famous of them:

Fraunces Tavern

54 Pearl Street (corner of Broad Street)

If you like your food, booze, and history in the same establishment, then head to Fraunces Tavern, which is a 2-minute walk from Stone Street.  It is one of the oldest and most historic pubs in New York City.  Opened in 1762 as Queen’s Head Tavern, this bar has served food and booze to British officers, fervent Sons of Liberty, Revolutionary generals (including George Washington), dock workers, office workers, and everyone in between.  In fact, it was here that George Washington gave a heartfelt toast to his generals after Evacuation Day (when the last of the British soldiers occupying Manhattan left after their defeat in the American Revolution).

Fraunces Tavern was saved from demolition in 1900 by the Daughters of the Revolution, then restored under new ownership of the Sons of the Revolution in 1907.  Today’s building may or may not look like the 18th century version of George Washington’s epoch.  The restoration architect couldn’t find a painting of the building before the first major fire in 1832, so its appearance today is based on the architect’s faithful interpretation of colonial-era styles (basically, his “best guess”).

Today’s Tavern features a rustic restaurant space, popular for power lunches during the work-week, and multiple bar rooms featuring an impressive menu of craft beers and whiskeys, as well as good bar food.  You’ll find wooden decor and even an old musket hanging above one of the bars.

After your meal, head upstairs to visit the Fraunces Tavern Museum (open daily, $10 admission).  Check out the Flag room, as well as the recreated 18th century “Long Room”, where Washington would have toasted his officers in 1783 at the victorious end of the Revolution.

Harry’s

1 Hanover Square (just around the corner from Stone Street)

Harry’s has been a venerable “Wall Street” dining institution since 1972. Today, the beautifully remodeled high-end bar and restaurant in the basement of the historic Italianate India House (circa 1851) still attracts the “Power Lunch” and after-work crowd with an impressive steakhouse menu and a full bar. It’s a great option for a fancy lunch or dinner experience Downtown. Reservations are recommended.

Ruben’s Empanadas

77 Pearl Street (around the corner from Stone Street)

The opposite of Harry’s, both in terms of ambiance and price point, is Ruben’s Empanadas. This tiny, casual, lunch spot is a great choice if you’re looking for a tasty, hot Argentinian empanada to eat outside on a nice day or to take to go when pressed for time.

Tacombi

74 Broad Street

They started making tacos out of a van in Mexico, before opening retaurants in New York. This is the Financial District of the popular local chain. Known for their handmade corn tortillas, Tacombi is considered one of the best taco restaurants in the city. Most popular are their crispy fish, al pastor and carnitas. Eat in or take out.

Luke’s Lobster FiDi

26 South William Street

If you’re craving a delicious Maine-style lobster roll or some hot clam chowder, head to this hole-in-the-wall seafood joint next to an ugly parking garage just behind Stone Street. The food is always tasty and fresh and they are proud of sourcing traceable, sustainable seafood from the USA.

Leo’s Bagels

3 Hanover Square (right across from India House)

Last but not least, if you just want a quality authentic NYC bagel, head to Leo’s, located just across and perpendicular to Stone Street. It’s a small and busy bagel joint, making fresh bagels in the back all day, every day. Get a bagel with the traditional “schmear” of cream cheese, go all-out with cream cheese, lox, capers and onions, or customize your own “deli” option. The hard part is choosing what kind of bagel you wish to consume (the most popular are: plain, sesame, “everything”, and whole wheat).

by: Max Vishnev, founder of CityRover Walks NY and licensed NYC tour guide

Are you visiting New York City for the first time?  Will you only have a day or two to try cover as many of the famous places and attractions as possible?

If you answered “Yes” to one or both of the questions above, then this detailed One Day NYC itinerary and guide is for you!

You might also find our “Top 10 Must See Places to Visit in New York City” guide useful.  It’s full of rich detail, including maps and places to eat and drink near famous NYC attractions.  It complements this guide really well!

If you have any questions or are interested in customizing a private guided walking tour, feel free to browse our private tour offerings at https://cityroverwalks.com/tours.  You can also drop us a line at [email protected], or call us at +1(347)464-9335.  We’ll be glad to help!

2 notes before we dive in:

1.  This one-day guide is geared toward first-time visitors, but repeat visitors should find it useful as well.  Be prepared to walk a lot and to use the NYC subway system.

2.  Obviously, it is impossible to see all New York has to offer in a single day, but this should give you a good feel for the city and some of its most famous places, buildings, and landmarks.

One of the landmarks included in this suggested one-day itinerary is the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.  Check out this clip (featuring the author of this post) from a Canadian TV show called “America Over the Edge”:

Now without further adieu, let’s get your one-day NYC adventure started!

Top of the Rock

We suggest starting your day early with a morning visit to the popular observation deck at Rockefeller Center called Top of the Rock.  Enter the flagship building, 30 Rockefeller Center, at 50th street between 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue (look for the neon “Observation Deck” sign).

It’s a great way to take in the city from the sky before exploring it on foot. You can’t really fully appreciate New York’s density, scale, visual diversity, and unique skyline until you visit Top of the Rock.

Top of the Rock FAQs

There are two main ways to get Top of the Rock tickets

Option 1:

Buy them online and reserve a specific date and time. This is the way to go if you know exactly when you will be going up there.  The main risk with this option is that the weather may not cooperate and Rockefeller Center does not issue refunds due to weather conditions, though they may issue you a ticket for another date in case of inclement weather.  

Option 2:

Buy your tickets at 30 Rockefeller Center in person. This is the better option if you are not sure about the date or want to check the weather forecast once you arrive in NYC.  The ticket “office” is in the Dining Concourse of 30 Rockefeller Center (lower level).  There are vending machines as well as several ticket agents inside.  The line usually moves pretty quickly.  The biggest risk with this option, especially during the peak tourism months in New York (late March through December), is that they may be sold out for certain time periods on a given day.  For example, if you were to show up on a warm and sunny Friday in June hoping to go up with the first elevator at, you may discover that they are sold out.  So it’s a trade-off between weather risk and ticket availability risk.

Whichever ticket option you choose, the views up at the top will be the same – amazing.  You’ll see the Empire State in all its Art Deco splendor if you look south and 843 acres of Central Park if you look north.  And who knows, maybe you’ll bump into Jimmy Fallon or one of the cast members of Saturday Night Live on your way out.

After returning back to ground level, there are lots of good options for a quick bite in the Dining Concourse, including Black Seed bagels, Ace’s Pizze, among many other good lunch options.  And don’t forget Chip City for an amazing cookie from a popular local brand.

If you are a coffee connoisseur looking for a great cup of coffee in NYC, skip the Starbucks and head to Blue Bottle Coffee, located near the bathroom facilities in the Dining Concourse.

Next:  Walk 2 minutes

Take the escalator from the Dining Concourse up to the main lobby of 30 Rock (which faces the Plaza and ice-skating rink)

30 Rock and Rockefeller Plaza

From the Dining Concourse, take the escalator back upstairs and check out the beautiful lobby of 30 Rockefeller Center before exiting.  The fantastic mural on the main wall is called “American Progress” and was created by Jose Maria Sert, a Catalan artist, and completed in 1937.  Abraham Lincoln is the tall figure in the top hat (left of center).  The building looming in the background is the very building you are standing in (30 Rock).

A quick aside for art history (and drama) lovers: The Rockefellers originally awarded this very prominent commission to a famous Mexican muralist named Diego Rivera, who was a well-known Communist.  His sketch for the mural was approved, but as the giant fresco was nearing completion, Rivera decided to add the face of Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution.  This act of artistic propaganda, needless to say, did not please his famously rich and very capitalist patrons.  After refusing to remove Lenin, Rivera was quickly fired, his mural covered up, then unceremoniously chiseled off the wall piece by piece (it was a fresco, so it couldn’t be removed).

Now look up at the ceiling.  Jose Maria Sert, who gladly replaced Diego Rivera, painted this incredible work as well.  It is simply called “Time”.  The colossal figure in the center is “Present”, who is flanked by “Past” and “Future”.  He strikes a difficult balance between mankind’s past failures and accomplishments and the uncertain prospects and hopes for the future.

Exit through the revolving doors towards the flags of the Plaza.  If you turn around, you’ll see the building’s name is chiseled onto the stone façade.  The “Comcast Building” is actually the building’s third name.  It was originally the “RCA Building” when it opened in 1933.  Then, in 1988, it became the “GE Building”.  The current name was made official in 2015.  We prefer “30 Rock”.

If you gaze up while looking at the building’s façade, you’ll see a really stern-looking giant with a long white beard.  That’s old man “Wisdom” pushing away clouds of ignorance to bring us Sound (left) and Light (right).  This incredibly complicated work of art was designed by Lee Lawrie, who would go on to create Atlas on Fifth Avenue (more about Atlas later).  The giant bearded sage was carved out of a single piece of limestone.  And the glass background is comprised of 240 pieces of hand-cast glass blocks.

The reference to Sound and Light is no accident.  The art of Rockefeller Center (created in the early to mid-1930s) was meant to inspire and lift people’s spirits during the Great Depression.  Celebrating mankind’s recent achievements was a way to do that, so Sound can be viewed as celebrating the radio and the telephone, while Light might reference the relatively recent proliferation of electric light, as well as the development of the motion picture industry.

Now, if you turn around, you’ll see the flags that correspond to members of the United Nations (unless you are visiting during a national holiday or around Christmas season, when the UN flags are temporarily replaced).  As we wrote in our post about the top places to visit in NYC, the Rockefellers played a vital role in the establishment of the U.N. Headquarters in New York City.

The Lower Plaza, where the famous ice skating rink is, draws large crowds in the colder months.  Flying above the rink is the gilded Greek mythological figure of Prometheus, bringing fire (that he stole from Mount Olympus) to mankind (that he created out of clay), represented by the smaller male and female bronze figures in front of the Lower Plaza.  This got Zeus really riled up, and as punishment, Prometheus was chained to a rock, while a vulture pecked out his liver every night.  But then, his liver would grow back during the day, only to be pecked out again at night.  That lasted for 30 years until Hercules killed the vulture and freed Prometheus.

Next: Walk 3 minutes

Walk up the promenade, also known as the “English Channel,” heading towards Saks on Fifth Avenue. 

The French building will be on your right, the British building on your left.  Once you reach Fifth Avenue, make a left and head towards the twin Gothic spires of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  Across from the famous cathedral is the enormous Art Deco sculpture of Atlas holding up the weight of the world.

Atlas

Atlas, according to Greek mythology, was the brother of Prometheus and a fellow Titan.  Atlas is the largest sculpture in Rockefeller Center and the most impressive (rising 45 feet above the sidewalk!).  It is supposed to represent “internationalism”, which explains its prominent placement in front of the International Building.  According to Greek mythology, Atlas fought against Zeus and the gods of Mount Olympus for ten years and lost.  His punishment was to hold up heaven and earth forever.  That’s a long time to hold up anything, especially when you can’t even stretch or scratch an itch.  Key takeaway: Don’t mess with Zeus, a lesson both Prometheus and Atlas learned the hard way.

For a great photo, stand behind Atlas.  This view offers multiple contrasts: Bronze vs. marble, Art Deco vs. Neo Gothic, dark vs. light, Greek Mythology vs. Roman Catholicism.

And while you’re there, you’ll notice that it appears as if Atlas is kneeling towards Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.  While that was not the intention of the artist, Lee Lawrie, this view allegedly placated an angry archbishop, who felt that the 7,000 kilogram bronze figure was a massive insult heaved upon the Roman Catholic institution right across Fifth Avenue.  A mythological Greek Titan holding up the earth and heavens right across from the Cathedral was a slap in the face, in his view, until he stood behind Atlas and saw him “kneeling”.

By the way, residents of Queens (New York’s second-most populous borough) should be proud to know that the final plaster model of Atlas was cast in bronze in a Long Island City studio.

Next: Look across the street!

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Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

The iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue recently underwent a full restoration, which took 3 years and cost $177 million.  This included the washing and polishing of the nearly 8,000 pipes that make up the main organ.  The restoration was completed in the nick of time — a week before the visit of Pope Francis!

The land for the cathedral was acquired in 1858 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of NY at a time when the area was still largely undeveloped, which is hard to fathom today!  It took two decades to build the magnificent cathedral, with the project costs being funded mostly by poor Irish immigrants contributing nickels and dimes.  By the time it was completed in 1879, this section of Fifth Avenue had become “Millionaire’s Row”.  Its neighbors, living in their stately mansions, didn’t look too fondly upon the new cathedral, given that most of them were “blue-blooded” Protestant families.

The splendid cathedral is open to the public, so walk inside if you have the time.  The dimensions will stun you, as will the stained glass work.  The Roman Catholic Archdiocese holds regular services as well.

Next: Walk 10 minutes

Walk south along Fifth Avenue for about 10 minutes until you reach the classical marble building with the two dormant stone lions in front at 41st street.  You’ll know you’re walking in the right direction if the street numbers are going down (i.e. 50th, 49th, 48th…)Next

New York Public Library

New York City has no shortage of stunning buildings, and the flagship NY Public Library on Fifth Avenue has to rank near the top.  It is considered one of the best examples of the Beaux Arts style of architecture that was so popular in New York in the early part of the 20^th century.  In fact, some of the most famous buildings in the city were designed in this style, including Grand Central Terminal, NY Stock Exchange, Custom House, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (though the original building by Calvert Vaux was in a different style).  All of these famous landmarks were built during the so-called “City Beautiful” movement that became all the rage in New York City after the popular Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 that introduced America to the “Great White City”.

The Library is guarded by two massive stone lions.  These friendly pussy-cats go by two different sets of names.  Originally, they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox (named after John Jacob Astor and James Lenox, whose privately built libraries were combined to form this one).  During the Great Depression, however, they were renamed Leo Patience and Leo Fortitude by then-mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to boost morale in a city crushed by the Crash of ’29.

Movie buffs reading this might recognize the classical façade from the opening scene of the original Ghostbusters (1984), or the tsunami scene from the 2004 apocalyptic thriller, The Day After Tomorrow.

You might also notice that the building is actually called the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.  What gives?  Isn’t this the famous New York Public Library?  Who is this Schwarzman guy and why is his name on the building?  He is a private-equity billionaire whose net worth is estimated to be over $12 billion, and in 2008, he donated $100 million to the library to help fund a $1 billion overhaul and restoration.  This enormous donation, the largest unconditional private donation to a public institution in New York City at the time, got his name to appear on and in the century-old building not once but five times!  The Landmark Preservation Commission had to approve the carving of his name on the main façade.

The massive building itself, took over a decade to build (it took 2 years just to dismantle a giant stone reservoir that occupied the site), and when completed in 1911, it was the largest marble building ever constructed in the United States.  It quickly earned the nickname the “People’s Palace” because it was not only classical and monumental but also free and open to all – whether you were a highly educated professor or a poor kid from the tenements of the Lower East Side.

If you have the time, go into the building.  You’ll feel like you’re in a museum in Europe, not a library.  And if you want to see one of the library’s architectural highlights, take the grand stairs (or the far less grand elevator) to the top floor and check out the stunning McGraw Rotunda, the famous Rose Reading Room is only open to the library’s official tour or library users. 

The library has many rare books and documents, including the first Gutenberg Bible brought to America.  It’s hard to believe that the ink (and the pages it’s printed on) dates back to 1455, when Johann Gutenberg printed this copy and approximately 179 other copies on his revolutionary invention – the printing press – in Mainz (Germany).

Another priceless object is a handwritten final draft of the Declaration of Independence, penned by Thomas Jefferson in the pivotal summer of 1776.  The Library showcases this historic document every Fourth of July weekend.

Next: Walk 10 minutes

After leaving the library, head east on 41^st street (the library should be behind you), also known as “Library Walk”.  Be sure to look at the bronze plaques on both sides of the sidewalk.  You’re in for some treats if you stop to read them.  Our favorite is the following quote: “Truth exists, only falsehood has to be invented.”

When you get to Park Avenue, make a left.

Grand Central Terminal

From the People’s Palace to another Beaux Arts beauty nicknamed the “Gateway to America.”  Grand Central Terminal was completed in 1913, two years after the library, and was the largest train terminal ever built.  It earned its nickname because New York City was receiving a record number of immigrants in the early 20^th century – 1 million immigrants were processed in 1907 at Ellis Island, for example.  Some stayed in New York, but many others took a train to Anywhere, America.  Perhaps they had a sibling in Chicago or Detroit, or heard about abundant farmland in Iowa or Nebraska.  To get there, they had to take a train.  And for many, that meant getting to Grand Central Terminal.

But the enormous terminal was by no means used only by poor European immigrants looking to go West.  It offered luxury travel for first-class passengers on super-fast modern trains with fancy names like “20^th Century Limited” and the “Empire State” that could get you from NY to Chicago in style in just 16 hours.  Wealthy customers and business travelers would enjoy red carpet treatment, luxurious accommodations, top-notch dining cars, and “Redcaps” to carry their luggage.

The terminal took 10 years to build at a staggering cost of $80 million (about $2 billion in today’s dollars) in the early 20^th century and 10 years to restore in the 1990s (at a cost of $100 million).

To see a reminder of how neglected and dirty the Terminal’s celestial ceiling once was, find the Cancer zodiac and look for the dark rectangular patch near the crab’s claws.  That dark patch is mostly tobacco and nicotine pollution accumulated over 80 years.  The patch was intentionally left unrestored to remind people of Grand Central’s once-sorry state and to showcase its splendid condition today.

After exploring the Main Concourse, head downstairs to the Dining Concourse for a bite to eat, a beverage, or just for a rest.  And while you’re there, look for the Oyster Bar (NY’s oldest) and test out the secret acoustic features of the “Whispering Gallery” in front of it.  If you see others talking into corners, follow their example.  You just need someone to stand in the opposite corner from you, so people won’t think you’re crazy.

Food options inside Grand Central

1. Head downstairs to the Dining Concourse, which features an impressive variety of casual lunch options, including great ethnic foods, as well as the popular burger chain, Shake Shack, and the iconic Oyster Bar circa 1913.  You can also treat yourself to a slice of cake from Magnolia Bakery!

2. Or stay on the Main Concourse level and head towards the 42nd street exit.  You’ll see the popular City Winery inside the splendid Vanderbilt Hall.  A beautiful grand setting for a drink or a meal.

3. For a fancy cocktail and small bites in a 1920s-inspired “speakeasy bar” setting, head up to the Campbell Bar (formerly known as the Campbell Apartment).

5.  You can also dine in style removed from the fray, while overlooking the Main Concourse from the West Balcony.  Just head up the grand staircase to Cipriani Dolci for a high-end Italian meal and a cocktail above the foot traffic and below the “celestial” ceiling. 

OK, meals aside, let’s get back to our self-guided tour!

Next: Walk 5 minutes

If you exit Grand Central on the Lexington Avenue side (or exit on 42nd street and make a left), you can visit the Art Deco lobby of one of New York’s most famous and iconic skyscrapers – the Chrysler Building.

Chrysler Building

The Chrysler Building is instantly recognizable, even if you don’t know it by name.  You’ve seen it in countless photographs, TV shows, and movies.  Most recently, Will Smith (Agent J) jumps off the famous skyscraper to travel back in time in Men in Black 3 (2012).

Hollywood time-travel aside, the building serves as a terrific contrast to Grand Central Terminal.  Classical vs. modern (Art Deco was the epitome of modern architecture in the 1920s and 30s), horizontal vs. vertical, trains vs. cars.  The building was commissioned by Walter Chrysler, the automobile kingpin, who wanted to showcase his success with the ultimate phallic symbol for extremely wealthy early 20^th century industrialists – a really tall building.

As his building was going up in 1929 on 42^nd street, a major Wall Street bank was constructing another skyscraper in the heart of the Financial District in Downtown Manhattan.

That building, called 40 Wall Street, was completed first to become the world’s tallest in April of 1930.  However, Walter Chrysler had a trick up his sleeve: A 125-foot stainless steel needle erected last minute to claim the title of world’s tallest a month after 40 Wall Street was completed.

But Chrysler’s celebration was short-lived because the Empire State Building beat his skyscraper just 11 months later.  The only consolation was that the Chrysler was (and remains) the world’s tallest brick skyscraper supported by steel.  In fact, nearly 4 million bricks were laid by hand during its construction.  What’s even more amazing is that despite the extreme height (total height of 1,046 with the spire) and hectic pace (4 floors per week) not a single worker died during the construction process!

For a terrific read about the famous race for the world’s tallest building, check out a book called Higher by Neal Bascomb.

To learn much more about these (and other) famous Midtown landmarks, check out our private walking tour of “Must See” Midtown NY attractions.

Next: Take the Subway! About a 10-minute commute.

We are going to head Downtown towards the Brooklyn Bridge using the NYC subway. Deep breaths — you’ll be fine!

Look for the subway signs on the Grand Central side of Lexington Avenue and 42^nd street.  Enter the station, use our detailed subway guide to figure out how to buy a Metrocard or pay with OMNY, then head for the 4/5/6 subway in the direction of Downtown & Brooklyn.  Do not go down the steps to the platform if the sign shows “Uptown & The Bronx”, as that would take you in the opposite direction.  Take either the 4, 5, or 6 train downtown to the “Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall” stop, then exit to the street and look for the pedestrian ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge

Walk over the famous 1-mile suspension bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn.  Please stay to the right of the dividing line, unless you want to be yelled at (or worse, hit by) a speeding cyclist.  We are especially talking to you Britons and Aussies, with your strange “left side of the road is the ‘right’ side” customs.

Once you reach the first Gothic tower of the bridge, you’ll notice a bronze plaque on the center stone column.  The top line on the plaque reads: “Erected by the cities of New York and Brooklyn.”  The key word here is “cities”.  When construction of the bridge was scheduled to begin in 1869, it was to connect the separate cities of New York (then, just Manhattan, but already the largest city in America) and Brooklyn (America’s 3^rd largest city – behind New York and Philadelphia at the time).  In fact, the two identical Gothic towers — still so iconic 133 years later – were designed to serve as timeless monuments to the two great cities the bridge was to unite.

Towards the bottom of the same plaque, you’ll see two names under “Engineers”: John A. Roebling and Washington A. Roebling.  This famous father-and-son duo built this incredible span that for the first time physically connected America’s largest and third-largest cities.

Unfortunately, they didn’t build it together.  A freak accident at a ferry landing on the Brooklyn side of the East River crushed John Roebling’s right foot, just as he was preparing to start construction on what was supposed to be his masterpiece.  His toes were promptly amputated (without any kind of anesthetic), and he died 3 weeks later in excruciating pain after developing gangrene and tetanus.

The bridge’s brilliant designer (and its Chief Engineer) was now dead, and construction hadn’t even begun yet!  Panic ensued, since the bridge was already considered “unbuildable” at the time, and now the only man in America deemed qualified to build it was dead.  Luckily, cooler heads eventually prevailed and nominated his eldest son – Washington – who was chosen to replace the deceased Roebling.

Thus, 32-year-old Washington Roebling assumed his father’s position as Chief Engineer and was now tasked with the unenviable task of taking his father’s designs and figuring out how to actually build the bridge – one which would be the world’s longest suspension bridge by far.  No pressure!

Tragically, not only would more men die during its 14-year construction, but Washington himself would become disabled in the process from a mysterious condition that became known as the “bends”.

If you walk to the Brooklyn tower, you’ll notice another bronze plaque.  The first name listed is Emily Warren Roebling, who was Washington’s wife.  She gets top billing on the plaque because, as Washington himself stated, the Brooklyn Bridge would not be built without her involvement and contributions.  She sat by her husband’s bedside for over a decade, as the disabled engineer guided the enormous project along using his trusted wife to be his eyes and ears.  She became the public face of the project and is considered the first female civil engineer in America.  The quote on the bottom of the plaque sums it up: “Behind every great work we can find the self-sacrificing devotion of a woman.”  Go Emily!

Next: Exit Bridge on left side

Get off the bridge by taking the stone staircase on the left (do not follow the bike path along the ramp!). 

Sad historical aside: These stairs were the site of a terrible tragedy a week after the opening of the bridge, when unfounded panic caused a human stampede that resulted in 12 people being crushed and trampled to death on this very staircase.

Once down the stairs, make a left and head downhill. Walk 3 minutes.

Welcome to Brooklyn, New York City’s most populous borough, home to more than 2.6 million people! 

Dumbo, Brooklyn

When you reach Water Street you can take a great photograph from a famous spot in a trendy post-industrial neighborhood now called “Dumbo” (which stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  The street scene features converted brick factories and the steel tower of the Manhattan Bridge, with the Empire State Building visible straight down the middle on a clear day.  This same shot (without the Empire State Building) was used on the movie poster for the 1984 gangster saga, Once Upon a Time in America, starring Robert De Niro.

Make a left on Water Street and walk a few blocks to Old Fulton Street.  Here, you can get a good burger from Shake Shack, delicious pizza from Juliana’s, or your pick of artesenal ice cream from Brooklyn Ice Company, Van Leeuwen, or our local favorite for odd flavors, OddFellows.  Or walk into the massive and recently gut-renovated Empire Stores warehouse complex, a mid-19th century coffee warehouse now home to West Elm, restaurants, a cafe, and even a public rooftop viewing area with great views of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge!

And if you want to learn more about the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn, check out our popular private tour over the Brooklyn Bridge and into Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights.

Next: Walk 3 minutes

Walk along Water Street, past the landmark brick Tobacco Warehouse (circa 1860), with a new theater space inside that is home to St. Ann’s Warehouse, an innovative non-profit theater company. Look for the ferry landing on your right when you reach Old Fulton Street.

East River Ferry

After enjoying breathtaking views of the Downtown Manhattan skyline from the water’s edge at the Fulton Ferry Landing buy a one-way ferry ticket from the NYC Ferry vending machine ($4 per ride or 10 for $27.50).  For the latest seasonal ferry schedule, check out the NYC Ferry website and click on “East River”.

Make sure you take the ferry heading to “Pier 11/Wall St” not the one that has the sign for “Midtown/34^th St”.

The short ferry ride you’ll experience is the only way residents of Brooklyn were able to commute to Manhattan before the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in1883, which was fine in nice weather, but not so much during really cold winters, as the river tended to freeze.

The first commuter ferry (the Fulton Ferry) began service here in 1814 thanks to Robert Fulton’s successful commercialization of steam engine technology to power ships.  Sadly, Fulton died of pneumonia just a year later.  This reliable ferry service made Brooklyn an attractive “suburban” destination for some New Yorkers, which helped Brooklyn grow quickly to become America’s 3^rd largest city by the middle of the 19^th century.

Today, the ferry ride from Brooklyn to Manhattan actually takes you from New York’s most populous borough (with 2.7 million residents) to its most famous but only 3^rd-most populous borough (behind Brooklyn and Queens).  So two centuries after the launch of the Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn is home to a million more people than Manhattan, a figure that would be very hard to imagine in 1814.

Next: Get off the ferry and head to the edge of Wall Street (3 minute walk)

Hungry? Thirsty? Need a coffee fix?

When you reach Wall Street, which is perpendicular to the East River, look for Westville (110 Wall Street) for a great sit-down lunch option, or walk a bit further along the street to sweetgreen (67 Wall Street), a very popular casual/healthy lunch spot. Lastly, if you want or need a really good cup of coffee, check out La Colombe (67 Wall Street), a highly-regarded specialty coffee house.

Wall Street

The name “Wall Street” may be synonymous with money and power, but it’s actually named after a wooden wall built in the 1650s.  Erected by the Dutch after the outbreak of the first Anglo-Dutch War at the northern edge of New Amsterdam, this wall (which ran from the East River to the Hudson River) proved utterly useless, since the English attacked from the sea and not by land (insert self-administered palm slap to the forehead if you’re Dutch).  The wall was broken down by the end of the century and used for firewood and free lumber.  But the wall lives on in the famous street name.

As you stroll down Wall Street today, one thing that would never come to mind is slavery.  Unfortunately, that is a big part of the early history of our great city.  The slave trade was an important part of the local economy going as far back as our Dutch days as New Amsterdam.  The Bloodless Surrender to the British in 1664 did not stop this heinous but profitable trade.  In fact, in the 18^th century, there was a bustling slave market at the foot of Wall Street, close to where you got off the ferry (look for the recently installed historical plaque near the corner of Wall and Water streets).  Slavery wasn’t abolished in New York State until 1827!

As you pass William Street, notice the very tall skyscraper on your right with the gilded “Trump” name on the façade.  That is 40 Wall Street, the building that lost to Chrysler just a month after becoming the world’s tallest.  Donald Trump bought it in 1995, and, not surprisingly, quickly put his name on it in very large font.  It remains a commercial building today.  40 Wall Street (to use its original name) recently fell out of the top 10 tallest buildings in New York City.

On the next corner, you will reach what’s considered the “heart” of Wall Street at the intersection of Wall and Broad Street. Here you’ll find the New York Stock Exchange (circa 1903) on your left and the Federal Hall Memorial on your right.  The oversized bronze statue of George Washington commemorates the spot where the heroic Revolutionary War General of the Continental Army was sworn in as America’s first President on April 30, 1789.

Of the 8.8 million people that call New York home, how many do you think know the fact that Washington became our first president on Wall Street or that New York City was America’s first capital?  Our guess is probably not many.

Speaking of statues, be sure to get a photo with “Fearless Girl” standing up to all the male big-shots at the Stock Exchange.

Across from Washington is the nameless sturdy-looking stone building that looks short compared to the skyscrapers around it.  This used to be the J.P. Morgan headquarters, also known as the “House of Morgan.”   Look for the shrapnel holes on the Wall Street side of the building (23 Wall St), which are remnants of an explosion that shocked Wall Street on September 16, 1920.  A terrorist act, by the way, that remains an unsolved crime a century later, though Italian anarchists were blamed.

For a great cup of coffee while you’re exploring Manhattan’s Financial District (or FiDi, as it’s called today), check out our NYC coffee guide.  Oh, and if you get a craving for a great NYC bagel while exploring Downtown, stop by Leo’s Bagels on Hanover Square, or head down Stone Street for a sit-down meal and a drink, inside or out (in the warmer months).

Next: Walk 3 minutes to the end of Wall Street (where it hits Broadway)

Take this guide with you on the road as a free and printer-friendly PDF file! Click on the link below to get on your email list, and we’ll send it to you in a “New York Minute”!

Trinity Church

Head west for one more block along Wall Street until you reach Trinity Church, which once towered over Wall Street.  This is the third Trinity Church on this site.  The first one burned down during the American Revolution, while the second had to be taken down due to structural damage.  The church you see today was built in 1846 and is considered one of the best examples of Neo Gothic architecture in the United States.

Some of the most prominent New Yorkers are buried in the church’s graveyard, including Robert Fulton, whom we met earlier.  To the left of Fulton lies buried one of America’s Founding Fathers and one of the most famous New York historical figures – Alexander Hamilton.  Hamilton, who was America’s first Treasury Secretary, died at the age of 47 in 1804, a day after a duel with his archrival, Aaron Burr.  Who would have thought that two centuries after his tragic death, Hamilton would be the star of a smash-hit Broadway musical that bears his name?

By the way, Hamilton’s wife, Eliza, who is buried nearby, outlived her husband by 50 years!  

Next: Walk 3 minutes south along Broadway (same direction as car traffic)

Charging Bull

This 3.5-ton bronze bull at the southern tip of Broadway is often referred to as the “Wall Street Bull”.  In fact, many tourists wandering up and down Wall Street will ask where the famous bull is located.  There is only one problem – it’s not on Wall Street.

The Wall Street connection is two-fold.  First, a bull is a symbol of a strong (rising) stock market.  When stocks are steadily rising, finance types talk about a “bull market”.  On the other hand, if stocks are falling sharply, it’s a “bear market”.  The simple explanation for the bull and bear monikers is that a bull charges and uses his horns in an upward motion, while a bear usually pounces on his victim (downward motion).

Second, the giant bronze bull was originally dropped off in front of the NY Stock Exchange, in the heart of Wall Street, right before Christmas in 1989.  So that might help explain the confusion.

It was the idea of a sculptor named Arturo Di Modica, who wanted to celebrate the “can-do” spirit of America, and New York in particular, where a shoeshine boy can one day become a successful trader.

He and some friends dropped off the bull in front of the Christmas tree outside the NY Stock Exchange in the middle of the night.  But the chairman of the Exchange wasn’t too pleased and got the NYPD to take it away by the end of the day.  Luckily, it soon found a permanent home at the tip of Broadway.  And for nearly 30 years, people from all over the world (as well as Wall Street traders) have rubbed its horns and testicles for good luck in business and romance, respectively.

Next: Enter the small park with the black iron fence located right behind the Charging Bull

Bowling Green

Just behind the bull is the New York’s first public park – Bowling Green.  If the name sounds strange to us today, that’s because we don’t go bowling on the lawn on Sunday afternoons anymore (unless you are British or Scottish).  But when the park was officially created in 1733, “bowling on the green” was a popular British pastime (a few centuries before Netflix).

This little circular park was also the site of a famous revolutionary scene.  After New Yorkers heard the Declaration of Independence read to them for the first time on July 9, 1776, they ran to Bowling Green to pull down the biggest symbol of the oppressive English monarchy – a gilded equestrian statue of King George III.  But pulling down the giant statue and chopping off the king’s head didn’t end the scene of revolt, as the fervent crowd proceeded to saw off the finials on top of the cast-iron fence that resembled crowns.

You can touch the rough and uneven surfaces on the original fence today to connect with the American Revolution.

Next: Exit the small park and come to a massive classical building with four female figures in front

Custom House

Just behind New York’s oldest park is one of the most beautiful buildings in New York City – the Alexander Hamilton Custom House.

This Beaux Arts beauty built in 1907 gives you an idea of how important the customs house was to cities with major ports.  And New York being the largest city and the busiest port in America in the early 20^th century had to have a building to reflect the importance of New York’s shipping industry.  And it wasn’t just important to New York but to the country as a whole, since the US government generated about 2/3 of its revenue from collecting taxes on goods arriving on ships before the introduction of the Federal Income Tax in 1913.

The four large female figures in front of the classical façade represent Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa (from left to right), reflecting the global nature of trade and shipping.

The Custom House sits on the site of Fort Amsterdam, which was built by the Dutch in the 17^th century to protect New Amsterdam from attacks by land or sea (including potential ambushes by Native American tribes).  It is more than a little ironic that today the building houses the National Museum of the American Indian.

Next: Walk 3 minutes south along Whitehall Street to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal

Staten Island Ferry

Continue walking south past the Custom House (Battery Park will be on your right) until you reach the Staten Island Ferry terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan.  This is a great and free way to enjoy scenic views of the NY Harbor, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and surroundings while avoiding ticket lines and airport-style security screenings (which you would go through if you chose to take a ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island from Battery Park).

The Staten Island Ferry departs from the Manhattan terminal every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour (i.e. 12:00, 12:30, 13:00).  You can view the schedule here.  The ferry ride to Staten Island takes about 25 minutes, then you’ll have 5 minutes to get off one boat and run around the corner to get on the next boat back to Manhattan.  If you miss that boat, you’ll have to hang out in the Staten Island Ferry terminal for 30 minutes (there are bathrooms, seats, and shops for snacks and refreshments, as well as two fish tanks for your viewing pleasure).

So all in all, budget 60 to 90 minutes for the round trip journey.  But try to get there before rush hour (5pm).  Otherwise, the ferry will be pretty crowded and you won’t be able to enjoy the views.

Next: Get on the right side of the boat en route to Staten Island to enjoy views of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

The statue needs no introduction.  This French gift has been a welcome sight in the harbor since it was unveiled in October of 1886.  Of course, in 1886, when the city skyline was still dominated by church steeples, she appeared even taller than she does today.

Fun facts about the Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty looks green because her “skin” is comprised of very thin sheets of copper hammered by hand in Paris.  Copper oxidizes over time, which makes it appear green.  She was brown originally!  Feel free to use that during your next trivia night.

If you were to peel back her skin, you’d discover that the famous Lady has an iron framework.  This metal “skeleton” was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, whose name graces the most famous structure in France (and tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building and its steel spire), which he designed right after the Statue of Liberty.

Eiffel did not design the statue itself.  That was fellow Frenchman Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who wanted to create a colossal female figure to present to America in time for America’s centennial celebration.  Unfortunately, all we got for our 100^th birthday in Philadelphia was her giant arm holding the torch.  It would take another decade for the completed statue and the stone pedestal she stands on to be unveiled on Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island).

Millions of immigrants would break into tears of joy at the site of the enormous Liberty Enlightening the World (the statue’s official name) after surviving a 2-3 week ordeal in the steerage compartment of a huge ocean liner crossing the Atlantic.  For them, she was the ultimate symbol of hope, freedom, and a new start.

But before they could start a new life in America, they would first have to be “processed” on Ellis Island.

Ellis Island

Just north of the Statue of Liberty is Ellis Island.  12 million immigrants were processed here (most of them between 1892 and 1921).  The impressive French Renaissance Revival building located on the island, which served as the main building, now houses the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.  This structure is important not just for immigrants but for a hundred million Americans whose ancestors were processed here.

This was the “Island of Hope” for the millions of poor hungry souls coming to America for a better life.  Sadly, it was also the “Island of Tears” for the approximately 2% who were rejected and sent back to Europe.  Reasons for rejection were many, but the most common were: “Insane, old and lame, infected with a loathsome disease, criminal, prostitute, contracted laborer, anarchist.”

So if there is an anarchist or lunatic in your family tree, then he or she must have gotten past the inspector.

Next: Time for a much-deserved break back on solid ground!

Stone Street

After returning from Staten Island take a break for food and drinks on Stone Street, the first paved street in New York.  This little cobblestone street (just a 5-10 minute walk from the Ferry Terminal) is one of the best places Downtown to get a meal and a drink without breaking the bank.  There are several pubs and restaurants to choose from and plenty of communal outdoor seating in the warmer months.

The street was the first one paved with stone in New Amsterdam in the 1650s.  In the 1990s, after decades of neglect, it was restored, repaved and has become a great dining destination in the heart of the Financial District, also known as FiDi, since we love acronyms in NYC.

If you are interested in learning more about some of the most famous  Downtown places, buildings, events and historical figures, check out our private Downtown NYC “Must See” walking tour.

Next: Time for the final leg of this self-guided tour!

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Once you’ve satiated your thirst and hunger on Stone Street, it’s time for the final stretch of your one-day NYC adventure! Head north along William Street past Wall Street until you reach Liberty Street (a short walk from Stone Street). When you get to Liberty Street, make a left and you’ll reach a building that, despite not being very tall, is quite intimidating to look at. This fortress-like building, with the bulging stone facade and crime-deterring wrought-iron work is the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, arguably the most important of the dozen regional banks that together comprise the Central Banking system of the United States.

The block-long structure, completed in 1924 was designed to instill a sense of confidence, security, and safety, in a country that had only created the Federal Reserve in 1913. But there was another very practical reason for the building’s impenetrable appearance: It is believed to be the largest gold repository in the world, housing approximately 500,000 individual gold bars, most of which are owned by foreign banks. The gold was brought over the Atlantic during and after World War II and is kept 80 feet below ground (at bedrock level) in what’s definitely the safest basement in New York City.

Next: Walk 5 minutes

Follow Liberty Street west, cross Broadway, and walk another couple of minutes until you reach the South Pool of the 9/11 Memorial.

9/11 Memorial & Museum

The Memorial was designed by NY-based architect, Michael Arad, who was chosen as the winner of an international design competition in 2003, which drew 5,201 entries. The Memorial is comprised of twin pools representing the approximate footprints of the Twin Towers. We use the word “approximate” because the pools are actually 31% smaller than the footprints of the original towers. The architect, who was just 34 years old at the time he won the competition, called his submission “Reflecting Absence.”

The twin pools are surrounded by bronze parapets bearing the names of the nearly 3,000 victims who died on September 11, 2001, as well as the six people who died in the February 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center (when a van loaded with explosives blew up in the basement-level garage of the North Tower). More than 1,000 people were injured that day, including many first responders.

While the Memorial is a public space accessible at street level to all, the Museum (which is the downward-sloping structure between the two Reflecting Pools) requires timed admission tickets (we strongly suggest buying them ahead of time, if you plan to visit) and has hours of operation (open every day except Tuesday from 9am to 7pm. Last entry is 5:30pm).

Most of the Museum artifacts are located 70 feet below ground, the bedrock foundation level for the Twin Towers. These include a burned and damaged NYC fire truck, as well as steel tridents from the facade of one of the Twin Towers.

Here are a couple of tips before visiting the 9/11 Museum

To avoid ending on such a heavy note, we also want to mention one of the most striking additions to the redesigned World Trade Center:

WTC Transit Hub/Oculus

Santiago Calatrava’s $4 billion “winged bird about to take flight,” which opened just a couple of years ago, has quickly become one of the most popular attractions in New York. Officially a transit hub connecting the subway system to the PATH train to NJ, the Oculus is also a huge mall operated by Australian-based Westfield (a global mall operator). When you step in, you might feel like you’re either inside a spaceship or a whale (like in Finding Nemo).

It’s a really unique (and VERY white) public space that’s definitely worth visiting while you’re Downtown. And as a grand finale, head down to the bottom level and walk west, following the signs for Brookfield Place. You’ll walk through a gleaming white corridor that will feel a bit like walking on the Star Trek Enterprise (not that we would know what that’s like, but that’s beside the point). You’ll then take an escalator back up to street level and emerge inside the glass walls of Brookfield Place, right across the road from One World Trade. If you walk inside and past all the fancy global fashion chains, you’ll find palm trees (yes, we have real palm trees in Manhattan!) in what’s called the Winter Garden. Head to Le District to your left for a glass of wine and some French food (open til 8pm) or upstairs to Hudson Eats, a very popular modern food hall featuring lots of great local eateries and Hudson River views (open til 8pm).

Phew — We did it guys! Your feet will probably be as tired after this self-guided itinerary as our fingers are right now from typing all this. So thanks for reading our 1-day Suggested NYC Itinerary.  If you have any questions or would like to discuss our private tour offerings, feel free to email us at [email protected].

If you plan on walking the High Line on a weekend, you’ll love this free guide we’ve prepared for you!

But before we get to the maps and brunch ideas, here is a short video clip featuring Max, the founder of CityRover Walks NY, talking about what makes the High Line such a unique public space:

We cover great places near the High Line to enjoy brunch, a proper cup of coffee, as well as important High Line FAQs. We threw in two area maps to make sure you can find them too!

Map #1: Northern Section of the High Line and Hudson Yards

Map #2: Southern Section of the High Line

Great Brunch Spots Near the High Line

High Street on Hudson

This charming corner restaurant is consistently voted one of the best neighborhood cafés in the city. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner have all been hailed as delicious, so they attract a crowd all day long. Their breakfast menu is a nod to New York, with dishes like The Meatpacker and The Bodega, but cheese lovers take note: the lunch menu comes with an item they’ve designated Best Grilled Cheese Ever, so arrive around lunchtime if that sounds like a can’t-miss to you.

Address: 637 Hudson Street (between Horatio and Gansevoort Streets)

Closest subway: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

Santina

Santina is tucked underneath the Gansevoort Street entrance to the High Line (the southern tip of the elevated park), right next to the Whitney Museum, so it’s an easy choice before or after a stroll. Their specialty is Italian food; unique brunch selections include shrimp frittata, zucchini muffins, and French toast made with panettone (that round, candied sweet bread you see popping up in supermarkets around the holidays). Inside, the décor is all blues and purples, smooth hardwood floors, and colorful glass-blown lamps hanging from the ceiling, giving it a bright, Mediterranean feeling.

Address: 820 Washington Street(corner of Gansevoort Street)

Closest subway: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

Bubby’s High Line

Also located across the street from the Whitney Museum and the High Line’s southern tip, Bubby’s is a pretty convenient post-High Line brunch choice. Owner Ron Silver got started in the restaurant business selling his homemade pies to local restaurants; now, Bubby’s serves a full menu of comfort foods like buttermilk biscuits and chocolate chip pancakes along with their selection of famous pies. The restaurant is spacious and buzzes with conversation, both of which contribute to the owner’s mission to make customers feel like they’re enjoying a meal among friends.

And be sure to check out the small ice-cream parlor at Bubby’s run by the popular Brooklyn-based artisan ice cream company, Ample Hills Creamery.  Try their exclusive “Floatin’ Over the High Line” flavor (comprised of root beer ice cream with mini marshmellows and chocolate sprinkles).

Address: 73 Gansevoort Street (corner of Washington Street)

Closest subway: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

The Wild Son

If you’re not in the mood for day-drinking, The Wild Son serves cleansing juices with ingredients like turmeric, ginger, and activated charcoal (which is said to bind toxins to it so they sail out of your body). However, if it looks like an afternoon-drinking kind of day, this is a great place for interesting house cocktails or a cold draft beer. The tables inside all seem to be bathed in sunlight, giving the whole place a light, airy feeling, and their menu offers a variety of brunch-appropriate sandwiches, salads, and mains.

Address: 53 Little West 12^th Street (just west of the High Line)

Closest subway: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

The Park

The indoor Garden Dining area, complete with Japanese Maple trees and Wisteria vines, will have you lingering over your mango mimosa for hours. Their food selection is pretty appealing, too—where else can you find a Bag of Housemade Doughnuts on the menu? The Park has a full brunch offering, which includes their house specialties like Potato Pancakes with Brown Sugar Applesauce.

Address: 118 Tenth Avenue (between 17th and 18th streets)

Closest subway: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

Cookshop

Having beignets on the menu should be enough to rally the crowds, and that’s only an appetizer. Cookshop’s menu seems to have something for everyone. They use seasonal ingredients from local farms, so their selection varies with the seasons.  Dishes are American- style with a Mediterranean twist, since Chef and part-owner Marc Meyer spent time training in Italy.

It’s right next to the High Line at 20^th street and minutes from Chelsea Market, which is at 16^th street.  But you might want to make reservations, as this place is pretty happenin’, especially for weekend brunch.

Address: 156 Tenth Avenue (corner of 20th street)

Closest subway: C or E at 23rd street and 8th avenue

Blossom

A long-time favorite, this vegan establishment attracts even the most hard-core carnivores. Yes, quinoa and kale are on the menu, but so are traditional brunch favorites like French toast, Blossom’s take on a vegan burrito, and a country breakfast made of a tofu scramble with apple sage seitan sausage. Finish up with a decadent vegan dessert. Their flagship Chelsea location—open since 2005—is located inside a two-story landmark townhouse.

Address: 187 Ninth Avenue (between 21st and 22nd streets)

Closest subway: C or E at 23rd street and 8th avenue

Tipsy Parson

Every detail at Tipsy Parson is aimed at making you feel at home—the cushioned window benches, the walls lined with books (sort of), and their promise to fill you up with “belly-filling goodness” any time of day. The menu further carries out the promise, with comfort food selections like Mac & Cheese, Fried Pickles, and their famous Buttermilk-Chive Biscuits. Tipsy Parson also proudly serves small-batch cocktails with products they’ve purchased from distillers in NYC and Upstate New York.

Address: 156 Ninth Avenue (between 19th and 20th streets)

Closest Subway: C or E at 23rd street and 8th avenue

Fonda

Fonda is an upscale-yet-inviting Mexican restaurant offering innovative dishes rooted in traditional Mexican cuisine.  The seating is a little tight, but if you don’t mind feeling cozy with other diners, come to Fonda for their fantastic margaritas, guacamole, and delicious brunch options (great for dinner too!), including Huevos Rancheros, Torta de Carnitas, and Burrito Texano.  

Address: 189 Ninth Avenue (at 21st street)

Closest subway: C or E at 23rd street and 8th avenue

Work up an appetite during your walk along the High Line, and then stop in at one of these New York City brunch favorites!  Alternatively, eat early to beat the wait for a table.  And remember that these restaurants are not only near the High Line but also close to the Whitney Museum, founded in 1930 in nearby Greenwich Village.  The popular museum showcases American art across eras and is housed in its new Meatpacking District building designed by Italian “celebrity architect” Renzo Piano.

Finally, if you’re visiting New York City for the first time and would like to figure out how to use the subway system to get to the High Line or some of these restaurants, check out our free NYC subway guide.

Now onto something else that’s important — great coffee!

Great Coffee Spots Near the High Line

Intelligentsia Coffee: Inside the High Line Hotel (located in a historic mid-19th century theological seminary) at 180 10^th Avenue (between 20^th and 21^st Street). This might be our favorite coffee stop near the High Line, both for the great coffee and the atmosphere. Take advantage of their private outdoor courtyard in the warmer months, where locals bring their dogs and newspapers and sip their morning lattes.

Think Coffee: 500 West 30th (just west of 10th Avenue). A great stop for coffee and pastries before entering the High Line at 30th street, near Hudson yards.

Joe:  405 West 23^rd Street (just west of 9^th Avenue)

Café Grumpy:  224 West 20^th (between 7^th and 8^th Avenue)

La Colombe:  601 West 27^th Street (corner of 11^th Avenue)

Blue Bottle Coffee:  450 West 15^th Street (just west of 10^th Avenue and the High Line)

Ninth Street Espresso:  75 9^th Avenue (between 15^th and 16^th Street, inside Chelsea Market)

Underline Coffee:  511 West 20^th (under the High Line just west of 10^th Avenue)

Terremoto Coffee:  328 West 15^th Street (between 8^th and 9^th Avenue). Awesome hole-in-the-wall specialty coffee shop featuring a gilded espresso machine that supposedly cost the owner $40,000!

Kava Café:  803 Washington Street (just south of High Line terminus at Gansevoort Street). A great choice if you get off the High Line at the southern tip or need a caffeine fix before heading to the Whitney Museum.

What is the High Line?

The High Line is a unique elevated park built on an abandoned elevated freight line on the far west side of Manhattan. When the first section of it opened to the public in 2009, it became the first elevated park in America.

You only have to enter one of its elevators and press “H” to realize its uniqueness.  We don’t typically take elevators to get to parks.  And when you get out of the elevator, it’s like you’ve landed somewhere else. Suddenly, the honking cabs and loud trucks are 30 feet below; grass, flowers, and trees have replaced street lights, manhole covers, and concrete sidewalks.
And the city opens up around you.

And if you make it to the northern section of the High Line, be sure to explore Hudson Yards, New York’s newest and most modern neighborhood:

High Line FAQs

What Can You Do on the High Line?

There are lots of things you can do on the High Line:

• You can sit on one of many “peel-up” benches and do some people watching.
• You can do an architecture walk — comparing the old brick and stone factories and warehouses to the new glass, concrete, and steel luxury towers, designed by some of the most famous architects around the world.
• You can get a tan on one of the wooden lounge chairs on the sundeck between 14th and 15th streets (just south of the Chelsea Market building).
• You can watch the traffic go by from the 10^th Avenue Square.
• You can stroll the High Line to get to the Whitney Museum at the southern end of the elevated park.
• You can walk north along the High Line to get to Hudson Yards and check out the brand-new Vessel , a massive and innovative public sculpture, designed with 2,500 steps for visitors to climb.
  
• You can even get food, coffee, or gelato, in the warmer months, inside the old Nabisco tunnel (next to the bathrooms at 16th street).

From an Eyesore to an Attraction

The High Line has also become one of the most popular attractions in New York City and has spurred billions of dollars in new real estate development. The incredible thing is how obvious the idea now seems.  “Of course we should take a rusty, graffiti-covered abandoned rail viaduct above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side and turn it into a popular elevated park!”  But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you were to take a survey 20 or 30 years ago and ask New Yorkers walking by the derelict elevated structure if they thought converting it to a public park would be a good idea, they would probably look at you incredulously and question your sanity.  Most people thought of it as an eyesore and probably didn’t even know when or why it was built in the first place.  Tourists certainly had no reason to visit the area.  The abandoned structure was ripe for demolition, and it was just a matter of time.  Or so people thought.

So next time someone pitches an idea that seems completely outlandish and unrealistic, don’t write it off right away.  You never know, it might just be the next “High Line”!

Is the High Line Free?

The High Line is park of the NYC Parks Department, and as such, is free for all. However, it costs millions of dollars to maintain the popular elevated park and almost 100% of the funds come from private donations.

The Friends of the High Line (the non-profit that manages and maintains the elevated park) handles the maintenance and the fund-raising efforts. Anyone can become a High Line “member” and support this unique public space. You can even adopt a plant or a tree on the High Line!

by: Max Vishnev, founder of CityRover Walks NY and licensed NYC tour guide

Updated May 4th, 2021

If you’re planning your first trip NYC, the sheer number of landmarks to visit could be overwhelming.  So we boiled it down to our Top 10 “Must See” places, with some interesting historical tidbits and food and coffee recommendations near each one.

This free New York City guide includes Wall Street, the High Line, Grand Central Terminal, Washington Square, Central Park, and more. We wrote it with first-time NYC visitors in mind, so that you could use it to help you plan your trip and make the most of your time in the city.

Speaking of Washington Square, before we get to our “NYC Top 10” here is a short video from the “heart” of Greenwich Village:

Our Top 10 New York places to visit on one map

List of our “Must See” Places in NYC

1. Battery Park with views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and NY Harbor
2. Wall Street, including Federal Hall and the New York Stock Exchange
3. 9/11 Memorial and World Trade Center
4. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge
5. Washington Square and Greenwich Village
6. Walk the High Line
7. Times Square
8. Grand Central Terminal
9. Rockefeller Center
10. Central Park

The list above is organized geographically, generally south to north.

This detailed NYC guide is full of helpful info, including:

• Historical anecdotes and interesting facts to help you appreciate what you are seeing
• How to get to each place by subway
• Where to eat, drink, and get a good cup of coffee nearby

Beyond Times Square:

New York City welcomes approximately 60 million tourists each year.  Sadly, a lot of first-time visitors spend a disproportionate amount of their limited time in New York around Times Square – whether it’s for eating, shopping, sightseeing, or entertainment.  And, of course, there is nothing wrong with visiting Times Square or seeing a Broadway show (in fact, Times Square makes this very list!), it’s just that New York is so much more than that.

So, in short, we hope you will use this list to more effectively plan your trip to New York and to get a really nice overview of what our city has to offer.

Be sure to also check out our self-guided 1-Day NYC Itinerary!  And if you’d rather explore NYC with a fun local guide, check out our custom NYC private tour options, including our popular “NYC In One Day” Highlights Tour.

But before we get into our list,

5 things about this post you should know

Speaking of the subway, if you’ve never used the NYC subway, check out our helpful Subway “Beginner’s Guide”!

 Now, let’s get to the “meat” of this post:

Battery Park with views of the NY Harbor and the Statue of Liberty

The place to start your NYC exploration is all the way Downtown, at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan, because this is where it all began.  It is here that the Dutch first settled on the island and established New Amsterdam (1625).  It is also here that the English took over in the “Bloodless Surrender” of 1664.  It is at the southern tip of the famous island that millions of poor European immigrants stepped onto American soil to start a new life.  It is also here that NY developed into the most important shipping port on the East Coast, the center of American finance (Wall Street), and the 20^th century skyscraper colossus.

Downtown was also traditionally home to the largest corporations in the world – shipping, oil, banking, insurance, you name it.  On a tragic note, Downtown has also been the location of the worst terrorist attacks in city history – from the 1920 Wall Street bombing to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing to the worst terrorist attack in American history on September 11, 2001.

Stroll through Battery Park until you get to the water’s edge.  Today’s edge is actually man-made in the sense that Battery Park was created using landfill in the 19^th century.  The natural southern edge of Manhattan before numerous man-made extensions was Pearl Street (named for the oyster shells that washed ashore), while the western water line was approximately where State Street cuts between Battery Park and the Downtown skyscrapers.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why am I walking through a park named after batteries?”  While that’s a legitimate question, Battery Park is actually named after a military fortification with cannons (as in a “cannon battery”).  So the name has nothing to do with the batteries in your smartphone or camera.

Speaking of batteries, the one thing that existed before Battery Park was the Southwest Battery, built on some rocks just off the tip of Manhattan island.  The Battery was later renamed Castle Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton – mayor then governor of New York.  This stone fort was built in preparation for the War of 1812 to dissuade the British from attacking New York City again.  They didn’t, though they did manage to burn down the White House and most of the other public buildings in Washington D.C. on August 24, 1814 (but, apparently, after enjoying a nice meal inside the abandoned White House from Presidential leftovers).

After the brief war, the fort was used for several diverse and decidedly non-military purposes.  First, as “Castle Garden” it served as a theater and entertainment space.  Then, between 1855 and 1890, Castle Garden served as an immigrant landing depot, processing 8 million immigrants in just under 35 years!  After the immigrant processing was relocated to Ellis Island, Castle Garden served as the unlikely location for the NYC Aquarium until 1941.  Today, it is a National Monument (restored to its original design and name) that also serves as the place to buy tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, although the Castle Clinton website suggests that you buy tickets in advance online at statuecruises.com to avoid waiting up to an hour to buy them in person the day of.

If you’re short on time or money (ferry tickets to Liberty and Ellis Island start at $23.50), you can take a free 25-minute cruise across the NY Harbor by using the Staten Island Ferry.  The ferry terminal (very clearly marked with huge blue letters) is in Battery Park, just south of Castle Clinton.  Check out the Staten Island Ferry schedule for detailed departure times, but generally, the boats depart every half hour.   

Important: Ignore all the ticket sellers trying to sell you something on the way to the ferry terminal.

On a clear day, the views are wonderful, and you get pretty close to the Statue of Liberty for great photos.  You also get to see a bit of Brooklyn, Governor’s Island, New Jersey, the East River bridges, and the Hudson River.  The only downside is that when you get off the boat at the Staten Island terminal, you have to sit around for another half hour before taking the next ferry back to Manhattan (unless you make a run for it, like all the other tourists!  You’d have about 3 minutes to get off the boat, run around the terminal and get on the other boat departing back to Manhattan).  If you miss it, you can use the time to visit the bathroom or grab a small snack inside the terminal.  All in, the round-trip excursion should take about 60 to 90 minutes (60-min if you catch the departing ferry).  And you don’t have to worry about waiting in line for tickets going through a security screening (big bottlenecks when buying Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tickets).

And if you are so short on time that you can’t spare 90 minutes for the Staten Island Ferry, then you can simply enjoy the marvelous views from the water’s edge in Battery Park.  You’ll need a telephoto lens to get a close-up view of the Statue of Liberty, but she still looks great from a distance, especially given her age (130+ years young!).

Getting here:  R to Whitehall, 1 to South Ferry (make sure you are in the first five subway cars if you want to get off at South Ferry), or 4/5 to Bowling Green.

Download the official NYC Subway Map as a PDF here.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

• Gigino at Wagner Park: This restaurant provides beautiful harbor views and a relaxing atmosphere. It’s a great stop for an Italian meal or a couple of drinks as you watch the sun set and the boats pass by.
• Take a 10-minute walk to Stone Street for a great variety of bars and restaurants on one quaint cobblestone street (the first paved street on Manhattan), including Ulysses’ (popular pub), Adrienne’s (pizza), and more.

Places nearby for good coffee:

(check out our detailed article on the best espresso bars in New York City)

• Gregorys Coffee – 42 Broadway
• Cafe Grumpy – 20 Stone Street (Temporarily Closed due to covid-19)

Wall Street

The term “Wall Street” needs no introduction.  When you hear it you probably think of money, stocks, trading, banking, expensive suits and briefcases, stock market bubbles and panics.  It’s been portrayed in countless movies and TV shows, including Oliver Stone’s 1987 classic starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen (when he was still relatively normal) appropriately called “Wall Street”, as well as more recent hits like Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf Of Wall Street”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, although the high-flying (and fast-crashing) events and characters in this movie don’t take place on Wall Street at all.

Hollywood stereotypes aside, Wall Street actually has very humble beginnings as a wooden wall built by the Dutch in 1653 as a defensive barrier.  It marked the northern end of the small colony of New Amsterdam on Manhattan’s southern tip.  Yes, the name Wall Street is literally derived from that wooden wall built more than 350 years ago!  The wall proved useless and was torn down and used for lumber and firewood by the British at the end of the 17^th century.

If you’ve visited Battery Park, you can walk north on Broadway, passing New York’s first park  — Bowling Green – and the famous bronze Charging Bull sculpture. 

In a few minutes, you’ll see the beautiful brownstone steeple of Trinity Church (spoiler alert: this is where Nicholas Cage discovers the treasure at the end of National Treasure).  The church, built in 1846, used to tower over Wall Street for half a century.  In fact, its steeple was the tallest point in the city until the very end of the 19^th century.  Today, of course, it’s dwarfed by 20^th and 21^st century skyscrapers.

The most famous resident in the church’s graveyard is Alexander Hamilton, the same Hamilton whose life and times are depicted brilliantly in the award-winning Broadway musical bearing the American Founding Father’s name.

Make a right on Wall Street and head to the next corner.  This is essentially the “heart of Wall Street”, with the New York Stock Exchange on your right, the Federal Hall Memorial on your left, and the former “House of Morgan” occupying the squat stone building at 23 Wall Street.

It was in front of this former J.P. Morgan headquarters that NY experienced the deadliest terrorist attack until 9/11, 81 years later.  On September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn wagon loaded with explosives and cast-iron slugs exploded during the peak noon-time lunch rush, killing 38 people and injuring more than 300 others.  Chaos ruled the day.  The NYSE closed, as did the banks.  Italian anarchists were blamed, but since not a single arrest was made (no suspects were found), this terrible crime remains unsolved nearly a century later!  If you look at the stone wall of the building on the Wall Street side, you can still see the pock marks from that powerful explosion.

On a lighter note, this building was prominently featured in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), where Bane takes over the Stock Exchange.

Right across is the oversized bronze statue of George Washington.  It was on this site that he was inaugurated as America’s first president on April 30, 1789, in America’s first capital – New York City! 

If you didn’t know that NYC was America’s first capital, don’t worry, most New Yorkers don’t know that fact either.  The original building where he was sworn in was demolished two centuries ago, but the current building (built in 1842 and modeled on the Parthenon in Greece) now serves as a museum.  Inside, you can view a piece of the balcony Washington stood on to address the adoring public, as well as the Bible he put his hand on during the swearing-in ceremony.

Getting here:  R to Rector St, or 2/3/4/5 to Wall Street.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

• Stone Street is minutes away (mentioned previously)
• Leo’s Bagels – 3 Hanover Square. Classic NY bagels and deli options
• Kuu Ramen – 20 John Street. Great hole-in-the-wall ramen noodle place.

Places nearby for good coffee:

• Blackfox Coffee – 70 Pine Street
• La Colombe – 67 Wall Street

9/11 Memorial and the World Trade Center

No trip to New York City would be complete without a visit to the 9/11 Memorial, so make sure it’s high on your list.  The Memorial, which opened to the families of the victims (then the general public) on the 10^th anniversary of the attacks, is comprised of two identical pools with cascading water that mark the footprints of the Twin Towers (actually, the pools are 31% smaller than the tower footprints were).  Each pool is 30 feet deep.  The names of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 1993 WTC bombing and the attacks on 9/11 are inscribed on bronze parapets surrounding the pools.

As you can imagine, the design of the memorial was a very contentious topic (as was the WTC redesign in general).  Progress was only made after a design competition in 2004, which attracted 5,201 design ideas.  Of these, one was chosen.  The winner of the competition was a 34-year-old (and relatively unknown at the time) Israeli American architect named Michael Arad.  He called his design “Reflecting Absence”.

Just west of the South Pool, surrounded by a metal railing, sits the “Survivor Tree”.  This living thing is arguably the best metaphor for how far we’ve come since that terrible day.  The tree was found in the rubble a month after the attacks.  It was badly burned and broken, its roots snapped.  The tree was removed from Ground Zero and placed in the care of the NYC Parks Department.  It was nursed back to health and brought back to the site in 2010.  If you look at the base of the tree, you can see the damage inflicted on that terrible day, but if you look up, you can see healthy new branches and leaves – ultimate symbols of new life.  Check out this wonderful 2-minute video about the “Survivor Tree”.

If you have the time, you can also visit the 9/11 Museum, which is the downward-sloping building between the two memorial pools.  The regular ticket price is $26 and the average time of a museum visit is 2 hours, so make sure you give yourself enough time to really do it justice.  The museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10am to 5pm.

The 9/11 Museum is a very emotional experience, thus the strategically placed tissue dispensers inside.  You gradually descend 70 feet to the bedrock level.  There is a historical component, as well as a memorial component.  There is also a private section where the unidentified remains of many of the victims were interred.  This section is off limits to the public, but families of victims can reserve private time in the Reflection Room.

Surrounding the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is the redesigned World Trade Center complex.  The flagship building is One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (for now).  The 400-foot spire gives it a total height of 1,776 feet – not coincidentally, the year Americans declared Independence.

To enjoy breathtaking views from atop the tallest building around, you can buy tickets for One World Trade Observatory, located on the 100th floor of the iconic skyscraper. If you have a fear of heights, don’t worry, though the views are panoramic, you’ll be surrounded by very thick glass, and there is a bathroom there if you just “need a moment.”

The nearby 4 World Trade is complete and features the popular Italian food court called Eataly upstairs.  3 World Trade was completed in 2018, while 2 World Trade is still in the early stages of construction.  This tower will be nearly as tall as 1 World Trade and will feature cubes of gradually smaller dimensions stacked on top of each other.  Check out this Wired Magazine article about the building’s design and its architect, which also includes a sleek promotional video at the top.

The last big piece of the puzzle is the dinosaur-skeleton-like WTC Transit Hub, also known as the “Oculus”, designed by Spanish celebrity architect, Santiago Calatrava.  This $4 billion “boondoggle”, as the NY Times architecture critic, Michael Kimmelman, called it, cost double its original budget.  It was initially supposed to look like a bird with its wings spread, but a few compromises and redesigns later, it looks more like an armadillo with asymmetrical bone spurs.  The Hub features a high-end shopping mall component, cafes, as well as passageways connecting numerous NYC subway lines to the PATH trains to New Jersey.

The Oculus is one of those buildings that grows on you the more time you spend inside, so be sure to peak in.  It might be one of the newest additions to the NYC architectural landscape, but it has already become a “must see” building when visiting New York.

Downtown Manhattan is so rich in history and famous landmarks that you could easily spend a day exploring the area.  But if your time is limited and you’d rather explore it with a local guide on an intimate private tour, check out our 3-hr Downtown Highlights walking tour.

Getting here:  R to Cortlandt St, or A/C/2/3/4/5 to Fulton St.

Places nearby for food, coffee, and sweets:

The best place to get a bite to eat near the World Trade Center is at the upscale food hall called Hudson Eats just across the road.  The space, which opened in 2014, features a great variety of local food vendors in a clean modern setting.  There are lots of seating options and great views of the Hudson River.  If the weather is nice, take your order to go and find a table outside by the expensive yachts.  To get there, cross Route 9A, or what most New Yorkers still call the West Side Highway, at Vesey street.  Look for a building with a large “Brookfield Place” sign and head inside.  The food court is on the 2^nd floor, and despite its upscale appearance the prices are actually quite reasonable, at least by New York City standards.

There is also a popular French food hall called Le District right underneath Hudson Eats.  It’s a great stop if you’re craving crepes, coffee, or a glass of wine. To get here, walk inside Brookfield Place, pass all of the really expensive stores, and look for the palm trees in the beautiful Winter Garden.  You’ll see Le District on the first floor and Hudson Eats above it.

Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge

Visiting New York and not walking over the Brooklyn Bridge is considered a misdemeanor.  OK, so maybe that’s stretching the truth a bit, but at the very least, it’s a sin.  So skip a shopping excursion at Century 21 or the M&M store in Times Square and instead head over one of the (if not the) most iconic bridges in America.  This marvel of engineering is magnificent – a brilliant bridge and a true work of art.

“What’s the big deal?” you may think.  “It’s just a bridge.”  Yes, but how many bridges do you know that were called the “8^th Wonder of the World” at the time of completion?

The Brooklyn Bridge is considered one of the top 3 engineering achievements of the 19^th century in America, along with the Transcontinental Railroad and the telegraph cable on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  It was the first bridge to connect America’s largest city, New York, with its third-largest, Brooklyn (which was an independent city until 1898).  It was also the first bridge to be suspended entirely using steel cables.

Think about it for a second, a bridge completed in 1883 in the horse-and-carriage age is being used by millions of pedestrians and drivers each year – more than 135 years later!  It is the only part of the city skyline that has not changed in over a century.  The impressive stone towers alone were considered architectural and engineering marvels, especially in the 1870s, half a century before the Jazz Age skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building and Empire State.

One of the highlights of the walk over this historic mile-long span has to be the spectacular views.  The Downtown Manhattan skyline is revealed on one side, Brooklyn on the other, the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges to the north, and the NY Harbor and Statue of Liberty to the south.  And you’re 130 feet above the East River.  On a clear sunny day, what could be better?  Just be thankful they did away with the original 1 cent toll!  As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, a “penny saved is a penny earned.”

Here are a few other interesting facts about the Brooklyn Bridge

• The Brooklyn Bridge was by far the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened to the public on May 24, 1883
• It connected two cities – New York and Brooklyn
• Most of the steel cables for the bridge were supplied by Roebling & Sons, the same famous wire manufacturing firm that supplied steel wires for the George Washington Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and many other important suspension bridges built between 1850 and 1970.
• More than 20 people died during the 14-year construction process. Some died from accidents, while others died from a mysterious condition known as “the bends” or “caisson’s disease”, better known as decompression sickness today.  Tragically, the first victim claimed by the bridge was its original designer and Chief Engineer, John A. Roebling.

And this is just skimming the surface.  There is so much more to the incredible story of the Brooklyn Bridge.  To learn more about the Bridge and Brooklyn, check out our popular (and custom/private) Brooklyn Bridge Tour.

Best way to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge

It really doesn’t matter whether you go from Manhattan to Brooklyn or vice versa.  It all depends on what you plan to do before and after.  If you plan on having lunch after the walk, then we suggest walking from Manhattan to Brooklyn, since there are a few great options for lunch, drinks, coffee, and sweets in Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights (two historic neighborhoods near the bridge on the Brooklyn side).  We include some food suggestions below.

The Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn offers spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and the bridge.  On a nice day, you can then take a stroll through the new Brooklyn Bridge Park, an incredible public space built on and around abandoned shipping piers on Brooklyn’s waterfront.

If you choose this route, there are several subway lines nearby for a quick ride back to Manhattan, or you can take a scenic cruise on the NYC Ferry, which has a dock right by the Fulton Ferry Landing.  One-way tickets are $2.75 (just like the NYC subway).

Alternatively, if you prefer to start in Brooklyn and walk over the bridge into Manhattan, you can take the F train to York St, the A/C to High St, or the 2/3 to Clark St, then walk to the stairs to the bridge on Washington St, just up the hill from York St.

If you take this route, you can visit Saint Paul’s Chapel once you get to the Manhattan side.  This is the oldest surviving public building in New York (circa 1766) and served as a disaster recovery site after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  This historic church is very near the new World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.  So that’s something to keep in mind if you’re trying to plan your day.

Getting here:

If you want to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, then take the R to City Hall or 4/5/6 line to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall.

If you plan to walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan, then take the F train to York St, the A/C to High St, or the 2/3 to Clark St.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

You’ll get more local variety on the Brooklyn side of the Bridge, as far as food, drinks, and coffee go.

• Pizza: Grimaldi’s or Juliana’s – right next to each other (Juliana’s is at 19 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn). Go where the line is shorter, although we prefer Juliana’s.  Read this article about the behind-the-scenes pizza drama.
• Westville Dumbo: Healthy and trendy restaurant with outdoor seating in the warmer months
• AlMar: Popular neighborhood Italian restaurant, bar, and cafe, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks.
• SweetGreen Dumbo: Healthy “fast-casual” lunch spot that’s growing in popularity

Places nearby for coffee and sweets:

• Almondine Bakery – 85 Water St
• Jacques Torres Chocolates – 66 Water St
• One Girl Cookies – 33 Main St
• Ample Hills Creamery – 1 Water St
• Brooklyn Roasting Company – 25 Jay St
• Odd Fellows Ice Cream – 60 Water St

Washington Square and Greenwich Village

In a city known for its hustle & bustle, noisy traffic, and canyons of skyscrapers, there are surprising pockets of relative peace and quiet.  There are numerous historic districts with very well-preserved 19^th century housing stock in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  One of Manhattan’s oldest and most famous historic districts is Greenwich Village.  It is considered Manhattan’s first “suburb”.  Two centuries ago it was far enough away from the gangs and slums of the Five Points, the pigs roaming the streets scavenging for food, and the contagious diseases that spread like wildfire, especially in the summer months, to make it an attractive and leafy middle-class (then upper-class) retreat.  Today, it is a popular and vibrant neighborhood in “Lower” Manhattan.  To get to leafy suburbs these days, New Yorkers must drive over bridges or through tunnels to get off of the island of Manhattan.

Many locals would agree that the “heart” of Greenwich Village is Washington Square, so you should start your exploration there.  But first, here is some creepy background info on this famous park.  Long before this became a park and the surrounding area a leafy well-to-do “suburb”, the land was used as a potter’s field – a mass burial ground for poor people.  Between 1797 and 1826, it is estimated that 20,000 dead people were buried here.  Many of them were the poorest of the poor and victims of various epidemics  (especially yellow fever) ravaging the population in the densely packed slums, where dwellers lacked access to clean drinking water or proper bathroom facilities.  Bathing was out of the question (one needed a bathtub, soap, and clean water for that).

The logical thing to do was to dump the dead bodies far enough away from the city limits, but close enough so that the poor fellow driving the horse-drawn wagon full of decomposing corpses wouldn’t have to drive too far.  The unattractive and undeveloped land that is now Washington Square was the perfect place for this macabre task.

In November of 2015, workers putting in new water pipes discovered two burial vaults from the early 19^th century believed to be part of a small church’s graveyard.  Inside, “human remains lay scattered around a largely empty space.”

“Jimmy, I think I’ll take my cigarette break now!”

OK, enough about yellow fever epidemics and burial grounds.  Washington Square became a military parade ground named in honor of George Washington in 1826, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  This brings us to the most obvious structural element in Washington Square – the marble Washington Memorial Arch.  If it looks familiar, that’s because the architect who designed the classical arch modeled it on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  This one is actually the permanent arch completed in 1895.  The original, made of wood and plaster (and designed by the same architect) was built in time for the 1889 parade to celebrate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as America’s first president on Wall Street.  The temporary arch was so well-received that the city commissioned a permanent one.

By the way, the “celebrity” architect who designed both arches was a dapper social butterfly and notorious womanizer named Stanford White, who had a serious walrus mustache.

Sadly, this famous architect was killed by a very jealous and crazy husband of one of White’s ex-mistresses – the beautiful Evelyn Nesbit.  He was killed in 1906, 11 years after the marble arch in Washington Square was completed.  His famous mustache (along with the rest of his face) was obliterated by three point-blank pistol shots to the face.  If you want read a great book about him, Evelyn, the crazy husband, and the subsequent “Trial of the Century”, check out American Eve by Paula Uruburu.

Putting aside White’s gory death, go take a peek at what’s left of “Millionaire’s Row” – considered one of the best preserved and fanciest rows of 19^th century homes in New York City.  If you step through the arch looking north (towards the Empire State Building), you will see a beautiful row of matching red-brick houses with marble Greek Revival columns.  These homes were built in the early 1830s to house wealthy merchants, bankers, lawyers and, of course, their sizable families and crews of domestic servants.  Prominent families living in these imposing homes would show off their latest fashions on a Sunday afternoon stroll through Washington Square — the place to see and be seen in the 1830s.  And when it was time to commute to their Wall Street offices or take a vacation in the “country”, their servants would pick them up out front in one of several fancy carriages conveniently kept behind the houses on Washington Mews.  You can view these historic carriage houses today by taking a stroll on what’s left of the cobblestones on this quaint narrow lane just behind the “Row”.  Today, most of the rowhouses and carriage houses are owned by New York University.

Here is one last tidbit for all you movie buffs reading this: Will Smith’s character in I Am Legend (2007) – the scientist living in post-apocalyptic New York with his German shepherd – resides in 11 Washington Square North.  Here is clip from the movie in which zombie’s swarm Washington Square.

Now, get out there and explore the beautiful surroundings!  Don’t worry if you get lost, you’re safe here.  And there is a great café, restaurant or bar around every corner.

Getting here:  R to 8th St or A/B/C/D/F/M to West 4th

Places nearby for food & drinks:

This is a hard one because this area is full of great options for food and drinks.  So here are just a few to sate your hunger and quench your thirst.  Looking for great pizza?  Check out our blog post on 5 great places to get pizza in Greenwich Village. 

Bars:

• Vol de Nuit – 148 West 4^th – impressive selection of Belgian beer in a dark and intimate setting (temporarily closed due to covid-19)
• Blind Tiger – 281 Bleecker St – 30 beers on tap (and plenty of wine and good bar food) in a busy, bustling, and relatively small space
• Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor – 26 West 8th St – This basement craft beer bar offers in impressive selection of beer on tap and beer flights for tastings
• Malt House – 206 Thompson — Popular Village pub featuring an impressive list of craft beer and spirits

Restaurants:

• La Lanterna – 129 MacDougal St – Cozy Italian restaurant with a jazz bar in the basement
• Chow House – 181 Bleecker St – Excellent authentic Sichuan food in a comforting environment
• Olive Tree Café – 117 MacDougal St – Good food, Charlie Chaplin films, chalk on your table, live music on weekends, and arguably the best live comedy in NYC downstairs at Comedy Cellar

Places nearby for good coffee:

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters – 30 West 8^th Street
• Third Rail Coffee – 240 Sullivan Street
• Irving Farm Roasters — 78 West 3rd Street
• Joe Coffee – 141 Waverly Place
• Caffe Reggio – 119 MacDougal Street.  We had to include this one not because the coffee is very good – it’s not – but because this place has been around since 1927 and features a huge shiny espresso machine from 1902 that the café’s original owner, Domenico Parisi, bought with his life savings.  Come in for some tea and dessert.

Walk the High Line

“What is the High Line?” 

The High Line is unique public park created on top of an abandoned elevated rail line on the west side of Manhattan.

Who would have thought that a derelict rusty eye sore would become one of the most popular attractions in New York City?  Probably no-one, not even the co-founders of the Friends of the High Line, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, who fought to save it from imminent destruction nearly 20 years ago.  A lot has been written about the High Line, especially since Section 1 opened to the public in 2009.  After it first opened, it was still a bit of a well-kept secret.   Jim from accounting would ask you by the water cooler, “Hey, have you been to the High Line yet?”  You’d say: “The High Line?  No.  What’s that?”

Over a decade later, the High Line is attracting 8 million visitors a year and is ranked as one of the top things to do in NYC, according to TripAdvisor!

“If it’s already so busy and popular, why should I visit?”  If you’ve never been, it’s a must-do. 

4 big reasons you should visit the High Line

To sum it all up, visit the High Line for the river and skyline views, the incredible variety of architecture, the people-watching opportunities, and the uniqueness of the public space itself.  And if you like Ted Talks, check out this short talk by Robert Hammond (the co-founder of the Friends of the High Line) recorded almost 2 years after the opening of Section 1.

Getting here:  The High Line has multiple access points (stairs or elevators) along its 1.5-mile length, from 34^th street and 11^th avenue down to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District.  You can either start at the bottom and work your way up (north), or vice-versa.  If you are short on time, you can also access it somewhere in the middle (at 23^rd street, for example).

The closest subway stations are:

• A/C at 14^th street and 8^th avenue, C/E at 23^rd street and 8^th avenue, or 7 to 34^th street/Hudson Yards. The last one is the best option if you want to start at the top and work your way down, which is ideal if you want to visit the new Whitney Museum or get a bite to eat after walking the High Line.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

The street hookers and drug dealers may be gone from Manhattan’s former “Wild Wild West”, but at least you can now get a nice bite at prices that won’t leave you feeling dirty and used.

• Chelsea Market – takes up an entire block between 10^th and 9^th avenue and 15^th and 16^th street, built more than a century ago by the National Biscuit Company. Impressive food variety, good coffee, beer, wine, even some shopping.
• Mercado Little Spain – 10 Hudson Yards – A variety of casual and sit-down authentic Spanish cuisine from celebrity chef Jose Andres.
• SweetGreen MePa and Hudson Yards — popular, healthy, “fast-casual” lunch chain with two locations near either end of the High Line.
• Old Homestead – 56 9^th Avenue (between 14^th and 15^th street) – one of the oldest steakhouses in America (circa 1868), it has served huge chunks of beef at the same location for nearly a century and a half! Worth a splurge if you want a proper NY steakhouse experience.

Places nearby for good coffee:

Since the neighborhoods near the High Line have experienced rapid gentrification, there is no shortage of high-end espresso bars.  Here are a few great options just under the elevated park (from north to south):

• Think Coffee – 500 West 30^th street (just before you reach the High Line stairs at 30^th street)
• Intelligentsia Coffee – 180 10^th avenue (between 20^th and 21^st street), inside the High Line Hotel, which is located in a converted mid-19th-century theological seminary
• Terrmoto Coffee – 328 West 15^th street (on a side street very close to the 8th Avenue and 14th street subway station)
• Blue Bottle Coffee – 450 West 15^th street (just east of the High Line and across from Chelsea Market)

Times Square 

Why is Times Square on our list if we moaned about how not enough tourists venture far enough out of Times Square at the start of this post?  Well, it’s because Times Square is still a “Must Do” if you’ve never visited in person.  You’ve seen it in countless movies, but there is nothing like actually standing in the middle of it, especially at night, and just doing a slow 360-degree turn trying to absorb all the lights and sounds.  Times Square is the epitome of sensory overload. 

According to the Times Square Alliance, the famous public space is visited by 300,000 pedestrians each day.  This number includes an eclectic collage of stressed office workers in business attire fighting past the crowds while checking their phones, tourists blocking the sidewalk to gawk at a billboard or take a photo, ticket hawkers asking passersby if they “like comedy”, superheroes and cartoon characters competing for tourist photos (and the tips they will chase you for), Naked Cowboy (who makes $150,000 a year playing guitar in his underwear) and nearly naked “desnudas”, plus the guy with the cardboard sign that reads: “I WON’T LIE, I NEED THE MONEY FOR WEED”.

Times Square has been called a lot of things over the last century.  And we New Yorkers are not shy about using hyperbolic phrases, so here are the most common ones: The Crossroads of the World, the Center of the Universe, the Great White Way (not racist – has to do with the amount of light day and night), even the “Heart of the World.”  And while no-one would take these nicknames at face value, they do speak volumes about how famous and recognizable this relatively small public space is.

But despite its instantly-recognizable billboards and streetscape, it’s amazing how many tourists get the name wrong!  Just go to google and start typing “Time Square” to see how many suggestions you’ll get based on Google’s search history.  Or check out how many photos are tagged with #timesquare on Instagram – over a million!

So what’s the problem here?  The problem is that the area is not “Time” Square but “Times” Square, as in the New York Times.  The famous newspaper moved “uptown” and built the Times Tower in 1904, the same year New York City agreed to change the name of the area from Longacre Square to Times Square.  By the way, the second part of the name is also a bit tricky in that it’s not actually a square.  It’s really a bowtie, as Broadway and 7^th Avenue cross at 42nd street.   But hey, Times Square sounds better than Times Bowtie, or “Times X”.

If you’re wondering which building is the Times Tower, it’s the one with the bright shiny ball on the roof that’s featured every year on New Year’s Eve.  You’ve probably seen it on December 31 countless times, but did you ever wonder how many people in the crowd are actually New Yorkers?  Of the million people who cram into Times Square on New Year’s Eve each year, we’d “guesstimate” that about 99% are tourists.  The other 1% are grumpy New Yorkers dragged there by their visiting relatives.  You’d be grumpy too if you had to freeze behind police barricades all day for a few B-list celebrities and a 10-second countdown followed by a lot of confetti.

In short, don’t go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve.  Go there at night any other day of the year.  Look around, take some memorable photos, go see a Broadway show (set to reopen September 2021).  But please please don’t eat at Olive Garden, Hard Rock Café, or Bubba Gump Shrimp!  New York has its flaws, but a lack of dining options isn’t one of them.  So why would you spend money going to a chain restaurant you can find in your hometown?  Those unlimited breadsticks aren’t worth the 45 minute wait to get in (and the prices are high too).  Instead, walk 10-15 minutes west to Hell’s Kitchen if you’re hungry.

Additional reading:

• If you have time, read this interesting cover story on Times Square in the de Blasio era, written by Adam Sternbergh for New York magazine.
• If you like non-fiction and want to learn about the history and evolution of Times Square, check out this really well-written book: The Devil’s Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square by James Traub.

Movies to watch:

There are too many movies to list where Times Square makes an appearance.  But here are 3 that are special for different reasons:

• Taxi Driver (1976): This classic Martin Scorsese film, starring a young Robert De Niro, portrays a very different Times Square – long before Disney, Elmo, and family-friendly fun.
• Vanilla Sky (2001): The only time you’ll ever see Times Square completely deserted is in this movie!
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014): Times Square goes dark in this battle scene!

Getting here:  Take the 1/2/3/N/Q/R/S/7 to Times Square/42^nd street.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

This one is tougher because the area is so commercial and the rents are so high, which means more chains or tourist traps and fewer authentic local options.  So generally speaking, the farther you walk away from Times Square, the more “local” your dining experience will be.  That said, here are a few good options:

• Tony’s Di Napoli – 147 West 43^rd street – Family-style Italian restaurant
• Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse – 320 West 46^th street (between 8^th and 9^th ave) – Began as a speakeasy during Prohibition in the 1920s (temporarily closed due to covid-19)
• Swing 46 – 349 West 46^th street (between 8^th and 9^th ave) – Fun jazz and supper club with live music every night (and even occasional free swing lessons!)

Places nearby for good coffee:

Starbucks locations abound in and around Times Square (there is seemingly one on every other corner).  But if you know a real macchiato from the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, then head to one of these:

• Zibetto Espresso Bar – 1221 6th Avenue (one block east of Times Square, enter from 48th st)
• For Five Coffee — 117 West 46th street (one block east of Times Square)
• Gregorys Coffee – 58 West 44^th street (one block east of Times Square)
  

Grand Central Terminal

It’s fair to say that Grand Central Terminal should make everyone’s Top 10 list.  In fact, it’s hard to write about it without using a lot of superlatives.  It’s an architectural marvel, an engineering masterpiece, and a spectacular living monument to transportation – all rolled into one enormous railroad terminal completed in 1913.  It is the largest railroad terminal in the world (in terms of number of platforms).  The 10-year ingenious construction process cost a whopping $80 million, or about $2 billion after adjusting for a century of inflation, all of which was privately funded!

The Beaux Arts façade alone is colossal.  Above the classical columns is a giant clock, 13 feet in diameter, featuring the largest example of Tiffany glass in the world.  Atop the clock is the enormous limestone sculptural set called “Transportation”, featuring the Roman messenger god, Mercury (known for his speed), flanked by Hercules and Minerva.

According to Wikipedia, Grand Central Terminal is one of the ten most-visited tourist attractions in the world.  No surprises there.  Just step through its doors and enter the Main Concourse to see why.  750,000 visitors pass through the terminal on a daily basis, but many of them are too focused on catching the 5:46 commuter train to the suburbs to stop and look around.  The 125-foot vaulted ceiling alone is awe-inspiring.  It features 2,500 stars and painted depictions of zodiac constellations (March through October).  There is only one problem: The constellations are painted backwards, but we won’t dwell on that.  Instead, try to find a dark spot near Cancer on the ceiling.  Look for the giant crab and you should find a dark rectangular patch near one of the crab’s claws.

What gives?  After more than a decade-long restoration process in 90s, the entire terminal was restored to its original splendor.  That included peeling off decades of grime and dirt from the walls, floor, and of course, ceiling.  But as a permanent reminder of its sorry state in the past, one brick on the ceiling was left unrestored.  And the biggest contributor to its dark color isn’t pollution —  it’s tobacco and nicotine residue from countless cigarettes smoked by millions of commuters over more than half a century.

Take a photo by the famous clock in the middle of the concourse, estimated to be worth anywhere between $10 and $20 million by Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses (its four faces are made of opal).  For a century, “under the clock” has been the most common phrase uttered when deciding where to meet in Grand Central.  By the way, the terminal and the clock take quite a beating at the end of this epic battle scene in the Avengers.

Before taking one of the two marble staircases down to the Dining Concourse, take a quick look at one of the boards displaying the train schedules.  One of the little secrets is that all train times are 1 minute ahead of the actual schedule.  So take your time, because that 6:15 train to Stamford won’t actually depart until 6:16.

Once you’re downstairs, look for the famous Oyster Bar, which is as old as the terminal itself.  In front of the Oyster Bar is another beautiful vaulted ceiling, albeit much smaller and without stars and constellations.  This tiled Guastavino ceiling offers a very interesting acoustic feature.  If you and another person stand in opposite corners and face your respective corner (not each other, as some frustrated tourists do), you can speak into the corner and the other person will hear you as if you’re speaking on the phone.  That’s why this spot is called the “Whispering Gallery”.  It is not known if Rafael Guastavino, the famous Spanish designer behind this and many other vaulted ceilings in New York City, intended for this acoustic element, or if it’s just a byproduct of perfect symmetry and materials used.

Here is one last little tidbit: The building we proudly call Grand Central Terminal is actually the third railroad terminal at this location.  The original, the brainchild of “Commodore” Cornelius Vanderbilt, opened in 1871 and brought long-distance passengers into Manhattan on steam-powered trains for the first time.  It was called Grand Central Depot.  Three decades later, it was renamed Grand Central Station, after a major renovation and the completion a new annex.  Finally, when the old terminal was razed and replaced with today’s landmark structure, it became Grand Central Terminal.  So hopefully, this clears up some name confusion.

Check out this great 3-minute video from the History Channel summarizing some of Grand Central’s wonders.

If you exit Grand Central on 42^nd street and make a left, you can admire one of the most beautiful and iconic Jazz Age skyscrapers in America – the Art-Deco masterpiece that is the Chrysler Building – the world’s tallest skyscraper when completed in 1930, but not for long, since it lost that title on May 1, 1931 – the opening day of the Empire State Building.

Getting here:  Grand Central is connected to the 4/5/6 subway lines, as well as the Shuttle (S) train from Times Square.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

The good news is you don’t even have to leave the building to get a good bite to eat.  First, there is the popular Grand Central Market where you can get fresh fruit, chocolate, sushi, pastries, and other “on-the-go” food items from local vendors.   Enter Grand Central Market from Lexington Avenue at 43^rd street.

Second, the Dining Concourse on Grand Central’s lower level includes many good “fast-food” options, as well as some sit-down choices.  Some standouts include:

• Oyster Bar & Restaurant: Famous seafood restaurant circa 1913 (up a small ramp from the Dining Concourse – temporarily closed due to covid-19)
• Shake Shack: Popular burger chain (originated in NY’s Madison Square Park) known for tasty burgers and milkshakes (temporarily closed due to covid-19)
• Hale & Hearty: Popular NYC chain for soups, sandwiches, and salads.

Third, there is a great hidden gem called The Campbell Bar inside the Terminal.  You can either enter from the street at 15 Vanderbilt Ave, or take an elevator from the ramp next to the Oyster Bar.  This trendy cocktail bar occupies the former private office of a 1920s business mogul named John W. Campbell.  Today, the beautifully refurbished space is a fancy cocktail bar serving drinks with names like Robber Baron and Prohibition, along with cheese plates and other light fare.  Expect a wait to get in the evening hours.

Finally, if you don’t mind a short walk and are craving hearty Italian food, check out the House of Lasagna at 334 Lexington Ave (at 39^th st).  Lasagna is their specialty, as you may have guessed, and the prices are very reasonable for Midtown.

Places nearby for good coffee:

There are a couple of great coffee shops within the massive Terminal.

• Café Grumpy – Just inside Grand Central’s Lexington Passage if you walk in from Lexington Ave, across the street from the Chrysler Building.
• Joe Coffee – Just inside Grand Central’s Graybar Passage. Easiest to walk in from Lexington Ave as well.

Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock

Rockefeller Center is another “can’t miss” place to visit in New York City.  It is super crowded from Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day (78-foot tall decorated Christmas trees tend to draw large crowds), but it is a much more hospitable place the rest of the year.

Let’s start by debunking some common misspellings.  This is not “Rockafella” or “Rockerfellar” Center.  It is “Rockefeller”, as in the Rockefeller oil fortune.  If you fill up your car’s gas tank in the United States at Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, or a number of other national gasoline brands, you’re buying from one of the “offspring” companies after John D. Rockefeller’s oil monopoly, Standard Oil, was broken up by the U.S. government in 1911.  John D. Rockefeller Sr. (the patriarch that built the oil behemoth and lived to the ripe old age of 97) was so wealthy a century ago that he was the world’s richest man and the first person to be called “billionaire” (again, this is a hundred years ago!).  Adjusted for a century of inflation, his fortune at its peak would be worth around $30 billion today!

OK, enough about Sr.  Let’s talk about Jr.  John D. Rockefeller’s only son – “Junior” – is the man behind the famous center that bears the family name.   The enormous complex (originally comprised of 14 Art Deco buildings) was the largest privately funded construction project ever undertaken at the time.  What’s even more incredible is when it was undertaken – after the Great Crash of ’29!  The decade it took to build Rockefeller Center (1929 to 1939) was one of the worst economic periods in New York City and United States history.  Imagine how many families were saved from homelessness and starvation thanks to this gargantuan building project.

The first Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center was a modest balsam placed in the rocky and muddy construction site in 1931.  The mostly Italian laborers gratefully lined up by the tree to receive their weekly wages.

Today, the Tree Lighting Ceremony draws thousands of gawkers from around the world, and millions more watching on NBC.  Speaking of NBC, the Today Show, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and the Late Show with Seth Meyers are all filmed at Rockefeller Center (30 Rockefeller Center, specifically, for all but the Today Show).  The hit NBC show “30 Rock” was based on what goes on in the building, though most of it was filmed on Long Island.

Another famous New York sight is the ice skating rink surrounded by flags.   The rink, which was first installed in 1936, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the colder months.  And the approximately 200 flags around the Plaza represent countries that are members of the United Nations, as well as some U.S. Territories.  During elections, though, the flags are replaced with the 50 State flags.  And in December, the flags are replaced with shiny and festive holiday banners.

By the way, there is a reason for this U.N. connection in the heart of Rockefeller Center.  The land on the eastern edge of Manhattan occupied by the United Nations Headquarters was purchased by John D. Rockefeller Jr. from a private developer and promptly donated to the city, so that the United Nations could set up its headquarters in New York City.

Rockefeller Center takes up several city blocks in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and features the largest collection of Art Deco art in the country, one of the largest and most opulent theaters in the world (Radio City Music Hall), and arguably the best views in the city from its observation deck aptly named “Top of the Rock”.

We’ve already mentioned One World Trade Observatory earlier in the post if you’re exploring Downtown, but if you had to pick one observation deck in Midtown, we suggest Top of the Rock over the Empire State Building.  You might argue that for around the same price you can go up to the 86^th floor of the Empire State instead of “just” the 70^th story of 30 Rock.  And you would be right. But…

Top of the Rock has two distinct advantages

You have incredible views of the Empire State Building and amazing views of Central Park to the north – the same (to state the obvious) can’t be said when you’re on top of the Empire State.

Last thing, if you find yourself in the area, be sure to walk to Fifth Avenue and check out the famous bronze sculpture of Atlas facing the beautifully restored Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (between 50^th and 51^st street).

And if you want to tour Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, and other Midtown landmarks, with a professional tour guide on an intimate and informative private tour, check out our private Midtown Highlights Tour.

Getting here:  B/D/F/M to 47-50^th st/Rockefeller Center, or the E line to 5^th Ave and 53^rd st.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

The Dining Concourse at 30 Rockefeller Center offers numerous quality options for a quick, casual bite.  This is the most convenient option before or after going to Top of the Rock (since you can buy tickets in the same Concourse).

There are also many other casual eateries catering to the tens of thousands of daily office workers on the blocks in and around Rockefeller Center.

If you want a memorable (and pricey) meal at one of New York’s most famous restaurants & bars, check out the 21 Club, which started out as a speakeasy during Prohibition.  Almost every US President, corporate CEO, and celebrity worth his/her salt has dined there.  If you’re nice, maybe they’ll show you the secret wine cellar.

• 21 Club – 21 West 52^nd street (between 5^th and 6^th avenue) (temporarily closed due to covid-19)

Places nearby for good coffee:

• Blue Bottle Coffee – In the Dining Concourse of 30 Rockefeller Center, near the ice skating rink
• Zibetto Espresso Bar – 1221 6th Avenue (enter from 48th st)
• For Five Coffee — 117 West 46th street (off 6th Avenue heading towards Times Square)

Central Park

Even though this list is generally arranged south to north, some might say we saved the best for last.  If you are going to visit New York City and not visit Central Park, then you might as well not come at all.  A lot of first-timers don’t really know what to expect, besides the snippets they’ve seen in movies and TV shows.  Most people think it’s just a big park with lots of trees.  And yes, it is a big park – 843 acres to be exact – and yes, there are a lot of trees – about 26,000 – but the park is so much more than that.  It is an incredibly special public space in the middle of a very loud crowded island full of daunting skyscrapers.  It is a breath of fresh air in a place more known for car exhaust.

Here is a relevant fact that will surprise you: Central Park is one of the best bird-watching spots in the United States, with nearly 200 different species visiting or living in the park over the course of a year.  Who would have thought?  And right in the middle of Manhattan!

But that’s just one of the many things that make this park special.  Don’t just think of it as something famous to check off your NYC to-do list.  It is America’s first landscaped city park (designed in 1858) and is legitimately considered a masterpiece of 19^th century art.  When you wind your way through Central Park, you are not just walking past meadows, woodlands, and lakes, you are enjoying living landscape paintings without realizing it.  Each “scene” was meticulously designed and sculptured a century and a half ago to look a certain way.

This brings us to one of the most important tidbits about the park: It’s entirely man-made!  The lakes, the woods, the meadows – all created following a design competition of 1858.  Before the competition, this was a remote piece of mostly undeveloped land far away from the population labeled “worthless rock and swamp.”  Imagine going from a mid-19^th century rocky and swampy wasteland to one of the most visited and recognizable city parks in the world today.

The only thing about the park that’s not man-made is the rock.  The rocky outcroppings you find throughout the park is the native bedrock of Manhattan island, called Manhattan schist.  Some of these fairly large outcroppings are popular photo and napping spots.  We wonder how many of the locals and tourists who climb the rocks on a daily basis realize they are climbing ancient bedrock scraped by a melting glacier at the end of the last Ice Age approximately 13,000 years ago!

On a different note, some people venture into the park for a few photos, then venture out, lest they get lost.  First, it’s OK to get lost in the park today — you won’t get mugged (probably not even after dark).  Second, you are supposed to get lost.  The park is designed for you to get lost.  Because in the process of getting lost on its winding paths (with no street signs to guide you), you are supposed to relax and disconnect from the city around it.

And Central Park isn’t just for tourists.  Thousands of locals visit the park each day to ride their bikes, jog, walk their dogs, read a book on a favorite bench, or just to be in nature.  So if you do get lost, just ask a local for directions.

Or if you’d rather not get lost on your own, get lost with us instead on a scenic and informative private 3-hr walking tour of Central Park.

Getting here:  If entering from Central Park South – N/Q/R to 5^th and 59^th or A/B/C/D/1 to Columbus Circle.

Places nearby for food & drinks:

• The Plaza Hotel Food Court – Enter at Central Park South just west of Fifth Avenue: Modern, trendy food court with a great variety of local food vendors and sit-down dining options (and clean bathrooms)
• Piccolo Café – 313 Amsterdam Ave (between 74^th and 75^th st): Popular hole-in-the-wall Italian café serving good coffee, wine, and light Italian fare, and just a 10 minute walk from Strawberry Fields. (temporarily closed due to covid-19)
• Tarallucci e Vino – 475 Amsterdam Ave (corner of 83^rd): Popular Upper West Side Italian café and wine bar close to the west side of the park if you exist at 81^st street (by the Natural History Museum). Bigger than Piccolo and another great option for good Italian coffee, wine, and light fare.  Outdoor seating is available in the warmer months.

Of course, you don’t have to leave Central Park if you’re hungry.  Here are a few spots in the park for a nice meal:

• Lakeside Restaurant at the Loeb Boathouse – A beautiful restaurant & bar with lakeside views and high-quality lunch and dinner options (as well as weekend brunch), if you can actually get a table.  There is also a much cheaper casual café next door for “fast food” type fare.
• Tavern on the Green – Enter at 67^th street and Central Park West: This famous restaurant in a historic building built in 1870 as the Sheepfold (thus the sheep in their logo) was beautifully renovated a few years ago. In the warmer months, there is also a great outdoor seating space.  A nice lunch or dinner option if price isn’t an issue, or just a nice/fancy place to cool off at the bar with a beer on a hot day.
• Le Pain Quotidien – Just north of Sheep Meadow, this cozy Belgian café chain serves soups, salads, tartines, coffee, and more. There is a small outdoor seating space as well.  A great option for a casual lunch and people-watching that won’t cost nearly as much as the first two options above.

Places nearby for good coffee:

• Zibetto Espresso Bar – 1385 Avenue of Americas – aka – 6^th Avenue (at 56^th street – just 5 min south of the park)
• Plaza Food Court — Enter on Central Park South just west of Fifth Avenue (French bakery inside offers good coffee and pastries)

And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] or through our contact page.

Enjoy your visit to New York City!

Best Pizza in NY’s Greenwich Village

Bleecker Street Pizza

Address: 69 7th Avenue South (corner of Bleecker Street)

Voted “Best Pizza in NY” by the Food Network several times, Bleecker Street Pizza is cramped, casual, and the walls are full of the requisite celebrity photos (think Mike Tyson and Steven Tyler without makeup).  And they make some of the best pizza around.  Try their signature Nonna Maria slice, with home-made marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.

The great news is that in 2018, Bleecker Street Pizza expanded next door and now offers a nice sit-down dining experience as well, if you’re not in a rush.  Same great pizza, but more elbow room!

In fact, if your time is limited and you can only pick one pizza spot on this list, we can wholeheartedly recommend the Nonna Maria slice at Bleecker Street Pizza.  You might just get a second slice!

You will be salivating for more.  Luckily, they are open until 5am Friday through Sunday, so you can always come back for a late-night snack between bar hops.

John’s Pizza of Bleecker Street (circa 1929)

278 Bleecker Street (corner of Jones Street)

First rule of John’s (of Bleecker Street) Pizza — absolutely no slices!  So come hungry and bring a friend or significant other to share a classic pie with.  You won’t regret it.  They’ve been cranking out pies from their brick oven at this location since 1929, so it’s safe to say they have it down pat.

Leave your mark by carving your initials in the wooden booths (if you can find space, that is).  Expect a wait to get in, especially on weekends (they don’t take reservations).

Kesté

271 Bleecker Street

Diagonally across from John’s is a different kind of pizza restaurant that has earned some serious street cred and rave reviews during its decade-long existence (opened in 2009).

The name Kesté means “this is it” in the Neapolitan dialect, which is fitting since this place is all about Neapolitan pizza, run by an Italian-born chef who studied pizza-making in Naples.  So while the first 2 recommendations feature NY-style pizza (a thin-crust slice which you can fold, hold and eat), Kesté requires table seating and the use of a fork and knife (gasp!).

The ingredients are fresh and the choice of toppings varied.  You can get a nice glass of wine to go with your pizza and warm up with home-made burrata, served with prosciutto di parma.  They have a custom-built oven, in which your pie cooks in less than a minute.

Joe’s Pizza

7 Carmine Street (off corner of Bleecker Street)

This “no-frills” cash-only Village staple (circa 1975) sells more plain and pepperoni slices on a daily basis than we can fathom.  Bring some cash, get a slice or two to go (there isn’t much seating) and grab a spot on one of the benches in Father Demo Square across the street.  Do some people watching while munching on the thin crust, fresh cheese and pepperoni.  Just leave some crust for the resident pigeons.

Expect a line out the door during the lunch rush at most times on weekends.

By the way, you might recognize Joe’s from Spider-Man 2 (2004).  If you need a refresher, check out this pizza delivery scene.

La Lanterna

129 MacDouglal Street (off corner of West 3rd Street)

The last recommendation on our list isn’t really a pizza joint.  It’s a cozy Italian restaurant, with an inviting glass-roofed garden in the rear and a jazz bar downstairs.  La Lanterna’s menu is pretty extensive, and it includes a large section of thin-crust, made-to-order, 10-inch pizza.

Here, you can enjoy an intimate dinner, while satiating your pizza craving.  And while there are no celebrity photos, they offer nice decor, Sinatra tunes, and even put a candle on your table.  Be sure to leave room for their mouth-watering tiramisu and wash it down with a tasty caffe latte.  Afterwards, head to the basement for live jazz and drinks at Bar Next Door.

You can’t go wrong with any of these places, so perhaps get to Bleecker Street really hungry and do a self-guided pizza jaunt.  Working west to east, you’d hit Bleecker, John’s, Kesté, Joe’s, and La Lanterna.  Enjoy!

Click here to get this pizza guide as a free and printer-friendly PDF file in your inbox and take it with you to NYC (with a larger map)!

by: Michele DeBella

World-class art is only one of the things that makes New York one of the most-visited cities in the country. But choosing which museums to visit from the dozens of options can be daunting. Here’s a good place to start—a list of the most popular museums in the city; after all, you have to start somewhere, right?

List of 6 of the Best Museums in NYC

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Five thousand years of art. That’s the task you’re undertaking when entering the largest museum in the United States, a prospect which can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. Expect iconic works from European masters, collections of antique weapons, costume art, Chinese calligraphy, and much more. Everyone will love the Temple of Dendur, an ancient Egyptian temple that was constructed on the Nile River 2,000 years ago, and gifted to the Met in 1965. If you just can’t get enough of the Met, take a guided tour, join the weekly lecture series, Sunday at the Met, or enjoy a cocktail and a concert on MetFridays. In the mild months, be sure to check out the rooftop for citywide views and whatever seasonal exhibit is on display as part of the Roof Garden Commissions.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Address: 1000 Fifth Avenue (entrance at 82nd street)

Getting there: 4/5/6 lines at 86th street (and Lexington Avenue)

Cost of Admission: The Metropolitan Museum of Art works on a “suggested donation” model, which is $25 for adults.  The ticket includes same-day admission to the Met Cloisters and the Met Breuer

Hours of Operation:  Open 7 days.  Sunday thru Thursday: 10am to 5:30pm; Friday and Saturday: 10am to 9pm

Museum of Modern Art

Follow the selfie-taking knot crowded around a lone painting and that’s where you’ll find Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” After seeing so many reproductions of this famous image, laying eyes on the real thing is thrilling. The same goes for works by Frida Kahlo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Picasso, and of course Monet, whose “Water Lilies” triptych occupies an entire gallery wall. The MoMA prides itself on its tolerance in art and highlights artists from a diversity of backgrounds; this philosophy extends to their film series, too, where they feature mostly independent and experimental films. On Fridays after 4 p.m., museum admission is free. The line to get in can snake around the block but moves quickly and once inside, there’s enough space for the large crowd that free admission draws.

Address: 11 West 53^rd Street (enter at 54th street, between 5th and 6th avenues)

Getting there: E or M lines at 5 Ave. and 53rd street station

Cost of Admission: The Museum of Modern Art does not “suggest” $25 like the Met does.  You’ll have to pay it if you want to get in.

Hours of Operation:  Open 7 days 10:30 to 5:30; open until 8pm on Fridays

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Right away, you’ll see that the art is in the architecture. The gleaming white, hive-shaped building is a masterpiece by Frank Lloyd Wright and sits on fashionable Fifth Avenue directly across from Central Park’s eastern boundary; inside, the spiraling rotunda is even more stunning.

And then there’s the art. In 1930, Solomon Guggenheim purchased his first painting by Russian artist Vasily Kandinsky upon meeting him in Germany. Guggenheim’s Kandinsky collection eventually grew to over 150 works. A selection of these works is on view on a rotating basis, along with pieces by Cézanne, Manet, Chagall and many more. Museum members can come to the monthly Art After Dark event and listen to live music, purchase cocktails, and see the exhibitions after the museum closes to the public.

Address: 1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th street)

Getting there: 4/5/6 lines at 86th street (and Lexington Avenue)

Cost of Admission: $25, except “pay-what-you-wish” on Saturdays from 5:45 to 7:45

Hours of Operation:  Open 6 days (closed Thursdays).  Other days: 10am to 5:45pm, except Saturday (open to 7:45)

Brooklyn Museum

It’s an easy subway ride from Manhattan and the grand Beaux-Arts design by McKim, Mead, and White alone is worth the trip.  The Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest in the country.  It opened in 1897, a year before Brooklyn was consolidated into the Greater City of New York, or as some Brooklynites called it, “The Great Mistake of 1898”.

It’s collection includes works by Georgia O’Keefe, Norman Rockwell, and Edgar Degas; also on view are Egyptian antiquities (the largest collection in NYC), Japanese art, and a reconstructed 17^th-century Dutch house (dating back to when Brooklyn was a collection of 6 mostly Dutch rural towns).  And this is just scratching the surface.

The museum’s rotating exhibits showcase their civic-mindedness; the art frequently touches on issues of race and religion, and never fails to start a conversation about current social problems. A number of attractions are nearby, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park, so you can make a full day out of your visit.

Address: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

Getting there: 2/3 lines at Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum

Cost of Admission: $16 (suggested)

Hours of Operation: Open 5 days (closed Monday and Tuesday). Other days: 11am to 6pm, except Thursday (open to 10pm)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Located near the Gansevoort Street entrance to the High Line, the museum was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano to blend in and complement its surroundings. The glass and steel structure provides 360-degree views out to the High Line and the city beyond, giving patrons inside a brightly lit, expansive space to view the world-class art. There’s plenty of room for everyone inside this massive structure, even when the most popular exhibits come around. The Whitney features works produced by American artists in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Given its proximity to the High Line, and the many shops and restaurants in the area, the Whitney is a must on any downtown itinerary.

Be sure to head to the top for the great views atop the elevated metal outdoor platforms, or take a break on the comfortable “couch” like seats overlooking the Hudson River.

Address: 99 Gansevoort Street (at Washington Street)

Getting there: A/C/E/L at 14th street and 8th avenue

Cost of Admission: $16 (suggested)

Hours of Operation:

• 10:30am to 6pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday
• Friday and Saturday: 10:30am to 10pm

American Museum of Natural History

AMNH was founded in 1869 and has remained one of the most famous science collections in the country. The display of dinosaur fossils, including a 65-million-year-old Triceratops, will delight adults and children alike, as will the annual Butterfly Conservatory, where you can walk through a tropical garden while viewing butterflies from over 100 species, learning everything you ever wanted know about their life cycle. Also popular is the Human Origins and Cultural Halls, where you can pick up lots of interesting facts about the heritage of cultures around the world.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Look for the equestrian statue of Teddy Roosevelt in front of the museum’s massive classical façade overlooking Central Park.  Fun Presidential fact for you:  Teddy is the only US President born and raised on Manhattan island (in fact, his childhood home is now a reconstructed brownstone that is run by the National Park Service and open to the public as a museum on 20^th street near Park Avenue).

What about other Presidents from the state of New York?  Well, Franklin Roosevelt grew up in Hyde Park in New York’s Hudson Valley, while Donald Trump was born in Jamaica Estates, Queens.  Two other Presidents were born in New York State but are relatively obscure.  They are Martin Van Buren (8^th President) and Millard Fillmore (13^th President).

Address: Central Park West at 79^th Street

Getting there: B or C at 81st street (Central Park West)

Cost of Admission: $23 (suggested)

Hours of Operation: Open daily from 10am to 5:45pm

by: Michele DeBella

American sculptor George Grey Barnard is largely responsible for the art collection in The Cloisters, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in Upper Manhattan. Barnard was a great collector of medieval and Gothic art, and he was adamant that it be displayed in a suitable setting. On his trips to Europe, in addition to collecting ancient artwork, he also transported pieces of European cloisters to New York, and built a private museum in Washington Heights.

That museum was eventually purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1925. Rockefeller added his own sizable collection to Barnard’s until he eventually needed a larger space, so he donated a four-acre plot of his land in northern Manhattan. The construction of the current Cloisters, which opened in 1938, began.

Fulfilling Barnard’s wish to display medieval art in a medieval setting, The Cloisters was designed in the style of the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Inside, the building is a patchwork of structures—a doorway from an abbey in Burgundy, a limestone wall from a church near Bordeaux, a 15^th century oak door from Limoges—from five different French monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages.

Visiting The Cloisters

The Cloisters is a journey through the centuries, but the museum is manageable to get through in less than two hours. It tends to be popular with local school groups during the week, but it’s spacious enough where you don’t feel crowded out.

Your approach could be leisurely. You could just stroll through the galleries and see what you see, enjoying the high arched ceilings and the daylight that streams in through the stained glass windows. Maybe step out into the gardens if it’s a nice day. Or, if you’d like a more structured approach, grab a map at the entrance and view the art chronologically, beginning with the Romanesque Hall on the first floor.

Whatever your style, there are a few things you want to be sure not to miss. Langon Chapel is truly symbolic of the eclectic medieval medley that The Cloisters represents. Religious and royal figures are carved into the 13^th century doorway, and artifacts inside the chapel include an ancient statue of Virgin and Child, carved out of walnut, and a 12^th century crucifix that comes from the vicinity of Salzburg, Austria.

Also very interesting is the Gothic Chapel on the ground floor, which contains tomb effigies from the 13^th and 14^th centuries, carved in limestone with elaborate detail.

The grand masterpiece of The Cloisters, the one exhibit that can’t be missed, is the Unicorn Tapestries collection. The Unicorn Tapestries have always been somewhat of a mystery in the art world. Critics have long debated whether the series of seven tapestries, woven from wool, silk, and metallic threads, are meant to tell a chronological story, and whether the central figure in the story, the unicorn, is meant to symbolize Christ.

Although the tapestries are thought to have been created between 1495 and 1505, their first recorded mention is in the 1680s, when they belonged to a family from the French nobility. They were looted during the French Revolution, eventually returned to the family, and then sold in the 20^th century. Rockefeller purchased them for around a million dollars (a lot more money a century ago!), and they hung in his home until he donated them to the Cloisters.

Cost of Admission: The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and both great institutions work on a “suggested donation” model, which is $25 for adults.

Hours of Operation:  Open 7 days.

March through October: 10am to 5:15pm

November through February: 10am to 4:45pm

Getting to the Cloisters:

– By subway:  Take the A train uptown to the 190^th street station, then walk north along Margaret Corbin Drive for about 10 minutes.

– By bus:  Take the M4 bus heading north to the last stop.  If coming from the Met, head to Madison Avenue and 83^rd street to get the M4.

Exploring Fort Tryon Park

Be sure to check out the beautiful garden at The Cloisters, especially in the warmer months.  And you’ll find it hard to believe you’re still on the island of Manhattan if you explore the woodsy setting outside the museum.   The Cloisters is located in Fort Tryon Park, whose creation is also credited to Rockefeller. He began to purchase land in this area in 1917, with a vision to create a green space for New Yorkers. To landscape the park, he enlisted the help of the Olmsted Brothers Firm, owned by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for creating Central Park, Prospect Park, Morningside Park, and Riverside Park, just to name a few).  Rockefeller dedicated Fort Tryon Park to the public in 1935.

The view across the river, too, is thanks to a prominent and wealthy New Yorker. In 1901, J. Pierpont Morgan bought 12 miles of the New Jersey Palisades in order to environmentally secure the land from too much quarrying. Rockefeller then bought another 700 acres, so developers would never disrupt the view.  Who says the Robber Barons didn’t give back?

Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters are two of the city’s most beautiful landmarks. They’re not exactly hidden gems, since both places are well-known to most New Yorkers. But because they are located far enough uptown—and many people don’t venture farther north than Central Park—they definitely qualify as off-the-beaten-path. Come here if you’re looking for a unique New York experience; you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you do.

Eating Near the Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park

If you’re looking for a bite to eat after the museum or the park, New Leaf Restaurant and Bar is a short walk down the path from The Cloisters, and serves great food with views of the park.

Address: 1 Margaret Corbin Drive

Kykuit offers the perfect day trip opportunity from New York City, particularly for travelers who enjoy architecture, art, beautiful landscapes, and history.

Less than one hour from Rockefeller Center, tucked into Pocantico Hills, is the beautiful Rockefeller Estate called “Kykuit”.  Located in Sleepy Hollow (Westchester County, NY), Kykuit is less than 40 minutes by train from Grand Central Terminal.

Word of advice from a NYC tour guide:

If you only have a few days in NYC, don’t bother with day trips.  There are so many interesting things to do and see in New York City that it would almost be a sin to leave the city if your time in the city is limited.  However, if you have a week or more in the city, especially if you’ve visited NYC before, then a quick trip to Kykuit is a great idea.

What is Kykuit?

Kykuit, the name of the Rockefeller Estate, means “Lookout” in Dutch.  And while the Rockefellers were not Dutch, the name likely paid homage to New York’s Dutch roots – New Amsterdam was established at the bottom of Manhattan, while New Netherland was spread across the East Coast of the United States, including Dutch colonies in upstate New York, Delaware, and New Jersey (check out a great book about NY’s Dutch influence by Russell Shorto called The Island at the Center of the World).

The original “retreat” in the country was built by John D. Rockefeller, the family patriarch and oil monopolist, at the end of the 19^th century (encouraged by his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr.).  The house was altered in 1913 to its current appearance.  The location was ideal for a family estate — an idyllic retreat and a relatively easy commute from New York City by steam boat up the Hudson River.

“Senior” moved in to Kykuit when he was in his 70s (he died at 97).  He commissioned a reversible 9-hole golf course on the property, since he was an avid golfer and had plenty of time for leisure in his later years.  John D. Rockefeller was the world’s first billionaire, having amassed an enormous fortune with his oil behemoth called Standard Oil.  Keep in mind, he was a billionaire more than a century ago!

His son, “Junior”, also moved to Kykuit in his 70s, with his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller.  One of Junior’s 5 sons, Nelson Rockefeller, was the prominent member of the third Rockefeller generation to live in the house.  He is also responsible for adding an impressive collection of modern art, including paintings, tapestry, and sculptures.

Interesting fact:

John D. Rockefeller Senior and Junior were devout Baptists, and as such, they didn’t smoke, drink, dance, or gamble.  That’s why the house has a beautiful piano but no ballroom!  Fun times at Kykuit…

This conservative lifestyle is also reflected in the house itself, which, although grand, isn’t a “show-off” mansion like the Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island built by the Vanderbilts (or any other mansion built by the Vanderbilts, for that matter).

How big is Kykuit?

The mansion itself, which is now open to the public as a museum, has 40 rooms.  It sits on a 250-acre central section of the much bigger 3,400 acre Rockefeller family compound.

Kykuit Tours

Kykuit tours are offered by Historic Hudson Valley, which was established by “Junior” in 1951.  They offer several different tours, ranging from the “Time Saver” tour, which lasts 90 minutes, to the “Grand Tour”, which lasts 3 hours.  Most tours are $25 per adult on weekdays and $28 on weekends.  The Grand Tour is $40.

The days and hours of operation vary seasonally, so be sure to view the tours page for available dates during your visit.  Reserving your tickets ahead of time is highly recommended, as they can sell out fast, especially on weekends.

“What will I see at Kykuit?”

Depending on which tour option you choose, you may get to explore parts of the mansion; the beautiful main grounds, which combine landscape architecture, as well as classical and modern sculpture; the enormous “barn”, with a rare collection of vintage coaches and cars; and various gorgeously landscaped gardens, including the Italian garden and “Adam and Eve” fountain area.

If you have an interest in modern art, be sure to choose a tour that includes Nelson Rockefeller’s (4-term NY State Governor and Vice President of the United States under President Ford) basement art gallery.  Here you will find works by Picasso, Chagall, Warhol (including a “Pop Art” painting depicting an angry Nelson Rockefeller), and many other prominent artists who worked in the abstract, avant garde, and modern styles.

“Why should I go?”

Kykuit is a rare historic and architectural gem, which was home to 4 generations of the Rockefeller Family (David Rockefeller, who is Nelson’s brother and son of “Junior”, still lives in a different house on the enormous property and is 101 years old.).  It’s a meticulously preserved century-old masterpiece, with amazing views of the surrounding Hudson valley, beautifully landscaped grounds and gardens, rare works of art – from ancient Chinese figurines to Picasso tapestry, from replica Florentine statues to modern sculptures – and beautiful architecture.

A day trip to Kykuit gives you a chance to get away from New York City’s crowds, noise, and traffic, while learning about the Rockefellers — one of the richest, most famous, influential, and philanthropic families in American history.  The commute from Manhattan is under an hour, which makes it all-the-more appealing as a quick and enjoyable excursion into the “country”.

Anyone with even a slight interest in history, architecture, nature, interior design, and art, will walk away delighted.

Things to do after touring Kykuit:

Don’t rush back to Manhattan after your tour, because neighboring Tarrytown offers some terrific dining options along Main Street.  It has a charming small-town feel and quality lunch and dinner options in just a few short blocks.

Fans of Washington Irving’s “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” should head to nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  While you may not encounter any Headless Horsemen or ghosts by day, you can visit graves of famous “residents”, including Walter Chrysler, Andrew Carnegie, and of course, Washington Irving himself.

Getting to Kykuit:

Kykuit’s website provides great directions to the Rockefeller Estate if you’re driving.

If you plan to take the train, head to Grand Central Terminal on East 42^nd Street in Midtown, Manhattan.  Once inside, enter the Main Concourse with the Milky Way vaulted ceiling, and buy a round-trip ticket to Tarrytown.  You can just hail a taxi (there should be taxis waiting for arriving passengers when you exit, if not, call 914-631-TAXI) for the 5-minute ride to Philipsburg Manor, where the Kykuit tours depart from.

Enjoy your day trip!

And if you’d like to explore New York City before or after your visit to Kykuit, check out our fun and informative small-group NYC walking tours.

Planning your NYC visit?

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Written by: Max Vishnev, founder of CityRover Walks NY

Updated: January 19, 2018

This detailed guide on the 100 best coffee shops in New York City (by neighborhood) is all you’ll need to find a great cup of coffee when visiting Manhattan.

The main selection criteria for this list of great NYC coffee spots: Specialty coffee shops where a serious coffee drinker can get a proper espresso, cortado, flat white, or latte.

So whether you’re looking for a great cup of coffee near Central Park or the High Line, near Times Square or Wall Street, or while exploring beautiful neighborhoods like SoHo, Greenwhich Village, and the Upper West Side, this coffee guide will be your caffeine salvation.

Hi, I am Max, and I admit: I am a coffee addict.

Apparently, I am not the only one, because one question I get asked very often by NYC tourists I meet on CityRover walking tours is: “Hey Max, where can I get decent cup of coffee in New York?”

Usually, it’s a frustrated Aussie asking the question, after another Starbucks disappointment.  The good news is:

New York City is full of great espresso bars – you just have to know where to look. 

So fear not, dear Aussies (and other discerning coffee drinkers)!

Quick note:

This coffee guide is by no means exhaustive, since new coffee shops seem to be popping up like mushrooms after rain.  It is mostly limited to the lower half of Manhattan (from Downtown to the Upper East & West Sides).

I’ve grouped them by neighborhood and included a map for each.  The neighborhoods appear in the following order:

• Downtown/Financial District
• TriBeCa
• Lower East Side
• SoHo/NoHo
• Greenwich Village/West Village
• East Village/Alphabet City
• Flatiron/Gramercy
• Chelsea/Meatpacking District
• Midtown/Hell’s Kitchen
• Midtown East
• Upper West Side
• Upper East Side

Are you coming to New York for the first time?  Be sure to also check out some of our other detailed articles and free guides:

• Suggested 1-day NYC Itinerary
• Top 10 Places to Visit in New York City
• NYC Subway Tips, Tricks, and Etiquette — A Beginner’s Guide
• Best Pizza in Greenwich Village

Now, let’s finally get to the best coffee shops in New York City, by neighborhood:

Best Coffee Shops in the Financial District and Downtown Manhattan

Click Here to get this coffee guide as a free and printer-friendly PDF file in your inbox (with larger maps and helpful neighborhood info)!

Gregorys Coffee:

• 100 Wall Street
• 42 Broadway
• 80 Broad Street

FIKA:

• 66 Pearl Street
• 52 Duane Street

La Colombe:  67 Wall Street (west of Pearl Street)

Bluestone Lane:  30 Broad Street (enter at New Street and Exchange Place)

The Wooly Daily:  11 Barclay Street (just west of Broadway on the side of Woolworth Building)

• A great hole-in-the-wall espresso bar with quirky vintage decor 2 minutes from a bench in City Hall Park (on a nice day) and a 5-minute walk to the pedestrian ramp leading up to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Birch Coffee: 8 Spruce Street (enter from Beekman Street)

• An inviting cafe with great coffee options, some books to borrow, and a laid-back local vibe.  Minutes from a scenic walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

While you’re Downtown:

If you’ve gotten your caffeine fix and your American history fix and are looking for a bite to eat and a pint to drink, head to Stone Street – the first paved road in New Amsterdam.  It’s a little cobblestone street with no cars and long wooden communal tables flanked by bars and restaurants.

It might be hard to find, since it’s surrounded by skyscrapers, so use the map above as a reference (look for Ulysses’ Pub on the map, which is on Stone Street).

Or if you’re in the mood for a great NYC bagel, stop by Leo’s Bagels on Hanover Square, which is perpendicular to Stone Street.

Don’t have time to read this on your screen right now?  Click Here to get this coffee guide as a free and printer-friendly PDF file in your inbox (with larger maps and area attractions)!

Best Coffee Shops in TriBeCa

FIKA: 450 Washington Street

Kaffe 1668: 275 Greenwich Street

Kaffe 1668: 401 Greenwich Street

La Colombe:  319 Church Street (corner of Lispenard Street)

Neighborhood Background:

TriBeCa, which stands for “Triangle Below Canal” (street) is just north of the World Trade Center.  It is one of New York’s most expensive and trendiest neighborhoods, which still retains its industrial appearance thanks to its designation as a “Historic District” (indicated by brown street signs).  Of course, the brick lofts now house celebrities and hedge fund types instead of storing butter, cheese, eggs, and other wholesale food items.

You can stroll along TriBeCa’s cobblestone streets, have a fancy lunch or dinner at one of many high-end restaurants, or have a drink at one or more popular neighborhood bars.  If you want a drink or a bite at a lesser-known spot, check out a great “speakeasy” bar called Smith and Mills (see map).  And who knows, maybe you’ll bump into Robert De Niro or Taylor Swift…

Smith & Mills: 71 North Moore Street (between Hudson Street and Greenwich Street)

Or on a nice day, head west towards the Hudson River and walk along the beautiful Esplanade.  If you head south towards Battery Park City, the Irish Hunger Memorial is worth visiting.  It recreates an Irish hillside and pays tribute to more than a million people who perished of starvation in Ireland in the late 1840s and early 1850s as a result of the Potato Famine.  Many more escaped starvation and sailed to either New York or Boston.

Hudson Eats

If you continue walking south along the waterfront Esplanade, you will reach Brookfield Place (look for the dark glass atrium with some tables and chairs outside).  Head inside and up to the 2^nd level via the escalator.  There, you will find a popular modern food court called Hudson Eats with more than a dozen great local food vendors and plenty of seating with Hudson River views (as well as clean bathrooms).  A French food court on the first floor of the “Winter Garden” (look for palm trees) sit just below Hudson Eats and offers a wide variety of French-themed food options, from coffee to crepes to sandwiches to a wine bar.  It’s called Le District.

Best Coffee Shops on the Lower East Side 

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters:  88 Orchard Street

Café Grumpy:  13 Essex Street (between Canal and Hester St)

Two Hands Café:  164 Mott Street (between Grand Street and Broome Street)

Little Canal: 26 Canal Street (just off the F train stop at “East Broadway”)

Are you finding this guide helpful?

Click here to get this as a free and printer-friendly PDF file in your inbox and take it with you to NYC!

Neighborhood Background:

This section of Manhattan has been home to millions of immigrants over the last century and a half.  It was often the first stop (and sometimes the only stop) for poor immigrants coming to America for a better life, or at least the possibility of one.

In the mid-to-late 19^th century, it was home to huge communities of Irish and German immigrants.  By the late 19^th and early 20^th century, the demographics had shifted, as record numbers of immigrants sailed to New York from southern Italy, Russia, and other countries in southern, central, and eastern Europe.

Between 1882 and 1924, nearly 2 million Russian Jews settled on the Lower East Side alone!

Today, the abundance of luxury condos and boutique hotels, as well as trendy restaurants and bars, makes it hard to imagine what life must have been like for the countless immigrant families for whom this neighborhood was the first stop in America.

So after getting your caffeine fix at Irving Farm Roasters at 88 Orchard (corner of Orchard and Broome streets), head north along Orchard to visit the Tenement Museum.  You’ll get a rare glimpse into the lives of poor European immigrants living on Manhattan’s Lower East Side more than a century ago.

And while you’re on the Lower East Side, head to Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys on Grand and Essex streets if you want to try a traditional NYC bagel or bialy.

Best Coffee Shops in SoHo and NoHo

La Colombe:  75 Vandam Street (near Hudson Street)

La Colombe:  270 Lafayette Street (just north of Prince Street)

Everyman Espresso:  301 West Broadway (corner of Canal Street)

Gasoline Alley Coffee:  154 Grand Street (corner of Lafayette Street)

La Colombe:  400 Lafayette Street (corner of East 4^th Street)

Gasoline Alley Coffee:  325 Lafayette Street (between Bleecker and Houston Street)

Neighborhood Background:

SoHo is one of New York’s most popular and expensive neighborhoods, but it wasn’t always so.  It wasn’t until artists started to move into the area in the late 1960s and form artist cooperatives inside run-down old 19^th century loft buildings that the area made it onto people’s radars – particularly those looking to check out the new art scene Downtown.

The acronym “SoHo”, which stands for “South of Houston Street” (pronounced “HOW-ston” not “Hew-ston”) was coined by these same artists.  Little did they know that within a decade many of them would get priced out by escalating real estate prices, or that within a few decades “SoHo” would become a global lifestyle brand, as in “SoHo-style lofts” being marketing in China and other places around the world to the young well-to-do crowd.

Sidenote: “NoHo” or “North of Houston Street” was coined later as a way to capitalize on the popularity of “SoHo”.

SoHo is also one of New York’s most important historic districts, containing the largest concentration of cast-iron buildings in America.  The buildings were mostly built between the 1850s and 1880s for light manufacturing and storage.  But by the mid 20^th century, most of the companies had either gone out of business or moved out and the area was labeled a “commercial wasteland” by New York’s so-called “Master Builder”, Robert Moses.  Moses proposed tearing down most of the old cast-iron buildings in order to build a highway across Lower Manhattan (dubbed “LOMEX”).

A powerful local preservation movement halted the highway project, and by 1970, there was already a small but noticeable artist colony living in the newly named “SoHo”.

Today, while most of the artists may be gone and chain stores abound, you can still stroll the cobblestone streets and admire the beautifully restored facades of the 19^th century industrial loft buildings.

For particularly great examples of the cast-iron architecture, take a stroll down Greene and Mercer streets, between Canal street and Houston street.

And if you’re fully caffeinated, check out these two great SoHo establishments for a meal and a drink:

Fanelli Café: 94 Prince Street (corner of Mercer Street)

Fanelli is one of New York’s oldest pubs.  Check out the liquor licenses from the 1870s and 1880s in the back room.  Enjoy the old-world charm and good pub fare, as well beer, wine, and liquor in a bustling setting.

Antique Garage: 41 Mercer Street (between Grand Street and Broome Street)

This former mechanic shop was converted into a beautifully designed restaurant, with exposed brick walls, chandeliers, great Medditeranean food and wine, and occasional live jazz.  Antique Garage is an excellent choice for a glass of wine or a nice sit-down lunch/dinner.

Best Coffee Shops in Greenwich Village and West Village

Stumptown Coffee Roasters: 30 West 8^th Street (corner of MacDougal st)

Joe:  37 East 8^th Street (between University Place and Greene St)

Joe:  9 East 13^th Street (between 5^th Avenue and University Place)

Joe:  141 Waverly Place (corner of Gay Street)

Toby’s Estate Coffee:  44 Charles Street (corner of 7^th Avenue South)

Third Rail Coffee:  240 Sullivan Street (near West 3^rd Street)

Bluestone Lane:  55 Greenwich Avenue (corner of Perry Street)

Bluestone Lane:  30 Carmine Street (off Bleecker Street)

Birch Coffee:  56 7^th Avenue (between west 13^th and 14^th Street)

Neighborhood Background:

Greenwich Village needs no introduction.  It’s quaint old streets lined with matching red brick or brownstone rowhouses transport you to the 19^th century when it was one of New York’s first “suburbs”.  Today, Greenwich Village is one of NY’s largest historic districts (which means those beautiful brownstones are here to stay).

The “Village”, as we call it, has a couple of distinct sections.  Washington Square is the most prominent public space and arguably the “heart of the Village”.  It’s a bustling square full of NYU students, tourists, locals walking their dogs, and office workers catching some sun on their lunch break.  Oh, and let’s not forget the buskers – bluegrass, jazz, drums, street performers, a pianist, a sand-painter – and that’s just naming a few.

If you head south of Washington Square (also known as the “South Village”), you’ll find a variety of small bars, cafes, and restaurants.  MacDougal street is a very popular thoroughfare for eating, drinking, and live entertainment that lasts well into the wee hours.

Check out Comedy Cellar (one of the best, if not the best comedy club in NYC – call for reservations), Olive Tree Café above it, and Café Wha two doors down (Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix played here half a century ago).  Be prepared to rub elbows though, as both Comedy Cellar and Café Wha are popular basement clubs that get filled up quickly.

If you head west of Washington Square (and cross 6^th Avenue), you’ll find more restaurants, bars, and cafes.  Check out charming Cornelia Street for a terrific variety of local restaurants.  Cornelia Street is perpendicular to Bleecker Street, which features some of the best pizzerias in New York.

If you continue to head west (by crossing 7^th Avenue South), you will end up in the West Village, which has some of the oldest rowhouses in the area.  Here, you will really get a feel for what the Village must have been like in the 19^th century, before it was “absorbed” by the city in the early 20^th century.

By the way, TV fans can find the “Sex and the City brownstone” at 66 Perry Street, while fans of Friends can find the “Friends” apartment building on the corner of Bedford and Grove street (22 Grove St.).

Best Coffee Shops in the East Village and Alphabet City

Bluestone Lane Coffee:  51 Astor Place (between 3rd and 4th Avenue)

Third Rail Coffee:  159 Second Avenue (10th & Stuyvestant)

Ninth Street Espresso:  700 East 9^th Street (between Avenue C and D)

Ninth Street Espresso:  341 East 10^th Street (between Avenue A and B)

Everyman Espresso:  136 East 13^th Street (between 3^rd and 4^th Avenue)

Abraço Espresso:  86 East 7^th Street (west of 1^st Avenue)

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream: 48 East 7^th Street (east of 2^nd Avenue)

Van Leeuwen is first and foremost an awesome ice cream shop, but they do make great coffee too.  So after enjoying some cold deliciousness, you can follow up with a great shot of espresso.

Neighborhood Background:

The East Village was once part of the Lower East Side.  In the mid-to-late 19^th century, this area was home to one of the largest German-speaking communities outside of Germany or Austria.  It was called “Kleindeutschland”.  Remnants of “Little Germany” can still be found today.  Take a walk down 2^nd Avenue to check out two beautiful red-brick buildings off the corner of Saint Marks Place built in the 1880s as the German library and reading hall and the German medical clinic next door.

The German community largely dispersed after the tragic sinking of a steam boat called “General Slocum” in June of 1904.  It was carrying hundreds of German women and children for a day of fun in the sun.  A fire erupted on the boat, and it sank soon after, taking more than 1,000 lives.

As the surviving Germans moved out after this devastating event, Eastern European Jews began to fill the apartment buildings, as the Jewish Lower East Side extended north.  Yiddish theaters sprouted along 2^nd Avenue, and Yiddish began to replace German as the main language of what we call the East Village today.

In the mid-20^th century, the area attracted a large number of Ukrainian immigrants (as well as Polish immigrants).  That helps explain neighborhood staples like Veselka, which has been family-owned for 60 years.  If you’re looking for some hearty borscht or stuffed cabbage, look no further (Veselka is open 24/7, in case you get a borscht craving after midnight).

In the 70s and 80s, when New York City was going through financial woes and crime was high, the East Village, and especially Alphabet City to the east, was a seedy run-down area, with a big drug problem.  Today, boarded up store fronts have been replaced with trendy brunch spots, vegan juice bars, and expensive clothing stores.  And many run-down old tenements have been replaced with glass and steel luxury condos.

While the East Village and Alphabet City may lack the “grit” of the seedy old days, as some long-time New Yorkers may lament, it is a diverse, bustling, and safe area today.  You can explore the intertwined immigrant pasts, and eat and drink your way through a wide variety of popular local bars, cafes, and restaurants.

For a real trip back in time, be sure to stop by McSorley’s Old Ale House, New York’s oldest Irish pub (circa 1854).  Women were not allowed until 1970, and you will still find sawdust on the wooden floor.

Best Coffee Shops Near the Flatiron District and Gramercy

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Stumptown Coffee Roasters:  Ace Hotel at 18 West 29^th Street (off Broadway)

Gregorys Coffee:  327 Park Avenue South

FIKA: 303 Park Avenue South (just north of 23^rd Street)

FIKA: 407 Park Avenue South (at 28^th Street)

Toby’s Estate Coffee:  160 5^th Avenue (between 20^th and 21^st Street)

Birch Coffee:  21 East 27^th Street (just west of Madison Avenue)

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters:  71 Irving Place (between 18^th and 19^th Street)

Neighborhood Background:

The Flatiron District is centered around the iconic Flatiron Building on 23^rd street, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway.  Its distinctive triangular shape is the direct result of the triangular plot of land it was built on, which was, in turn, created by the “bowtie” formed by Broadway bisecting Fifth Avenue.

The Flatiron Building was originally called the Fuller Building (commissioned by the Fuller Company), but nobody called it that  (to the great chagrin of the company that paid for its construction).  When it opened in 1902, it quickly became known as the “Flatiron” Building, because if you looked at its “nose”, it looked like a giant flatiron people used to iron clothes with.

While it was never the tallest building in New York City, it remains one of our most iconic, due to its prominent location, triangular shape, and ornate exterior.

For a great photo opportunity, stand in the pedestrian island just north of the Flatiron Building, and if you look north, you’ll see the top half of the Empire State Building.

Just to the northeast of the Flatiron Building is Madison Square, one of New York’s most popular neighborhood parks.  This beautifully restored public space showcases outdoor art installations and is home to the original Shake Shack location (tasty burgers and milk shakes).

Foodies will also enjoy a visit to Eataly, an all-Italian market and food hall.  It is located directly northwest of the Flatiron Building at 200 Fifth Avenue.  Eataly boasts two espresso bars, multiple restaurants, a wine bar, and even a rooftop beer garden!

“NoMad” is a fairly new real estate acronym, which stands for “North of Madison Square”.  It’s an interesting combination of luxury apartments in new and converted old buildings, high-end boutique hotels, and cheap wholesale stores along Broadway.

Gramercy, a couple of blocks south and east of Madison Square and the Flatiron Building, is home to Manhattan’s only private park – Gramercy Park – created in the early 1830s.  To get into this beautifully manicured and fenced off park you need a key.  And to get a key, you need to be wealthy enough to live in one of the surrounding homes and to afford the associated fees.

That helps explain why Gramercy remains one of the most expensive neighborhoods in New York City.  It offers relative quiet, old-world charm, and exclusivity in one of New York’s most beautifully and best-preserved historic districts, while being minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan.

If you end up checking out Gramercy Park, be sure to drop by Pete’s Tavern (circa 1864), one of New York’s oldest pubs, for a pint of beer and a burger.

Best Coffee Shops in Chelsea and Meatpacking DistrictHi

Intelligentsia Coffee: Inside the High Line Hotel at 180 10^th Avenue (between 20^th and 21^st Street)

Gregorys:  874 Sixth Avenue (corner of 31^st)

Gregorys:  356 7^th Avenue (corner of 30^th st)

FIKA: 555 6^th Avenue (between 15^th and 16^th Street)

FIKA: 155 7^th Avenue (between 19^th and 20^th Street)

FIKA:  180 9^th Avenue (corner of 21^st Street)

Joe:  405 West 23^rd Street (just west of 9^th Avenue)  

Café Grumpy:  224 West 20^th (between 7^th and 8^th Avenue)

La Colombe:  601 West 27^th Street (corner of 11^th Avenue)

Blue Bottle Coffee:  450 West 15^th Street (just west of 10^th Avenue and the High Line)

Ninth Street Espresso:  75 9^th Avenue (between 15^th and 16^th Street, inside Chelsea Market)

Underline Coffee:  511 West 20^th (under the High Line just west of 10^th Avenue)

Terremoto Coffee:  328 West 15^th Street (between 8^th and 9^th Avenue)

Kava Café:  803 Washington Street (just south of High Line terminus at Gansevoort Street)

Neighborhood Background:

West Chelsea and the neighboring Meatpacking District (just south of Chelsea) share a predominantly food-related industrial past.  With dozens of piers built along the busy Hudson River waterfront, NY’s west side became lined with warehouses, factories, and tenements for workers and longshoremen.  Large-scale refrigeration in the early 20^th century also contributed to the growth of the wholesale meat industry.

Ships, docks, wagons, horses, freight trains, workers, sailors, and longshoremen all contributed to noise, crowding, traffic nightmares, and frequent injuries (sometimes fatal).  It got to the point that 10^th Avenue became known as “Death Avenue”.

By the 1960s, however, much of the shipping and industrial activity had disappeared, as bigger piers and more modern factories and warehouses were built in New Jersey.  New York’s west side now became the “Wild Wild West” with drugs and prostitution taking on leading roles.

Over the last decade, though, West Chelsea and the Meatpacking District have experienced rapid gentrification, with great adaptive re-use conversions like Chelsea Market and the High Line attracting millions of visitors each year.  Drug dealers and prostitutes have been replaced by fashionable tourists and diners, Google engineers, media executives, and multi-millionaire luxury condo buyers.

West Chelsea is also home to the greatest concentration of art galleries in NYC.

Best Coffee Shops in Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen

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Blue Bottle Coffee:  Inside Gotham West Market at 600 11^th Avenue (between 44^th and 45^th Street)

Gregorys Coffee:  520 8^th Avenue (between West 36^th and 37^th st)

Gregorys Coffee:  551 7^th Avenue (between West 39^th and 40^th st)

Gregorys Coffee:  58 West 44^th st (between 6^th and 5^th Avenue)

FIKA:  566 10^th Avenue (between West 41^st and 42^nd Street)

FIKA:  824 10^th Avenue (at West 55th Street)

FIKA: 114 West 41^st Street (between 6^th Avenue and Broadway)

FIKA: 41 West 58^th Street (between 6^th Avenue and 5^th Avenue)

• A great coffee stop before heading to Central Park

Café Grumpy:  200 West 39^th Street (and 7^th Avenue)

Blue Bottle Coffee:   54 West 40^th (south side of Bryant Park, between 5^th and 6^th Avenue)

Blue Bottle Coffee:   Rockefeller Center Dining Concourse (not far from bathroom facilities)

Kava Café:  470 West 42^nd (just east of 10^th Avenue)

Zibetto:  1221 6^th Avenue (between 48^th and 49^th Street)

Zibetto:  1385 6^th Avenue (and 56^th Street)

Bluestone Lane:  1114 6^th Avenue (inside Grace Plaza glass pavilion on West 43^rd Street)

Culture Espresso:  72 West 38^th Street (near 6^th Avenue)

Culture Espresso:  247 West 36^th Street (between 7^th and 8^th Avenue)

Neighborhood Background:

Midtown Manhattan is the commercial and tourism heart of New York City.  Millions of office workers emerge from subways, commuter trains, express buses, and ferries and hurry their way through the throng of other commuters to get to their desk on time.

Skyscrapers, theaters, a constant flow of yellow cabs, pedicabs, fast walkers (locals), slow walkers (tourists), ticket sellers, bums, Elmos, Mickeys.  People walking on a busy sidewalk while staring down at their phones.  Tourists stopping on the same busy sidewalk to take a photo.  No wonder some of us New Yorkers are often grouchy.  You would be too if you had to commute to Midtown for work Monday through Friday.

The good news is, if you’re just visiting and not commuting every day, this square mile is packed with famous NY sights, buildings, landmarks, things to do, and places to visit.  And while Starbucks is still on almost every other corner, great espresso bars have popped up in recent years, offering a nice alternative in Midtown for discerning coffee drinkers.

Places and landmarks to visit in Midtown:

• Times Square
• Rockefeller Center (and Top of the Rock)
• Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
• NY Public Library
• Bryant Park
• Empire State Building
• Museum of Modern Art

Words of advice from a New Yorker and tour guide:

Do not waste your time and money eating at Bubba Gump, Hard Rock Café, or Olive Garden in Times Square.  You didn’t come to New York City to eat at a chain restaurant probably available in your home town, but for triple the price.

If you’re hungry before or after a Broadway show, head west of Times Square to Hell’s Kitchen.

Hell’s Kitchen:

While the name of this neighborhood may be off-putting to some, you have nothing to fear.   The 19^th century Irish gangs are long gone, and the neighborhood (like most of NYC) has been gentrified.  The origins of the name are unclear and different explanations exist.

Here is the most popular version:

In the late 19^th century, this area was one of the poorest, filthiest, and most violent in New York City.  Murders, gang violence, and rioting was commonplace.  One day, a veteran police officer is watching a small riot on West 39^th street near 10^th avenue and his rookie partner says: “This place is hell itself!” To which his experienced partner replies: “Hell is a mild climate.  This is Hell’s Kitchen.”

Once you cross 8^th Avenue, you will notice that the landscape changes from skyscrapers to mostly 5-and-6-story tenements.  The farther west you go, the less touristy the places become (as you move away from Times Square and the theater district).

You’ll find lots of restaurants and bars along 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th Avenues, as well as the blocks between them (especially between 42^nd and 55^th street).  Check out Time Out NY’s guide to the best bars in Hell’s Kitchen and this Yelp page for highly-rated restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen.

And if you don’t mind going all the way to 11^th Avenue, check out the modern food court called Gotham West Market, which features a nice variety of great local purveyors, featuring foods from around the world.

Gotham West Market: 600 11^th Avenue (between 44^th and 45^th street)

Best Coffee Shops in Midtown East

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters: Grand Central Terminal Dining Concourse (lower level)

Joe:  Grand Central Terminal, Graybar Passage

Café Grumpy:  Grand Central Terminal, Lexington Avenue side (across from Chrysler Building)

Gregorys Coffee:  20 East 40^th st (between 5^th Avenue and Madison Avenue)

Gregorys Coffee:  12 East 46^th st (between 5^th Avenue and Madison Avenue)

Gregorys Coffee:  551 Madison Avenue (between 55^th and 56^th Street)

FIKA: 10 Park Avenue (between 34^th and 35^th Street)

FIKA: 380 Lexington Avenue (and 41^st Street)

FIKA: 600 Lexington Avenue (and 52^nd Street)

Ninth Street Espresso:  109 East 56^th Street (next to the Lombardy Hotel, between Park and Lexington Ave.)

Zibetto:  501 5^th Avenue (and 42^nd Street)

Bluestone Lane:  805 3^rd Avenue (between 49^th and 50^th Street)

Neighborhood Background:

This area went through a tremendous development phase a century ago after Grand Central Terminal was completed in 1913.  Luxury hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings were built around the Terminal earning the area the moniker “Terminal City”.

Today, Grand Central still holds center stage but is surrounded almost entirely by skyscrapers.  750,000 people visit the terminal each day.  This includes commuters from the suburbs, tourists, day-trippers, and office workers getting lunch or coffee in the lower-level Dining Concourse.

The iconic Art Deco Chrysler Building just east of Grand Central Terminal on Lexington Avenue and 42^nd street, and the UN Headquarters is a 15-min walk east to the edge of Manhattan.  They offer 1-hr guided tours on weekdays.

If you want to explore the area with an expert local guide on a private tour, check out our 3-hr walking tour of Grand Central, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, and more!

Best Coffee Shops on the Upper West Side

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters:  224 West 79^th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave)

• This popular coffee shop is a 10-15 minute walk from the Natural History Museum and Central Park

FIKA: 2211 Broadway (at West 78^th Street)

Joe:  514 Columbus Avenue (corner of 85^th Street)

Joe:  187 Columbus Avenue (between 68^th and 69th Street)

• Both of the above Joe Coffee locations are one block west of Central Park

Tarallucci e Vino:  475 Columbus Avenue (corner of West 83d Street)

• This popular Italian cafe and wine bar is just one block west of Central Park as well

Piccolo Café:  313 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 74^th and 75^th Street)

Birch Coffee:   750 Columbus Avenue (corner of 96^th Street)

Neighborhood Background:

West of Central Park and north of 59^th street lies the Upper West Side, home to Lincoln Center, the Museum of Natural History, the New-York Historical Society, and block after block of beautiful century-old rowhouses.  It’s also home to some of New York’s most exclusive pre-war luxury apartment buildings along Central Park West, including the famous Dakota Apartments.

This popular neighborhood is full of great restaurants, bars, and cafes, mostly along Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues (as well as some along Broadway).  So if you’re visiting Central Park or the Museum of Natural History, don’t rush back to Midtown.  Instead, head west and explore this beautiful historic neighborhood and all the great dining options it offers.  There is also no shortage of great coffee shops.

Check out these other popular local establishments:

Zabar’s:  2245 Broadway (between 80^th and 81^st)

Famous Upper West Side store and cafe (more than 80 years at this location!) serving all kinds of smoked fish, hundreds of cheeses, as well as pickles, olives, bread, coffee, rugelach, and fresh bagels.

Westside Rare Books:  2246 Broadway (across from Zabar’s)

Bibliophiles rejoice!  This is the opposite of a chain book store.  The second you step in, you the smell of old books hits you.  The small narrow shop is full of books on all subjects, and if you like browsing used book stores, you can spend an afternoon here.  With enough effort, you might find some rare out-of-print gems for $10!

Café Lalo:  201 West 83^rd street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue)

This retro-style café is a must for anyone who loves dessert.  The biggest problem is choosing one, since they have a head-spinning variety of cakes, pies, and tarts.  The café gained some fame after You’ve Got Mail came out (they filmed a scene here where Tom Hanks is supposed to meet Meg Ryan for the first time).

Barney Greengrass:  541 Amsterdam Avenue (between 86^th and 87^th street)

Another Upper West Side staple (circa 1908) specializing in NY deli sandwiches, smoked fish, and fresh bagels.  Stop by for a pastrami sandwich or a fresh bagel with lox and cream cheese.  This spot may be well known to locals but is not on most tourists’ radars.

You’re almost done with this neighborhood guide for great coffee in New York City.  Why not have it handy on your phone or as a print-out?

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Best Coffee Shops on the Upper East Side

Gregorys Coffee:  878 Lexington Avenue (between 65^th and 66^th Street)

Gregorys Coffee:  1273 First Avenue (between 68^th and 69^th Street)

This Gregorys location is very close to one of the best bagel shops in NYC — Bagel Works — which is on 1st Avenue between 66th and 67th street.

FIKA:  1331 Lexington Avenue (between East 88^th and 89^th Street)

Joe:  1045 Lexington Avenue (between 74^th and 75^th Street)

Bluestone Lane:  2 East 90^th Street (across from Central Park on 5^th Avenue, next to Church of Heavenly Rest)

• A great coffee option right near Central Park and the Guggenheim Museum

Birch Coffee:   134 ½ East 62^nd Street (between Lexington and 3^rd Avenue)

Neighborhood Background:

Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue – two famous Upper East Side thoroughfares – complete with Central Park West for status and exclusivity.

Fifth Avenue, facing Central Park, is also known as “Museum Mile”, since several great New York museums can be found here (nestled among super-luxury pre-war apartment buildings).

The flagship one, of course, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but other important institutions include the Frick Collection, Neue Galerie, Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum (see map).  Some of these museums are housed in “Gilded Age” mansions, like those of Andrew Carnegie (Cooper-Hewitt) and Henry Clay Frick (Frick Collection).  They are worth a visit just to see how these so-called “Robber Barons” lived.

Generally speaking, the farther east you go (east of Park Avenue), the more affordable the Upper East Side becomes.  You’ll find lots of restaurants and bars along 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues, many of which won’t break the bank.  There are also some new additions to the coffee scene, which finally provide an alternative to Starbucks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]