3 Days in New York City – How to Maximize your Time in Manhattan

I love the hustle and bustle of New York City; the city is alive in a way no other city in America is.  However, I prefer visiting NYC in a few days instead of a week-long extravaganza.  Follow my itinerary for a fun-filled, action-packed 3 days in New York City.

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Accommodations

There is no bad area to stay in Manhattan.  The island is small, and you can get where you need to go quickly with the subway system.  However, for these short trips I prefer staying near Times Square.  I like walking to my hotel every night through the bright lights of Times Square. The Paramount Hotel Times Square is where we stayed on this trip and is located on 46th street near Broadway.

Tours and Passes

There are two passes I recommend you purchase to save both time and money.  With only 3 days in New York City, get a 3-day New York City Pass, pay a flat fee and gain access to most of the primary sights to see.  The second pass is the 2-day Big Bus Tour that comes with a special night tour opportunity. This double decker bus offers hop on/hop off services with multiple stops throughout the city at the main sightseeing spots.  An entertaining live guide narrates fascinating facts and stories about New York City. 

DAY 1 – New York City

Empire State Building

We boarded the first Big Bus departure of the day at the Time Square location listening to the live guide tell facts about NYC as we drove by Macy’s, Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden.  We exited the bus for the first time at the Empire State Building.  This art deco inspired building offers 360-degree views of the city from its main observation deck on the 86th floor. Here we used our New York City Pass and spent about an hour gazing at the panoramic views of the city and reading the displays about its history and construction. 

Deciding to stretch our legs, we walked the ½-mile jaunt to the Flatiron building taking in the bustling crowds on the streets.  We caught the Big Bus and observed highlights such as Union Square, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, and Little Italy until we reached the World Trade Center stop.

9/11 Memorial and Museum

The 9/11 Memorial hosts two reflecting pools at the site of the twin towers with the names of every victim etched into the stone and man-made waterfalls cascade down the sides.   The 9/11 Memorial Museum displays artifacts from the terror attacks as well as pays tribute to the fallen victims.

Wall Street & the Financial District

From Ground Zero, we headed down Wall Street and passed the New York Stock Exchange to the Charging Bull statue.  We were fortunate enough to be in NYC when the Fearless Girl statue stood across from the Charging Bull in defiance.  Since then, the girl has been moved to another location.

Finishing the Downtown Loop

After grabbing a quick bite, we hopped back on the bus at the Battery Park stop and rode to the United Nations stop where we walked past the Chrysler building and into the Grand Central Terminal admiring its distinctive architecture and interior design.  Continuing our walk down 5^th Avenue window shopping at the high-priced luxury stores, we soon arrived at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is my favorite building in NYC.  Construction of this neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church was completed in New York City in 1879.  The inside of the cathedral is magnificent with high-ceiling arches, stained glass windows, and two giant pipe organs.

Across the intersection is Rockefeller Center where we meandered around taking in all that the area had to offer before hopping on the Big Bus and finishing our tour of the Downtown loop.  We spent the rest of the evening shopping in the Times Square area before having dinner and margaritas at a cantina on the square. 

DAY 2 – New York City

United Nations Headquarters

The plan for today was to take the Harlem Loop Big Bus Tour, but before we caught the bus, we walked to the United Nations Headquarters building.  After going through security, we wondered around the grounds before heading inside.  We shopped in the gift shop that displayed goods from all United Nations countries. Next, we mailed postcards from the U.N. post office.

Museum of Modern Art

On the walk to the Big Bus Tour, we stopped into the Museum of Modern Art. Then, we quickly toured exhibits of famous masterpieces that even I recognized such as Monet’s Water Lilies and Van Gogh’s The Starry Night.

American Museum of Natural History

From here we walked to Central Park and entered on the east side strolling just inside the park walls to the southwest exit where we caught the Big Bus Tour.  Next, we hopped off at the first stop, the American Museum of Natural History. We spent 3 hours exploring the exhibits with the highlight being the Dinosaurs on Display. You should try to spend some of the time during your 3 days in New York at a museum even if you choose different museums than we chose.

Big Bus Night Tour

We boarded the tour bus and finished the Harlem loop passing sights such as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Columbia University, the Apollo Theatre, and Harlem while listening to the entertaining, yet information live guide.  Our Harlem loop tour ended just in time to grab an early dinner before boarding the Big Bus Night Tour, which starts at Times Square and travels south across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn Heights before returning to Time Square.

DAY 3 – New York City

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

We began our last of 3 days in New York under the city catching a subway to Battery Park where we arrived in the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island queue an hour before it opened.  I know you are thinking this is way too early, but it will save you loads of time if you get on the first ferry of the day.  As the ferry sails away from Manhattan, go to the back of the boat for picturesque panoramic views of the city skyline.  When the ferry approaches the Statue of Liberty (the first stop), be sure to take pictures of the monument. This is the best view of the statue you will get.  PRO TIP: When the boat docks at the Statue of Liberty, DO NOT get off the boat.  You have already seen the best views of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline from the ferry.

The ferry will then stop at Ellis Island. You will have the island all to yourself because most everyone else is at the Statue of Liberty.  Here you will explore the Immigration Building with a recorded guided tour. It takes you from room to room explaining the process the immigrants had to endure to enter our country. 

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

After catching the ferry back to the city, we grabbed a bite to eat for lunch. We changed clothes before heading to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon!  We had to arrive by 3pm and taping ended at 6pm.  The guests for this show were Justin Timberlake, Billy Crystal, and Derek Hough!  This experience was so amazing. I highly recommend you participate as the studio audience in a live taping if you can.  You will need to request tickets before coming to New York City; check with each show because their request deadlines vary.  If you are not lucky enough to be selected for a taping, I suggest you see a Broadway show this evening.  I have seen several in New York and have never been disappointed.

We ended our 3 days in New York City whirlwind of a trip with a visit to the Top of the Rock at night. The view of the congested city buildings lit up at night is mesmerizing, It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the Big Apple.

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