36 Hours
36 Hours in New York City
To state the obvious: You can’t see New York City in 36 hours. You could easily fill a couple of days eating your way down one street in Jackson Heights, Queens, or spend an entire weekend uncovering corners of Central Park. This guide is not designed to check landmarks off a list, but rather to offer visitors one slice of life in New York (minus the laundry schlepping and skyrocketing rent). Below you’ll find a subterranean piano bar, a hidden garden, market shopping against the backdrop of an unbeatable skyline and some big-picture and hyperlocal history to bring you a little closer to feeling the gestalt of the city.
Recommendations
- Museum of the City of New York is where you can pack in 400 years of history.
- Elizabeth Street Garden is a community garden full of flowery nooks and hidden benches to discover.
- Greenpoint Terminal Market has an array of vendors every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine.
- City Reliquary has thousands of New York relics that you can view for the price of a Williamsburg latte.
- Nicola Vassell Gallery is a new exhibition space dedicated to diverse perspectives.
- Jack Shainman Gallery is a contemporary art gallery on West 24th Street.
- Greene Naftali is a roomy gallery tucked beneath the High Line.
- Tompkins Square Park is a site with a long history of activism and perfect for a morning stroll.
- Nuyorican Poets Cafe is a Lower East Side center of poetry and performance with Puerto Rican roots and a bohemian spirit.
- Le Rock is a French brasserie in Rockefeller Center with a sleek Art Deco design.
- Ace’s Pizza offers Detroit-style slices to go in Midtown.
- Lodi, a favorite of The New York Times food critic, Pete Wells, is an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating.
- Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar is an 11-seater in Rockefeller Center.
- Pebble Bar is a sexy, low-lit Midtown cocktail bar where the chances of a celebrity sighting are high.
- Jimmy’s Corner is a Times Square dive bar that was opened in 1971 by a beloved former boxer and trainer.
- Frankel’s Delicatessen & Appetizing is where to get a riff on the bacon, egg and cheese in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
- Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop has delighted for decades with its cheap and cheerful treats and brightly uniformed staff.
- Bar Pitti, an Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, may be known for its lines and brash service, but the people-watching is superb.
- Malatesta Trattoria is a low-key, cash-only Italian affair in the Village.
- Marie’s Crisis Café is where to find Broadway-level talent for the price of a couple of beers.
- Golden Unicorn is a Chinatown stalwart in the rapidly shrinking neighborhood.
- Mei Lai Wah has delicious pork or steamed egg-yolk buns for a snack on-the-go.
- Big Night is a “shop for dinner, parties and dinner parties.”
- Dobbin St. Vintage Co-op sells preloved furniture from another era.
- 50 Norman is where you can discover a Japanese mini-market.
- McNally Jackson is where you can get lost among books.
- Goods for the Study is for stationery nerds everywhere.
- Abbode is your stop for quirky homewares and art prints.
- Nothing has quite as much old-school downtown appeal and luxury as The Bowery Hotel in the Lower East Side (rooms start at $405).
- For groups on a budget, Flatiron’s Freehand Hotel offers rooms for four in bunk beds! Sharing a quad room there can come out to less than $100 per person.
- Short-term rental options can be found throughout New York, though the city is cracking down on illegal Airbnbs as soaring rents squeeze out residents. If using this option, make sure your hosts are operating legally.
Itinerary
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