planning to visit new york city?
looking for free, cheap or fun things to do?
may i suggest the following...
day one
1. start with columbus circle. watch the skateboarders strut their stuff around the fountain. if you're feeling peckish get a $4 gyros from a street vendor and savour just how good that delicious mess is.
2. walk east along 59th and head down 6th avenue. nice photo ops at radio city music hall and rockefeller center.
3. keep on heading down to times square. spot queen latifah on your way outside the lateshow studios. werd.
4. head on through times square to bryant park, if it's fashion week stand and gawk at the impossibly thin models with their bulldog clipped skirts.
5. continue south down 5th avenue for lunch at shake shack in madison square park. no matter what you order make sure it comes with a chocolate shake, it will be the best darn thing you've tasted. if you can stomach it (i could), get a gelato from eataly on the corner of 5th and 23rd.
6. now it's on to washington square park (further down 5th avenue). lay in the sun and watch the kids play in the fountain while the nyu hipsters debate ginsberg and kerouac.
7. if you've still got anything left, keep walking south and wander through the shops and villages of soho, tribeca and little italy. get a big slice of new york style pizza for dinner
day two
1. use your metrocard to catch the subway to the jay street metrotech stop in brooklyn. head across the street to the tkts window. tkts sell half price tickets for same day broadway and off-broadway productions. there's a booth in times square but you'll be waiting at least two hours. hit up the brooklyn booth, for your $2.25 subway ride, it's worth it. it opens at 11am and we waited all of about 10 minutes.
2. with your broadway tickets in hand it's time to see brooklyn. walk down montague street for the trendy brooklyn shops or go a block over for the brownstones in their tree lined streets. wish as i did that you lived in brooklyn.
3. montague st leads to the brooklyn heights promenade which has a great view of lower manhattan and the lady herself, ms. liberty. walk along the promenade towards the brooklyn bridge.
4. just before you reach the bridge, get an icecream at the brooklyn icecream factory and thank your lucky stars you're doing so much walking.
5. walk across the brooklyn bridge and into the financial district.
6. your feet are threatening to fall off by now, so grab some lunch and rest a little.
7. visit wall st, the stock exchange and the ground zero memorial. in order to actually get into the ground zero memorial (while most of it is still under construction) you may need to register online. i'd google it all first.
8. from the financial district walk north along the hudson river until you're done sight seeing for the day. head home, clean up, grab dinner and go to your broadway show!
day three
1. it's time for central park. see it in style on a bike (the only way to travel). if you hire bikes online before you arrive it's cheaper. i'd hire bikes for between 2 - 3 hours.
2. once in central park and officially mobile on your bike visit the pond, the boathouse and fountain by the lake (you'll recognise it from a bazillion movies), the reservoir, the great lawn, the zoo, whatever floats your boat.
3. hide under a tree with other bike-laden tourists while it pours cats and dogs for twenty minutes, then resume your pleasant afternoon.
4. return your bikes and find lunch anywhere. you'll be starving. after which, head along to 5th avenue.
5. visit fao schwartz and wander down 5th avenue. peruse the fancy shops if that's your thing.
6. around here there's subway stations everywhere. get the subway to 34th st. from there walk west along 34th until you turn left at 10th. when you reach 30th st you've reached the highline
7. walk south all the way along the highline. don't rush, just enjoy it. the highline used to be a lifted freight train track. it has now been rejuvenated and repurposed as eight or so blocks of elevated parkway weaving through apartment and office blocks (think of me as this was maybe my favourite thing in nyc).
post script
i'm pregnant in these pictures,
not just fat.
things to do in new york city
things to do in new york city
things to do in new york city
