New York City holds a well-deserved spot as one of the most exciting cities to visit with its captivating array of tourist attractions, multicultural neighbourhoods, shopping and food scene to rival anywhere else. But is five days enough to explore the city?
With careful planning and a concise itinerary, the answer is ‘yes’! Melan Magazine’s Founder/Editor, Joy Joses, visited New York City, along with friends, to see just how much you can see and do, in just five days as a first-time visitor.
What are the must-see and do activities for a first-time visitor to New York City? Not to knock the trendy activities and niche events always on offer in the vibrant city, but to get a true flavour of the Big Apple as a first-time visitor, you can’t do better than adding the tried and tested headline tourist attractions and famous NYC landmarks to your itinerary.
Four fabulous days in New York City – the best things to do, see and eat!
After a lifetime of watching favourite TV shows and movies with New York as the backdrop, there was an enormous amount of trepidation and anxiety about whether my first-time visit would live up to the experience I’d built up in my head.
To mark a landmark birthday for myself, a bunch of my friends joined me on a short city break of five days and nights in New York City. A direct flight from London gets you to New York in about 8 hours.
While subsequent visits are already in the works to experience more of what New York has to offer, for a first time visit to the Big Apple, read on for the top activities and attractions to experience for your first time visit to New York City.
Top Tip: Buy a New York CityPASS ticket
A CityPASS will give you savings of up to 42% at 5 Top New York City Attractions* including the Empire State Building, the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and you can enjoy a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise as part of this, which includes the Statue of Liberty.
911 Memorial & Museum
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At the time of my visit, it was almost 24 years to the day since the 911 terrorist attacks. By far the most emotional day of my trip. This attraction was all about quiet, introspective reflection for me. The site of the Twin Towers now houses Memorial pools, which are inscribed with the names of nearly 3,000 people, every person who died in the attacks.
You’ll experience chills viewing the “Survivor’s Stairs”, an actual staircase within one of the towers which became a lifeline for hundreds of people who used it to escape with their lives. Particularly poignant is the memorial exhibition which displays the portrait and short description of every man, woman and child who was killed in the attacks as well as phone call recordings of victims saying goodbye to their loved ones.
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While factual information about the background of the attacks is included in the museum, the names and identities of those who carried out the attacks were merely a footnote. Be prepared to leave enough time to decompress and deal with the feelings that this attraction will uncover.
Where: 180 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007
Website: www.911memorial.org
Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
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Accessed via ferry, this two-for-one attraction gives you up close access to arguably the most famous New York landmark. While the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise mentioned further down, gives you great views of the 151-foot Lady Liberty, this attraction gives you unprecedented access. You can walk right up and stand in the shadow of the iconic green statue. A clear highlight was seeing Lady Liberty’s original torch.
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Fun fact: Did you know her original colour was a reddish-brown? Kind of like a new penny
The second half of this attraction sees you crossing, again by ferry, a short distance to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Here you will learn about how more than 12 million immigrants were processed there between 1892 and 1954. Learn about the profiles of men, women and children and some families who were ruthlessly split up as part of their first experience of the United States in the now quiet halls of the Ellis Island immigration building.
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Top Tip: Grab the free headsets available
Use the headsets to listen to the useful Audio Tour on each island.
Where (There are two access points): Battery Park, New York, NY 10004 and Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ 07305
Website: www.statuecitycruises.com
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
If you want to view more than 130 of the Big Apple’s landmarks in just 90 mins, then book the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise.
Sit back and get your camera ready for the most incredible selfies and photos of the New York City skyline.
In just 90 minutes you will cruise down the Hudson River with unique views of the iconic NYC vista. The tour guide will point out interesting facts as you sail down the river. As this was our final attraction, it was good to see most of the landmarks I had visited from this new vantage point, including passing by Ellis Island until we were just feet away from the Statue of Liberty.
Top Tip: upgrade to the premium ticket
The premier ticket offers a VIP experience with early boarding, premium cushioned seating, and a souvenir Circle Line NYC Guidebook valued at $15.
Where (we used the Pier 83 Midtown location): West 42nd St. and 12th Ave. New York, NY 10036
Website: www.circleline.com
Empire State Building Observatory
Voted Number 1 “Attraction in the World 2024” by Tripadvisor, a visit to this landmark includes entry to the Empire State Building’s 86th Floor Observatory and 2nd Floor Museum.
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Choose from either a morning or evening experience. Start off your visit with the immersive exhibition galleries on the 2nd Floor Museum. Leisurely walk through the exhibits which features displays on the building’s starring role in pop culture throughout the decades.
Quell any feelings of vertigo and ignore your ears popping as you speed through the high-speed lift to the 86th floor’s 360-degree open-air promenade. From here you can look down on one-of-a-kind views of Central Park, the Hudson and East rivers, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and much more from 1,050 feet in the air.
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Where: Empire State Building Observation Deck, 20 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10118
Website: www.esbnyc.com
Catch a Broadway Show
Seasoned New York visitors all had ‘catch a Broadway Show’ on their list of things to do, citing it as a quintessential New York activity.
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Broadway is right in the centre of the city’s cultural heart. An evening out to see a show with my besties was an event in itself. With elite productions like Wicked and The Lion King on offer, we chose to see Hell’s Kitchen. Hell’s Kitchen is the Broadway hit musical from music superstar Alicia Keys – inspired by her life, her music, and her community.
By a stroke of luck, THE Alicia Keys made a surprise (and unprecedented) appearance at the end of the show and delivered a powerful mini-super set of some of her greatest hits with some of the cast. Truly a night to remember.
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PS – Alicia Keys’ appearance is not guaranteed!!!
Where: Broadway is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, centred around Times Square, running diagonally through the city.
Visit Central Park
It almost goes without saying, but we’re saying it. A visit to Central Park is a must-do for your first visit. The iconic park, right at the centre of the Big Apple is 693 acres of man-made gardens, meadows, forests, and rolling hillsides.
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Top Tip: Get a Citi Bike
Riding around on a bike allows you to cover a lot of ground in the park and is great fun.
Free to access, you can easily spend a whole day at Central Park and wonder where the time went. Plan a picnic, take a horse carriage ride or visit the Central Park Zoo, there’s so much to do.
Where: Manhattan, New York, NY
Website: www.centralparknyc.org
Final thoughts…
Relaxation and chill time were not on the agenda for this, my first-time visit to New York. That’s not what this city break was about. It was however, undoubtedly one of the best trips I’ve ever experienced. Packed to the brim with an itinerary of the best attractions that NYC has to offer, great company with the best group of friends and loads of fun. The trip fed my soul, and I can’t wait to come back to the Big Apple.
Special thanks to NYC Tourism and CityPASS for providing complimentary CityPASS tickets.
*Admission to 5 NYC attractions – includes:
- Empire State Building Observatory
- American Museum of Natural History
Plus choose 3 of the below attractions…
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Intrepid Museum
- Guggenheim Museum
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