We love New York City and Manhattan more specifically.  It is wondrous as a city.  We’ve been five times together since 2012 and no two days have been the same.  For the adventurous city dweller, this is heaven on earth.

About this guide

When we travelled to New York in 2012 it was my fourth visit.  Having been there as a kid with Mum and Dad in 1990, on my own in 2004, and then with my mate Trav in 2010, I had a good idea of what was a must for Catherine to see.  Not being much of a tour-tourist myself, some of these things I had not done since when I was a kid (Statue of Liberty), or had never got around to doing at all (Peak of the Empire State).

In reality, ever since that 2012 trip, Catherine and I go to New York to eat and drink.  There’s usually some performances we see whether it is Broadway, a concert, or in between, but ultimately we walk and eat.

I’ve written this guide to consolidate all of my trips, especially the more recent ones (note – 2022 was the last trip).  It is split between eating and drinking, and not eating and drinking.  It is long so I’ve put together an online map below (note – 2022 recommendations are in green).  There is no such thing as a “must do” in New York as a list of these would take longer than most people have time in this incredible city.  No traveller should waste a moment in this city.  Catherine and I will go that extra kilometre to get the better ice cream, or the better burger.  We will wake up at midnight to get that booking.  We will do the research to skip the line and save an hour.

I can honestly say that we have spent over 30 hours doing our research for trips that are sometimes only 6 days long.  This guide is the product of that research and our experiences.  I pass it on because others don’t have the time or inclination to do the same.  I hope it helps having an incredible time in an incredible city that little bit better. Enjoy!

Map – click here for a map of the places on the guide

A few important things to do even if you read no further

1. Stay where the locals live.  Don’t stay in midtown (if possible).  Smaller hotels in SoHo and Chelsea are great because they are close to Greenwich/West Village.  Around Central Park in the Upper West or East can be nice but involves more travel.  On our last trip we stayed in East Village and it was superb too.  No one should stay in the Financial District!
2. We have had good and terrible experiences on Airbnb.  New York has a ban, so be careful as addresses are normally inaccurate, and there are a huge amount of scams (watch out for inserted reviews that are effectively fake, and shared accounts – look at both the host and the co-host and sort through their reviews and properties – if they have multiple properties probably steer clear).
3. If you haven’t been recommended a restaurant spend 5 minutes checking two online guides as to whether they are worth trying before you walk in or head there.  The guides are changing and lately I trust Timeout
4. Walk as much as you can.  This is a city made for walking.  Before long you’ll have done 20 blocks but have given yourself a mini-tour.  Next use Uber and the Subway.  We prefer Uber where we have little time or are going somewhere dressed up, and the Subway when we are just getting around and have a bit more time.  The Subway is so easy these days with free apps.  Save time by knowing which exit you want as North-East-South-West is easy to work out in Manhattan.
5. Plan tourist visits to popular places.  The Statue of Liberty line can be over an hour so book ahead and do the same for the Empire State.  Rock up at Galleries and Museums.  Take a chance on shows that you can give or take, but book shows you really want to see.  Take a chance on concerts by getting there early and seeing if there are tickets at the door.

Eating and drinking – click here for some of the places we recommend

Not eating and drinking – click here for things to do, entertainment and sights