1 Day In Manhattan

[OhDannyBoy]

So in 3 weeks we will be taking our first trip to Manhattan for a wedding. We are staying right at Times Square.
We will be there Oct 4 - 8, but the majority of the time we are there will be focused around wedding stuff, not being tourists.
The final day we are there, October 8, we fly out at 7:30PM. That is really the only free day we are going to have to explore Manhattan. Figuring being at the airport 2 hours prior and travel at about 45 to an hour, we have until around 4PM to explore.

I know I am EXTREMELY limited on time and won't get to accomplish much, but I am open to suggestions.

 

[JaxDad]

You should definitely go to the top of either Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, or World Trade Center One just to soak up the scale of the city. We did Rockefeller Center a couple years ago. It had a good reservation system that cut down on wait times.

 

[Poohforyou]

You should definitely go to the top of either Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, or World Trace Center One just to soak up the scale of the city. We did Rockefeller Center a couple years ago. It had a good reservation system that cut down on wait times.

I recommend top of the rock at Rockefeller Center. You can then see the empire state building and lots of Manhattan plus surrounding boros.

From there you can walk around 5th Ave and check out some of the famous store, visit MOMA, Radio City, and even see a bit of central psrk.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

You should definitely go to the top of either Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, or World Trace Center One just to soak up the scale of the city. We did Rockefeller Center a couple years ago. It had a good reservation system that cut down on wait times.

Now that is an EXCELLENT suggestion!!

 

[Disneyluvr]

What great timing! I'll be in NYC for about a day and 1/2 on October 8th too! I'll be watching this thread for ideas.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Ground zero would be my suggestion personally.

 

[bcla]

Tour at UN Headquarters.

https://visit.un.org/content/tour-1

 

[mjkacmom]

We spent a few hours at the 9/11 memorial and museum, and then went up to the observatory, amazing views of all of the boroughs. You could explore the high line, grab a bite to eat at Chelsea market. Hopefully you will have a little wedding downtime to explore a bit on other days.

ETA from the WTC you can walk to the free Staten Island ferry and sail by the Statue of Liberty.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

What great timing! I'll be in NYC for about a day and 1/2 on October 8th too! I'll be watching this thread for ideas.

See you there then!! LOL

Great suggestions everybody!! Keep em coming!!

 

[Lilacs4Me]

DH and spent one day there once - pre 9/11. It was so fun. We walked down Broadway, went to the top of the Empire State Building (I wish we would have known the Top of the Rock trick before we went!), walked through Central Park and 5th ave, and sailed on the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty, then found a little italian place for dinner before we had to leave and continue on with the rest of our trip.

I'd love to go back and do more, but for one day, that was pretty awesome and took most of the day.

 

[dennis99ss]

9/11 then statute of liberty, maybe lunch at Fraunces tavern, just to say you have been there, especially if you are a revolutionary war or George Washington buff. That will cover the time you have. 9/11 should take a couple hours. Statute and Ellis Island takes 2-3 hours. Lunch. Then time to go to airport. If you are going out of EWR 2 hours advance is enough time. If you are going out of LGA, you may want to plan some extra time if there is weather or winds, etc in the area since LGA backs up with flights and people easily.

 

[bcla]

9/11 then statute of liberty, maybe lunch at Fraunces tavern, just to say you have been there, especially if you are a revolutionary war or George Washington buff. That will cover the time you have. 9/11 should take a couple hours. Statute and Ellis Island takes 2-3 hours. Lunch. Then time to go to airport. If you are going out of EWR 2 hours advance is enough time. If you are going out of LGA, you may want to plan some extra time if there is weather or winds, etc in the area since LGA backs up with flights and people easily.

I found that JFK was pretty good for public transportation, with the subway and LIRR links to Jamaica Station and then AirTrain.

 

[OhMari]

We spent a few hours at the 9/11 memorial and museum, and then went up to the observatory, amazing views of all of the boroughs. You could explore the high line, grab a bite to eat at Chelsea market. Hopefully you will have a little wedding downtime to explore a bit on other days.

ETA from the WTC you can walk to the free Staten Island ferry and sail by the Statue of Liberty.

Or, get on the Ferry boat that gos up and down the East River for the price of a subway ticket, 2.65. You can do a round trip ticket and see the whole East side view of Manhattan.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Or, get on the Ferry boat that gos up and down the East River for the price of a subway ticket, 2.65. You can do a round trip ticket and see the whole East side view of Manhattan.

Where do you get on this ferry? I’ve never heard of it but I’d like to do it next time I’m up there.

OP, do you have any Manhattan bucket list items? Personally I’d probably choose walking around Central Park and then walking through the city- go down 5th Ave, see Rockefeller Center.. or I’d explore The Met or the Museum of Natural History. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, the Roosevelt Island Tram has some great views and is the same fare as the subway/bus.

 

[bcla]

Where do you get on this ferry? I’ve never heard of it but I’d like to do it next time I’m up there.

I think it's this one:

https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/

Sounds like it's operated by Hornblower, but subsidized by NYC. But it's $2.75.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

You should definitely go to the top of either Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, or World Trade Center One

Since you're staying in Times Square I'd suggest starting with Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock). You would have a view of the Empire State Building from there. Next, visit the Empire State Building. One World Observatory is at the other end of the island. Go there after the other two, if you feel you have the time.

I also like the idea of the 9/11 memorial, One World Observatory, and the ferry to Statue of Liberty. You would probably have to skip Rockefeller Center and Empire State Building, though.

Central Park is another great place to visit. You could take a one or two hour pedicab tour.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

You guys are great. I appreciate all the suggestions!!

I'm not 100% sure what we are going to do yet, but the World Trade Center is happening one way or the other.

 

[mjkacmom]

You guys are great. I appreciate all the suggestions!!

I'm not 100% sure what we are going to do yet, but the World Trade Center is happening one way or the other.

Make sure to buy tickets in advance to avoid big lines (even 5 minutes in advance).

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Make sure to buy tickets in advance to avoid big lines (even 5 minutes in advance).

Oh for sure. We will sit down and itinerary this this out likely this weekend.

 

[iheartglaciers]

DH and spent one day there once - pre 9/11. It was so fun. We walked down Broadway, went to the top of the Empire State Building (I wish we would have known the Top of the Rock trick before we went!),

The current Top of the Rock wasn't open before 9/11! So you didn't miss out