A weekend in New York City

If there’s a finer introduction to NYC than plonking yourself on a bench in Central Park and sipping your cup of morning joe as the weekend joggers and dog-walkers go by, we’ve yet to find it. In short: Saturday morning in Central Park is pure, undiluted New York at its best. First up: fortify yourself with a classic lox bagel from Midtown grab-and-go joints like Liberty Bagels or Broad Nosh Bagels, chewing on your quarry like a true New Yorker as you make your first foray into the park’s southern end.

There’s plenty to entertain you in the vast acreage that lies below 65th Street: snatch a selfie at the charming ornamental Gapstow Bridge, soak up sweeping skyline views from Umpire Rock, maybe even take a ride on the whimsical old-school carousel or say hey to the cute resident critters at Central Park Zoo.

If you want to explore further – i.e. Central Park classics like Bethesda Terrace, Strawberry Fields and the boating lake – we’d highly recommend this guided cycling tour: it checks off plenty of the park’s best bits, it prevents you from getting hopelessly lost, and its bite-sized two-hour duration frees you up for a full afternoon of Midtown discovery.

Alternative Saturday morning options: Can’t stand stunning scenery, leafy walkways and fresh air? Try getting to grips with other key areas of New York instead. We’d recommend the Big Bus sightseeing tour or more intimate and in-depth guided walks of the likes of Wall Street and Chinatown.

Breakfast ideas: If you prefer a sit-down breakfast to our proposed takeout bagels, try the pancakes and waffles at Andrews NYC Diner in Midtown, or grab a breakfast bowl and pastries at one of Central Park’s Le Pain Quotidien branches – at Mineral Springs and Conservatory Water.

Discover even more things you can do in Central Park here.

From the relative calm of Central Park to the absolute mayhem of Times Square. This is New York at its most cartoonish, all massive digital billboards, flashing neon signs, and phalanxes of classic yellow NYC cabs, all honking their horns to be heard above the general hubbub. Sure, it’s tourist central and a bit of a sensory overload, but it’s a truth universally acknowledged that no weekend in New York would truly be complete without experiencing the Times Square madness at least once.

Now, having secured those essential selfies with Spidey and Mickey (for a fee, natch), filled your pockets with candy at M&Ms World and grabbed lunch from one of the ubiquitous hot dog carts, it’s time for a museum. You can go high or low culture here with nearby options that run the gamut from 20th-century art masterpieces to wax models of Donald Trump. We’re talking the mighty Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) with its staggering collection of landmark 20th-century masterpieces, among them Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Dali’s Persistence of Memory and Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans. And Madame Tussauds New York, where you can snag selfies with Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Mariah, The Rock, the Hulk and Pennywise the clown, to name just a few. 

Alternative Saturday afternoon museums: Take a deep dive into NYC’s contributions to pop culture (and a thrilling simulated ride over Manhattan’s rooftops) at RiseNY and come over all Elphaba at the Museum of Broadway.

Lunch ideas: Upland on Park Avenue brings the casual brasserie vibes and one of the best cheeseburgers in New York. Or try Cote Flatiron’s Korean-spiced steaks and stews.

You’re already in the area, so, heck, why not? Broadway is, after all, the world’s most revered theater district – a place where dreams are made (and dashed), where future Hollywood stars cut their teeth and those who already hit the big time return to tread the boards in front of adoring crowds in packed-out theaters. Broadway shows run the gamut from hard-hitting drama to lighthearted plays and – of course – all-singing, all-dancing globe-straddling musicals like Wicked, Hamilton, Chicago and The Lion King. If the bright lights of Times Square don’t make you giddy, the CO2 required to belt out Defying Gravity at the top of your lungs surely will.

Dinner ideas: Get down and dirty with easy Times Square favorites. Los Tacos No.1 or Joe’s Pizza are sure to hit the spot.

Naturally, no trip to New York would be truly complete without getting up close and personal with the Statue of Liberty. Hop the morning ferry out to Liberty and Ellis Islands and get a close-up look at the planet’s most famous statue, Lady Liberty.

Alternative Sunday morning options: If you don’t feel the need to get quite that close to Lady Liberty, you can also get a pretty good view of her from the dizzy heights of One World Observatory, New York’s highest viewing platform. Make time to visit the neighboring 9/11 Museum and Memorial too, for insights into the events of September 11, 2001, and moving tributes to all those who lost their lives that day.

Breakfast ideas: Tried and tested brunch and breakfast spots close to the ferry departure point in Battery Park include George’s and Hutch & Waldo. Or grab a quick breakfast sandwich and cup of morning joe on the hop at DJ’s Food Truck on Stone Street.

Lunch at Chelsea Market is pretty much a New York rite of passage. This converted former biscuit factory, home of the original Oreo cookie, is now a thriving foodie paradise, chock-full of excellent bakeries, brunch spots, food carts and more. Arrive hungry and expect to have to loosen your belt a little as you eat your way around the place, sampling pungent cheeses at Saxelbury Cheesemongers, jerk chicken ‘n’ rum at Big Tings, fresher than fresh lobster rolls at Lobster Place and decadently gooey brownies from Fat Witch. And that’s just for starters.

Work it all off with a walk up the High Line to Hudson Yards. Another successful NYC conversion project, the High Line used to be a rail track and has been transformed into an elevated urban greenway, full of grassy lawns, wildflowers and public art installations. Take in ever-changing Midtown and Hudson views along its roughly 1.5-mile length, before arriving at Hudson Yards, where the wild honeycomb of staircases and viewing platforms that is Vessel promises more great views.

Alternative Sunday afternoon options: It would be remiss to go all the way to New York and not meander across the mighty Brooklyn Bridge and down into the hipster enclave of DUMBO. Well, here’s your chance.

Lunch ideas: Chelsea Market.

You’ll want to end your New York weekend on a high (see what we did there?), and there are few better ways to achieve this than 850 feet above the streets of Midtown at the Top of the Rock. Step out onto the open-air deck on the 70th floor and – once you’ve steadied your legs – soak up widescreen wraparound views of the New York skyline and beyond. Top of the Rock has an intimacy that some of the other big NYC viewing platforms lack, nestled as it is among Manhattan’s rooftops, rather than soaring way above them. And, not only does it boast some of the best Empire State Building views in town, but you’ll also get a good look at Central Park’s lush green sweep (assuming you’re there before dark), plus the Chrysler, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, George Washington Bridge and more. Look straight down for a peep at the rooftop garden on Radio City Music Hall and be sure to stick around after sunset for the quite magical experience of seeing the city light up all around you. 

Check out our complete guide to visiting Top of the Rock here.

Alternative Sunday evening options: Opt for the Empire State Building instead. The views don’t differ all that much, although of course you won’t be able to see the Empire State Building itself (because you’re in it, silly).

Dinner ideas: Shimmy down to SoHo for something a bit special: steak, oysters and champagne at celeb favorite Balthazar or follow your nose to umami dumplings and noodle dishes in bustling Chinatown.