New York in 3 Days: An Itinerary That Actually Fits

Nearest station: 34th St-Herald Sq (B/D/F/M, N/Q/R/W)

Go up first thing, when the queues are shortest and the light is still good to the south. The 86th floor open-air deck is the classic; the 102nd adds height behind glass for nearly double the price and is skippable on a clear day. Book a timed ticket ahead, because the walk-up queue is the worst way to spend a New York morning.

The catch: Sunset slots cost more and sell out first. Morning is cheaper and calmer for near-identical views.

Nearest station: 5th Av (7) or 42nd St-Bryant Pk (B/D/F/M)

Ten minutes north on Fifth. The library's Rose Main Reading Room is free and worth the detour on its own, and Bryant Park is the best coffee stop in Midtown. This is the breather before the afternoon; take it.

Nearest station: 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr (B/D/F/M)

Walk the ten blocks north past St Patrick's Cathedral. If you want a second observation deck this trip, Top of the Rock here is the one with the Empire State actually in the view; its pricing is dynamic, roughly $45 to $60 depending on the slot. Doing both decks in one day is more repetition than revelation, so pick one and spend the difference on dinner.

The catch: One deck is a highlight, two is a queue habit. Choose by which skyline you want in the photo.

Nearest station: 5th Av/59th St (N/R/W)

Enter at Grand Army Plaza by the Plaza Hotel and loop the Pond, the Mall, Bethesda Terrace and Bow Bridge. This southern circuit is about an hour and a half at a stroll and carries most of the park's postcards. Rowboats at the Loeb Boathouse in season if the legs still work.

The catch: The horse carriages at the gate are the tourist tax of the block. A walk shows you more for nothing.

Nearest station: South Ferry (1) or Bowling Green (4/5)

Take the first sailings from the Battery if you can. The standard ferry ticket includes Liberty Island, the statue museum, Ellis Island's immigration museum and the audio guide, and the round trip with both islands is comfortably half a day. Pedestal and crown access cost little extra but sell out weeks ahead, the crown especially.

The catch: Security at the Battery runs airport-style and the queue eats the morning if you book a midday boat. Go early.

Nearest station: WTC Cortlandt (1), Fulton St (A/C, 2/3, 4/5)

The memorial pools are free and open to all; the museum underneath needs a timed ticket and asks for about two hours. It is heavy and it is superbly done, and it is the reason this afternoon has nothing else scheduled tightly behind it.

The catch: It is emotionally demanding. Do not stack it against a fixed dinner reservation.

Nearest station: Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall (4/5/6) to start; High St (A/C) back

Walk it from the Manhattan side towards Brooklyn in the late afternoon, when the sun is behind the skyline. The wooden walkway is 1.8 km; DUMBO's waterfront at the far end is the best photo of Manhattan there is, and dinner in Brooklyn Heights or DUMBO ends the day without recrossing.

The catch: The walkway is genuinely crowded until early evening. If you want it quiet, this walk is a sunrise, not a sunset.

Nearest station: 14th St (A/C/E), 8th Av (L)

Start at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District and walk the elevated park north through Chelsea. It is 2.3 km of gardens, art and framed city views on a disused rail viaduct, and it delivers you directly into Hudson Yards. Go before eleven; by noon it is a queue in the sky.

Nearest station: 34th St-Hudson Yards (7)

The High Line ends at the Vessel and the shops of Hudson Yards. It is a look-and-lunch stop, not a half day: see the Vessel, eat, and take the 7 train onward rather than lingering in a mall you could visit anywhere.

Nearest station: 86th St (4/5/6) for the Met; 5th Av/53rd St (E/M) for MoMA

One museum, done properly, beats two done at a jog. The Met on Fifth at 82nd is the encyclopaedic one and pairs with a Central Park walk; MoMA on 53rd is the modern one and sits closer to the theatres for the evening. Both ask for about three focused hours.

The catch: Trying to do both in one afternoon is the classic day-three mistake. You will remember neither.

Nearest station: Times Sq-42nd St (many lines)

End on a show. Book ahead for the title you actually want; same-day discounts exist at the TKTS booth under the red steps in Times Square, typically for the shows with spare seats rather than the hits. Curtain is usually 19:00 or 20:00, and Times Square after the show, lit and emptying, is the version worth seeing.

The catch: TKTS is a discount on what is left, not on what is hot. If one specific show is the point, pay ahead.