If you only have one day to spend in New York City, what would you do?
I would start 7am breakfast at Murray's Bagels then head to Times Square to get free visitor's pass and discount cards. Then take any sightseeing loop tour (hoop on/hoop off) bus like Grayline, Circle Tour, etc. I will ride all the way to Lower Manhattan. Do the 9/11 World Trade Center site and Wall Street. Don't pay money or wait in line for the 9/11 Museum. Just go to the area to see the pools of water where the buildings once stood.
Then go to the very tip/bottom of Manhattan near Battery Park for the Staten Island ferry which passes by the Statue of Liberty. Don't pay money to wait in a long line to go over to see the statue. As others said, take a ride on the (free) Staten Island Ferry from the bottom of Manhattan near Battery Park. The ferry will pass close enough to the statue that you can take a photo. The ferry ride is 30 minutes each direction, so the ride will take one hour.
After all that, hoop on the loop bus to north and get off at Herald Square/34th Street to see the Empire State building, Macy's and KoreaTown. Empire State bldg is obviously 'iconic' and very famous. However, very long lines/very long wait to see the top. I recommend you go to see the outside of the bldg only, and inside the lobby to take photos. But don't go to the top.
As others said, Top of the Rock, (or the top of Rockefeller Center) has shorter lines and in addition, you can see the Empire State bldg FROM Top of the Rock. You obviously can't see the Empire State bldg if you are inside it. ;-) So in some ways you get a better view (i.e., of the Empire State bldg) from inside Top of the Rock.
Then return to the loop line and travel 'Uptown' or North to Grand Central the oldest terminal in America then to Rockefeller Center 47th St to go to the Top of the Rock observatory inside Rockefeller Center.
After that, eat some pizza for lunch and walk towards the 5th avenue Philippine Center, St Patrick Cathedral and to the bottom of Central Park, which begins at 59th Street or Apple Glass Cube store and take some pictures. Walk right at the corner entrance of Central Park to the The Pond, The Mall & Literacy walk to the Bethesda Terrace . Here is the link to some sites to see in the park
Central Park Attractions.
Around 6pm start walking south along Broadway towards Times Square. You may want to stop by MOMA Museum of Moving Arts.
Times Square...obviously a symbol of NYC. I recommend you go at night to see the lights and take some pictures. There is really nothing much to see in Times Square and it is very crowded with tourists. But I understand if you have never been there, it is good to take a photo so you can say you have been there. Regarding
Madam Tussauds, you can see wax figures anywhere in the world, so I do not recommend you waste your time there.
That should be enough to fill your day along with walking and stopping to eat....
For dinner, you can check
Yelp for some restaurant recommendations around Times Square district. I would definitely try checking
Bubba Gump,
Ippudo Ramen,
Carmine’s,
Shake Shack (#1 burger in NYC),
Gallaghers Steakhouse or
Mastro’s Steakhouse,
Junior’s Restaurant for dessert,
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, for happy hour try
Sake Bar Hagi,
Beer Culture,
Beer Authority,
The New York Beer Company or
The House of Brews.
I think that's about it! You've made your one day stop-over trip in New York. Have a safe trip to your next destination. You can follow me or maybe ask me some questions about your visit to New York or your other travel plans at my
Tripadvisor or
Twitter/robertbacaycay. Bon voyage kabayan!!!!
