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Supertourists conquer Manhattan in 3 days
With a little street savvy and a lot of endurance, you can cover the big city's big attractions in a weekend
December 18, 1998Web posted at: 9:52 a.m. EST (1452 GMT)
From CNN Interactive Associate Editor Jenna Milly
Photos by Florent Cros
(CNN) -- New York City is enormous -- and that's an understatement -- but with a good guide, some determination and the ability to speed walk, I was sure I could hit the highlights in just one weekend. I enlisted help from a street savvy colleague and friend in CNN's New York bureau and embraced the challenge. In just 72 hours, we experienced major landmarks, celebrity haunts, Broadway lights, cheap eats, museums and even (a little) sleep. New York's famed grid layout is exactly what we needed to tromp all over this tourist mecca in three packed days.
Day 1: Lower Manhattan, Wall Street, Chinatown and TriBeCa
8:00 a.m.
Our first cultural experience in New York will be spent in transit, heading south via subway to Battery Park. Ferry tickets are sold on the waterfront for the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and even New Jersey (less frequented by tourists, as you might guess). Boats run every 30 to 45 minutes, allowing plenty of time on land to watch street performers, eat oversized pretzels and wear plastic spiked liberty glasses on your head.
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1:30 p.m.
Several picture-taking hours later, the ferry arrives back in Battery Park. Sniffing out the next leg of our tour requires a little help from the nose. Following fish aromas east takes us straight to South Street Seaport; green gusts from the north guide us directly to Wall Street. The more culturally savvy can zip farther north by subway to Chinatown and Little Italy. Cheap Rolexes, egg rolls and cannolies are all within walking distance.
6:00 p.m.
After a mid-afternoon walking tour, heading back east through the financial district allows us just enough time to catch the sunset from atop the World Trade Center. The towering twosome host a spectacular panoramic view of the Brooklyn Bridge, Midtown, Washington Square Park and Staten Island. Senior citizens and children ages 6-12 receive discounts for admission to the observation deck.
Related site: World Trade Center
7:30 p.m.
When the sun goes down, the nightlife begins. Catching a late dinner in TriBeCa (short for "TRIangle BElow CAnal Street") will fulfill our longings for celebrity-sighting as well as curb those touring hunger pains. Robert DeNiro, actor and pasta-twirling mogul, co-owns the star-frequented TriBeCa Grill, located in the Washington Market area of Greenwich Street. The surrounding neighborhood has a plenty of late night bars and clubs. Some choices include the champagne-serving Bubble Lounge and the swanky Odeon.
Related sites: The Odeon; TriBeCa Grill
Day 2: SoHo, Greenwich Village, Broadway and Times Square
10:00 a.m.
Sleeping late on the second day prepares us for a marathon walk around old New York. Soho (the neighborhood SOuth of HOuston Street) is famous for art galleries, chic shops and hip atmosphere. This brash mid-19th century neighborhood has us gawking at models and celebrities as they duck in and out of sushi cafes. Walking north on 6th Avenue leads us away from the factory buildings of SoHo and brings us directly into the west side of Greenwich Village. Plenty of local sandwich shops and Italian ice stands make stopping for a snack a must. One smart pick is Bennie's Burritos on Greenwich Avenue, which serves massive Mexican entrees and savory strawberry margaritas to boot.
Related site: Greenwich Village Gazette
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2:00 p.m.
Wandering east among the beatnik and bohemian leads us to the heart of Greenwich Village. East from Greenwich Avenue and south on West 8th Street lies a shoe shopper's haven. One entire city block is dedicated to selling stockpiles of leather -- and piercing possibilities gone awry. Landmarks are Balducci's, an Italian grocery shop bulging with olives and cheese, and student-infested Washington Square Park, site of a memorable scene in "When Harry Meet Sally."
4:30 p.m.
There are probably more lights in Times Square than there are hot dog stands in Manhattan, so don't expect a romantic sunset tonight -- too much competition from the electric on Broadway. Before we watch, we must eat. West 46th Street, dubbed "restaurant row," features the Hourglass Tavern. Eating by the sands of time is one way to arrive promptly at the shows. North on 9th Avenue from 46th Street is a Brazilian cafe, Rice and Beans, which serves authentic Brazilian cuisine.
Day 3: Midtown, Upper West Side, Central Park and the Empire State Building
10:00 a.m.
Day three takes us just south of Columbia University to the upper west side of Manhattan. At the corner of West 112th and Broadway stands a perfect New York diner with an unassuming name, Tom's Restaurant. This is same diner that Jerry and his friends frequented in "Seinfeld." Tom's is also the setting in Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner." For the full effect, we sipped coffee inside until noon to hear the cathedral bells ringing from nearby St. John the Divine, just as Vega describes in the song.
Related site: Vega Net
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12:30 p.m.
Breakfast, show business and religion all in less than two hours -- then we're jumping back on the subway headed south to the corner of West 72nd Street and Central Park West. Due north stands the luxury apartment building, The Dakota, movie setting for Roman Polanski's 1968 film, Rosemary's Baby. Ex-Beatle John Lennon was killed here (he had an apartment in the building) in 1980. In Central Park is Strawberry Fields, a 3-acre memorial dedicated to Lennon.
Related site: CentralPark.org
3:30 p.m.
Walking south through the park takes us to Columbus Square. Famed Carnegie Deli, diagonal from Carnegie Hall, serves mounds of fresh meat, pastramis and Reubens. Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, 5th Avenue, the Museum of Modern Art and the Chrysler Building are all within walking distance.
6:45 p.m.
Sunset watching is our forte. We are just in time to spend the twilight hour atop one of the most romantic places in the world, The Empire State Building. After a marvelous view of the metropolis, dinner in midtown offers choices like Korean barbecue from Woo Chon or Italian cuisine at Villa Berulia. After dinner, we embark on the last and probably most exhilarating leg of the tour, riding home in a New York City cab. Waiting thirty minutes after eating prepares us for what's ahead.
We make it to my friend's apartment with 13 minutes to spare before my shuttle to the airport is scheduled to arrive. I throw my clothes in my suitcase, hug my faithful guide and fly down the five flights of stairs to the sound of an impatient driver honking his horn. Sixteen hours of sleep and nine meals later, I had survived touring New York City and would have photographs to prove it....
Related sites: Empire State Building; Villa Berulia; Woo Chon
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