5 Days in New York City: The Full Experience

Day 1 — Iconic Manhattan

Morning: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry (book ahead)

Midday: Wall Street, Charging Bull, and 9/11 Memorial

Afternoon: Brooklyn Bridge walk (Manhattan to Brooklyn, 30 min)

Evening: DUMBO, Brooklyn for Manhattan skyline photos at sunset; dinner in Brooklyn Heights

Morning: Empire State Building (book sunrise slot for best views)

Midday: Times Square, then escape into the Theater District

Afternoon: High Line elevated park from Meatpacking to 34th Street

Evening: Broadway show (TKTS booth in Times Square for same-day discounts)

Morning: Central Park — Bethesda Fountain, The Ramble, Strawberry Fields

Midday: Metropolitan Museum of Art (pay-what-you-wish for NYC residents; fixed for others)

Afternoon: Museum Mile walk: Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt

Evening: Upper West Side dinner, then jazz in Greenwich Village

Morning: Chelsea Market and the Meatpacking District

Midday: Whitney Museum of American Art

Afternoon: Williamsburg, Brooklyn — vintage shops, food scene, Manhattan views

Evening: Smorgasburg food market (weekends) or Roberta's pizza in Bushwick

Morning: Harlem gospel tour (Sunday) or Apollo Theater history walk

Midday: Best soul food in the country on Lenox Avenue

Afternoon: Bronx Zoo or New York Botanical Garden

Evening: Rooftop bar in Lower East Side for a final city panorama