Whether you’re stopping off here on your way somewhere else, or are close enough to hop across for a big day in the big apple, managing the NYC experience in 24 hours can seem like a pretty tall task. After all, this much-loved city has so much going for it that even a month-long visit would still see you missing out on some of the sights.
However, we don’t think that means you should skip your chance to visit altogether. After all, even the briefest of stops in this metropolitan hotspot has the potential to turn your travel dreams into reality, and there are plenty of 24-hour itineraries online to prove it. Before you get stuck into the technicalities, though, we’re going to consider just a few of the best ways to make sure that you truly do get to see New York in a day.
# 1 – Stay central
Whether you book a hotel for the night or start by hunting down luggage storage New York City style, you’ll want to keep this start/endpoint pretty central. With only 24-hours to play with, you certainly don’t want to be one of those visitors who makes the mistake of setting up base somewhere like Times Square, which isn’t actually as central as most tourists assume. Instead, you want to make sure that you’re keeping everything within walking distance by picking genuinely central locations including Downtown Manhattan or even Queens. They might not have quite the same level of glitz, but you’ll find it far easier to reach everything that you want to see this way. If you are staying overnight, you’ll even save yourself a fair amount on accommodation by picking these locations over traditionally popular options like Times Square.
# 2 – Suss out the subway
When you only have 24-hours to play with and the whole of New York to explore, it’s no exaggeration that you won’t have a second to spare. You certainly won’t have time to waste staring blankly at subway maps or even risking taking the wrong train. As such, you need to suss out the subway well in advance of your visit, making sure that you’re always aware of the directions you’re traveling in, the frequency of the trains, and the subway stations that you need to head to in each instance. In case mistakes still happen (because trust us, they can!), it’s also worth sussing out the New York yellow cab system, which could see you hailing a ride way quicker than if you had to wait for something like an Uber to rescue you from a wrong subway turn.
# 3 – Know your must-see locations
As is the case with making the most of a visit to any destination, you should also plan your must-see locations, always keeping in mind how close these are to one another. Top options include things like the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, and so on. Simply make sure that, whatever you’re putting on your itinerary, you can either walk or easily catch the subway from each location. Otherwise, you risk wasting large chunks of your day on travel that you simply don’t have time for and missing out on seeing anything as a result. Even if it means striking off some things that you’d love to do, definitely make sure your itinerary is realistic, workable, and even time stamped to help you stay on track and see everything that you could hope for.
# 4 – Book ahead for food
New York’s foodie scene is one of its best selling points, but in a busy city, going with the flow when it comes to what you eat is never going to serve your 24-hour trip. Instead, it’s vital that you know not only where you’ll be eating, but that you book ahead to ensure a table without fail. Given that you don’t have long to try the best foods that the city has to offer, it’s especially worth booking in advance for New York’s most popular food spots, including Olmsted, Kiki’s, Rubirosa, and more. This way, you guarantee yourself a great taste of the city without needing to take hours out to make it happen.
Seeing New York in a day isn’t easy, but there are plenty of opportunities to turn even 24-hours in NYC into a trip you’ll never forget. Simply keep these tips in mind, plan your trip carefully, and don’t be afraid to dive in at the deep end of the big apple.
