What are New York’s top attractions? If you only had one weekend break in Manhattan, what would you see?
Start spreading the news…..a weekend is far too short to appreciate the Big Apple. At least make it a long weekend, if you can’t manage a week. Between jetlag and a transatlantic flight you may find that 48 hours have passed and you were barely conscious for any of them.
Still, if 48 hours is all you got, watcha gonna do? Make sure you don’t miss the following highlights:
1 – The Statue of Liberty
This green goddess will soak up most of your time. You need to catch a ferry to visit her on Liberty Island and then queue through security to climb her steps. To see her from the water, however, take a free ride on the commuter ferry to Staten Island. Â
2- The Empire State Building
New York’s tallest building and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Worth a look, then. More queues await in the art deco foyer but the views from the observatory are the best in the city.
3- Central Park
This bold green carpet stretches right through skyscrapers for over 4km. Stroll or drive around in the day to enjoy street performers and buy pretzels. Flee when the sun goes down, for safety’s sake.
4 – The Chrysler Building
The shiny silver outline of this art deco skyscraper makes it easy to spot from around the city. Robbed of its title as the World’s Tallest Building after only 11 months by the Empire State Building, today most visitors can only get as far as the foyer. That’s OK, though – the best view is of it from the Empire State Observatory.Â
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5 – Times Square
 Stand at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and let giant digital posters dazzle you.
6- Brooklyn Bridge
Once the longest suspension bridge in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge has now become a symbol of New York City. Visit at twilight to watch the lights blink on across Manhattan – but again, it’s probably not wise to hang around.
 Of course, there are more attractions in New York. But they may have to wait for another weekend.
Photo Credits: Time Square – mbshane, Empire State Building – meironke, Brooklyn Bridge – Martin St Amant on Wikipedia
What a great start to an itinerary…those are some of our good ones, but as a 4th generation lifelong NYer, I’d have to add:
Top of the Rock – even better than the Empire State Building, because then you get SEE the ESB! Plus, with such limited time, it keeps you in midtown in Rockefeller Center and near Broadway. There is little else near the ESB, except wonderful Koreatown to eat some delicious food.
Central Park is a must!
If you go to Chrysler, gotta head into Grand Central Station, maybe take their free tour.
What else? Head to Greenwich Village, SoHo, Nolita, Tribeca for the city’s best shopping and eating (nothing good near the Tourist attractions)
Download the free audio and printable tour from the The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting to check out downtown and all the film locations of Sex and the City, Law and Order, Ghostbusters, Twelve Angry Men, Wall Street, Spin City..and dozens of others.
Welcome to NYC – hope you have the time of your life!
Thanks Melissa,
That’s who I want to hear from…someone who has lived there all her life! Central Park will be the first place we go.
What a great start to an itinerary…those are some of our good ones, but as a 4th generation lifelong NYer, I’d have to add:
Top of the Rock – even better than the Empire State Building, because then you get SEE the ESB! Plus, with such limited time, it keeps you in midtown in Rockefeller Center and near Broadway. There is little else near the ESB, except wonderful Koreatown to eat some delicious food.
Central Park is a must!
Great suggestions. I agree that there is just SO much to do here that it’s hard to narrow it down.
Views that include the major sites are always a plus – like the Montparnasse Tower in Paris that INCLUDES the Eiffel Tower.
A Ghostbusters tour, though? I am intrigued. I’ll have to check it out next time…
Is it really worth going to New York for a weekend though? I know you can’t possibly see everything in a city and you can always go back but, say, I could stay for a week rather than a few days would it be worth it?
I’m with you, Sian. If you get the choice and you’ve made it across the Atlantic then stay for longer to get the most out of it.
It doesn’t always work out like that though (jobs usually being the culprit…!)