Our Standout NYC Experiences (After 10+ Trips & Living There)

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Six small photos taken in various places around New York City with an orange color block and white text reading Top 10 NYC Experiences: What You Can't Miss On A First Visit by Where Are Those Morgans

We fell head over heels in love with NYC after visiting in 2018 and 2019, just after starting our travel business. But those short 3 or 4 day trips weren’t enough time for us to really see and do it all, so we decided to move to the city from December 2020 to March 2021. It was during covid lockdowns, which was a strange time – but it allowed us to tick off everything on our massive New York City bucket list with basically no crowds at all.

Since leaving, we’ve been back at least 10 times in pretty much every month – including our most recent 4-day trip in July 2025 when we took our daughter for her first taste of the Big Apple. We’ve done all the observation decks several times, visited every major museum, explored the popular neighborhoods, overindulged in the unique food and drinks scene, found hidden gem experiences, and figured out which sights are actually worth doing in NYC.

Mark and Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans taking a selfie at Edge NYC observation deck with the city behind on a sunny day
Mark and Kristen at Edge NYC in July 2025

Hi, we’re Mark and Kristen Morgan. We left our scientific careers in 2018 to become travel writers and photographers, and since then our expert guides have helped millions of travel planners take better trips. Read more about us.

Why trust us with your NYC bucket list? Between living in NYC and more than 10 trips across all seasons, we ticked off every attraction and figured out what’s really worth it. As always, every photo in this guide is ours.

The style of trip we’ve taken to New York City has changed over the years. Our first few visits were all about rushing around ticking off every major attraction and museum we could fit in. Then we transitioned into skipping popular activities altogether in favor of immersing ourselves into trendy neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, SoHo, and Williamsburg. And during our most recent trips, we found ourselves looking for more obscure off-the-beaten-path attractions.

We love New York, it’s one of our favorite places on the planet and we know we’ll be back most years for more sightseeing and fun. Based on our 10+ trips and living in the city, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we consider unmissable on a first vacation to NYC. Let’s dive in!

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Walking Across Brooklyn Bridge

There are only two things we do every single time we visit New York – one is explore Central Park (which we cover next) and the other is walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. We’ve crossed at sunrise, during the day, for sunset and at night – and honestly it’s such a cool experience any time of day. We loved our sunrise walk because we had the bridge to ourselves for short periods, but there’s something so special about walking across as sunset turns into darkness and Lower Manhattan begins to dazzle.

Brooklyn Bridge wooden pedestrian walkway completely empty at sunrise with the sun bursting through metal rails
We had the bridge to ourselves when we walked across just after sunrise in March 2021

What makes it so popular? The 1.1-mile pedestrian-only boardwalk from City Hall in Manhattan to the DUMBO stairs in Brooklyn is easily one of the most scenic urban walks we’ve done in the world. It’s free, open 24 hours a day, and has truly spectacular views over the Manhattan skyline – especially at night when the city’s skyscrapers are lit up. We’ve never had issues with safety (even at night), and it’s perfectly safe for families with kids.

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans sat on the metal Brooklyn Bridge wearing a coat and hat at sunset
Kristen enjoying a not-too-cold sunset when we lived in NYC in winter

It usually takes us around 30-40 minutes to cross, depending on photo stops and how crowded it is. Our favorite photo spots on the bridge are at the two towers (for views over cars passing below) and everywhere in-between the towers. On the Manhattan side, we watched a serene sunrise from Pier 17 in Seaport – and on the Brooklyn side we love Pebble Beach, Jane’s Carousel, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Old Pier 1. They all have striking bridge views.

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans standing in front of a fence on the banks of the East River in NYC with Lower Manhattan skyline views beyond lit up at night
Kristen enjoying views over the Lower Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park

Overall we think walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is unmissable for every first time visitor. It’s perfect for families, solo travelers, couples seeking romance (we’ve seen so many proposals on and around the bridge!), groups of friends, social media stars, budget visitors, runners, photographers – basically everyone. Don’t miss it.

Mark’s two hidden gems: For lesser-known awesome views of the Brooklyn Bridge, first head up to the rooftop of Time Out Market (they have a fantastic bar and food hall which opens out to a viewing terrace – the pizza and barbecue are our favorites), and second walk the Manhattan Bridge. Barely anyone walks across the “other” bridge, but it has superb views of Brooklyn Bridge with Lower Manhattan behind. We’ll admit we didn’t feel as safe, so we wouldn’t do it in the dark but it’s fine during the day.

Exploring Central Park

In our opinion, the only other genuine “must-see” free thing to do in NYC is take a stroll around Central Park. We absolutely adore exploring New York’s most famous green space in every season. We’ve seen cherry blossoms in spring, lush green leaves in summer, fall foliage in autumn and the whole place covered in deep snow in the winter. And honestly? The time of year doesn’t matter, it’s always been one of our favorite places to walk around with a hot coffee and a camera.

Bethesda Fountain with crowds circling in the summer surrounded by lush green vegetation
Mark took this photo of Bethesda Fountain in July 2025

Here’s our efficient, tried and tested walking route around Central Park:

  1. Enter at Grand Army Plaza
  2. Gapstow Bridge
  3. Wollman Rink
  4. The Mall
  5. Bethesda Terrace
  6. Bow Bridge (don’t cross)
  7. Wagner Cove
  8. Strawberry Fields
  9. The Ramble
  10. Shakespeare Gardens
  11. Belvedere Castle
  12. Exit at The MET

Follow our route exactly and you’ll see the best of Central Park without losing any time from your NYC itinerary. We did explore further north around Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and The Loch where it got much quieter, but honestly we don’t think they’re worth it. Instead, our route ends close to The MET, which is the perfect place to visit next. (We explain more about The MET later in our museums section.)

Inside Bethesda Terrace with orange colored ceiling tiles and no people
We arrived at Bethesda Terrace before sunrise in February 2021 to get this photo

If you like the sound of seeing Central Park but don’t want to deal with navigating or walking (we’ve clocked up some serious milage!), there are a few top rated tour options we’d definitely consider doing:

Guided walking tour: 2-hour guided walk covering history, structures, plants, animals and movie scenes.

Pedicab guided tour: 1-3 hours exploring the park by bicycle-powered cab, takes you to the popular spots for photos (this one looks great).

Horse carriage rides: Choose your own 55-minute route through the park in a carriage pulled by a horse.

Seeing The Skyline From Observation Decks

If we had a limited travel budget to spend on paid attractions, the first thing we’d do is book one or two NYC observation decks. We’ve done observation decks all over the world, but nowhere else has such immense and unique urban skyline views. In New York, we’ve been up to the 5 major viewing decks many times with friends and family visiting us in the city, and when we tested various attraction passes. We think they’re all worth paying for, but Top of the Rock and Edge are our favorites.

View over Manhattan from the top of Empire State Building on a sunny and clear but quite hazy day
This was our view from Empire State Building in July 2025

Empire State Building: The original and classic observation deck is still among the most visited because of its historic “bucket list” status. We love the exhibits and history, and the 86th floor views over Midtown are great (outdoors with mesh fencing). But we think it’s expensive (especially the 102nd floor), the deck is small and cramped, and you can’t see the Empire State from the Empire State. See tickets.

View over skyscrapers and skyline of Manhattan close to sunset
This was our view from Top of the Rock in 2022

Top of the Rock: The old but gold Top of the Rock is our personal favorite observation deck. It’s easier, quieter, more affordable and has the best open view (no windows or fences) over all of Manhattan – including Central Park. The Skylift and Beam are two newer features, but we still see it as a no-frills attraction that’s perfect at sunset. We’ve been up at least 6 or 7 times and it never gets old. See tickets.

View over Manhattan from an open air outdoor viewing platform at sunset
This was our view from Edge at sunset in 2021

Edge: Our second favorite observation deck is Edge at Hudson Yards. We like the exhibits and elevator ride, but for us Edge is all about the unique open-air, glass-bottomed, triangular-shaped viewing platform. It also has striking views over Lower Manhattan and for some reason we’ve always had amazing sunsets there. See tickets. (We always double up Edge with a visit to Vessel – one of Mark’s favorite NYC photo spots – and in July 2025 we finally climbed the steps to the top of Vessel which was cool.)

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans looking out at NYC from an observation deck with mirrored rooms
Kristen looking at Manhattan from Summit One Vanderbilt in 2022

Summit One Vanderbilt: The newest kid on the block is less about skyline views and more about social media photography and videography. It’s perfect for families and content creators, but we don’t think it will suit every visitor. We’ve done it twice and although we think the mirror rooms and balloons are fun for photos, the city views weren’t as impressive because it’s all enclosed by windows. It was also very busy both times we went, and people were going wild with selfie sticks! See tickets.

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans standing in front of massive windows with a stroller and baby looking out at views over New York City
Kristen and Maya looking out at views over the Statue of Liberty from One World Observatory in 2025

One World Observatory: The only observation deck in Lower Manhattan (the others are all in Midtown) is the highest of the bunch. But honestly, it’s our least favorite because the exhibits aren’t as good, it’s totally enclosed by windows, there’s not much to do, and the views of Midtown aren’t quite as impressive as vice versa. We’ve done it twice, and it is still good, but we wouldn’t prioritize it over the others if it was our first visit. See tickets.

The Manhattan skyline taken from a helicopter flying over the skyscrapers
Mark took this photo of Lower Manhattan from our helicopter tour

Got a bit of spare travel cash for a splurge? Go one step further than observation decks for skyline views with a helicopter tour. We took one from Lower Manhattan up the Hudson River and over the Statue of Liberty (read our Heli NY review). It was expensive but it was pretty awesome! If you’re thinking about booking a helicopter tour, here’s two great options:

Visiting Unique Museums

We didn’t find New York to be like Rome, Florence, Paris or London where we felt compelled to visit a ridiculous amount of art and history museums, otherwise we’d feel like we were missing out. What we like about museums in NYC is the variety and uniqueness of what’s on offer, and that they’re mostly all within reasonable walking distance of one another.

We’ve visited more museums than we could shake a stick at across our 10+ trips and during our time living in New York, but here are our favorites:

The MET: We’ll admit we were overwhelmed by the sheer size and comprehensiveness of The MET at first, a bit like when we visited the Louvre. But once we broke it down into the ancient world, the middle ages and the modern world, it didn’t feel so daunting. We ended up spending 4 amazing hours inside, enjoying the variation of the special exhibits and permanent collections. See tickets (or book a guided tour with Take Walks or Viator).

Inside the Egyptian section of the MET museum in NYC with water reflecting light from massive windows
We were blown away by parts of The MET like this

MoMA: New York’s Museum of Modern Art houses some of the most important modern paintings in the world by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Dali. We’ll be honest and admit we weren’t massive fans of the newest-era installations and exhibits on the lower levels, but we enjoyed walking around the 5th floor of MoMA where the famous paintings were located. It’s much smaller than The MET too! See tickets.

9/11: We’ve visited the upsetting 9/11 Memorial and Museum twice. Both times we left feeling sad, but also pleased that they’ve done such an incredible job setting up the museum. It’s the perfect tribute to those who lost their lives in 2001. There’s a timeline of events that honestly kept us more engaged than we’ve ever been in a museum before. It’s 100% worth it, so don’t miss this one. See tickets (or book this all-access guided tour with Viator).

Old US navy plane inside an aircraft carrier at the Intrepid Museum
It took us ages to get through all the areas inside Intrepid Museum (great for kids)

Intrepid: It actually took us until July 2025 before we finally visited the Intrepid Museum, and it was well worth the wait. It took us a good 3 hours to walk through the aircraft carrier, see the fighter jets and helicopters, and look around the space exhibit. We wouldn’t say it’s unmissable for everyone, but it’s perfect for the kids and history or military buffs. See tickets.

Ellis Island: We weren’t sure what to expect at the National Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, but it ended up being excellent. It was so cool to learn about how the millions of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island were processed, especially between 1892-1924 during peak years. The museum was so much quieter than most others in the city too. Learn more.

Empty old NYC subway train carriage at the Transit Museum
We loved exploring the older model subway train carriages

Transit Museum: One of our favorite hidden gem museums in NYC is the Transit Museum in Brooklyn. It’s a pain to reach but it’s well worth the effort, especially if you’re visiting the city with kids. We’d heard good things about it, but it was even better in person. We enjoyed walking through all the old subway trains and learning about how it all works. See tickets.

Honestly, the American Museum of Natural History didn’t blow us away (the one in London is so much better) but it’s still great if you’re visiting with kids. And we found the Guggenheim Museum to be massively underwhelming. There are plenty of other art and history museums you could try but we wouldn’t say any are essential must sees for a first time in NYC.

Kristen’s hidden gem recommendation: If you’re doing NY as a family or group of friends, check out SpyScape. We did it and it was actually way more fun than we expected – it’s kind of half museum, half interactive aptitude tests to see if you’ve got what it takes to be a spy.

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Discovering The Coolest Neighborhoods

Manhattan and Brooklyn are home to some seriously trendy and diverse neighborhoods that are a massive part of the reason we can’t stop going back to NYC. It’s so much fun just picking a few different neighborhoods and basically hanging out there all day and night – and we know this style of travel suits some people more than just ticking off attractions. Here are our favorite places to visit in NYC:

People eating and drinking inside Chelsea Market in New York
Chelsea Market is touristy but it’s a great place to visit for food, drinks and a fun atmosphere

Chelsea: Tons of art galleries and a fun, creative vibe. Our favorite time was when we walked the High Line and ended with a lobster roll and beer at Chelsea Market.

Upper East Side: Elegant, polished and “old money” vibes. We like it because it’s safe, quiet and has lovely architecture. Strolling the “museum mile” with a fancy coffee from Madison Avenue is right up our street.

SoHo: Stunning cast-iron architecture and cobblestone streets. When visiting with friends we window shopped, had brunch and celebrity spotted (unsuccessfully!) on Greene Street.

Row of townhouses in Greenwich Village New York on a quiet residential street
Greenwich Village is one of our favorite places to walk around in Manhattan

Greenwich Village: Narrow winding streets (rather than grids) and a more residential feel. We like hanging out in Washington Square Park, watching the street performers and chess players.

Lower East Side: Gritty, more real and down to earth, with a vibrant nightlife scene. We know people who moved to LES from UES because they were bored. Our favorite way to do it is a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s before hitting the bars.

Chinatown: Immersive, gritty area that lights up at night with authentic street markets and hidden speakeasies. We loved finding dumpling spots on Mott Street and speakeasies on Doyers Street.

Huge metal brewing tanks inside Brooklyn Brewery
Mark really enjoyed his Brooklyn Brewery tour in Williamsburg in May 2024

Williamsburg: Hipster, trendy part of Brooklyn with Domino Park views over Manhattan, the awesome Brooklyn Brewery tour, vintage stores and pubs. We’d be happy spending a few weeks just hanging out, eating and drinking our way along Bedford Ave and Berry Street.

Dumbo: Touristy, family friendly waterfront area looking right at Brooklyn Bridge with great food and photo spots. Our favorite (and everyone else’s!) is the famous Manhattan Bridge view from Washington St. Be warned, it’s a social media frenzy down there.

Seeing Broadway Shows

The likes of Hamburg in Germany and Seoul in South Korea might be growing destinations in the world of theater, but it’s still London’s West End and New York City’s Broadway that lead the way in terms of star-studded, high production value, spectacular shows. If you’ve never seen a top-class theater show, make sure you do at least one when you visit NYC – you won’t regret it.

People crowding outside a broadway theater in New York with cameras and railings waiting for the cast to arrive
We’re not positive but we think we walked past the premiere of “A Strange Loop” at the Lyceum in 2022

We saw the Lion King at Minskoff Theater on Broadway in 2022 and it was even more amazing than we’d hoped. A major downside for us (and the reason we haven’t seen more) is that Broadway tickets are expensive, especially in peak months. But visiting NYC in April or another shoulder season month gives you a better chance of picking up discounted tickets. Our Lion King show was in April and the prices weren’t as bad.

Exterior view of the entrance to a theater in New York showing the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child show
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on our radar for next time!

Along with the Lion King, we’d like to see Wicked at the Gershwin Theater, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric Theater and Stranger Things at the Marquis Theater. Oh, and another great place to visit is the Museum of Broadway – we did it July 2025 and it was so much fun, way better than we expected. It’s unmissable if you love theater.

Flashing lights and advertisements in Times Square
Times Square is a must-see, but only once!

Now, this is our “must see in NYC” guide and you might have noticed we haven’t mentioned Times Square yet. Well, we that’s because we don’t love it. Sure, it’s certainly an experience, and you’ll almost certainly walk through Times Square if you watch a Broadway show anyway. But honestly, we’d say it’s a place you should see once – very quickly – before moving onto better things. It’s way too crowded, gimmicky, over the top, and pickpocketing is rife. Show the kids the lights, then get out of there.

This insider walking tour with a theater professional is a fantastic way to learn about the history of Broadway and see Times Square for the first time with a guide, if you don’t want to worry about the chaos or having any trouble.

Not into theater? Spend your time and money on sports or concerts instead. Look at Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks (basketball) or Rangers (ice hockey). Or head up to The Bronx to see the Yankees (baseball). Check the concert schedule for MSG – or take a behind the scenes guided tour of the arena, which we did on our most recent visit to NYC in July 2025.

Shopping On Fifth Ave & Beyond

We’re not the biggest shopaholics you’ll ever meet, but we always go to major shopping streets when we visit new places because there’s always an energetic buzz in the air. In New York, the classics we tell our first-timer friends to see are Fifth Avenue for flagships like Saks, Tiffany’s, and Bergdorf with fun seasonal window displays, and Macy’s Herald Square for a nostalgic 11-story maze-like department store in the heart of Midtown.

Exterior of Macy's Herald Square in NYC with flowers in spring
We’ve been in Macy’s a million times but it looked best from outside in spring

But honestly, over-the-top isn’t our thing. These days we find ourselves walking around the historic charm of SoHo for bougie boutiques and luxury glamour housed in colorful cast-iron buildings, Nolita if we want quieter and less touristy with independent stores, Chinatown for markets (this area is also great for things like tea and silk which we haven’t done yet), or even the Financial District for modern indoor shopping malls which were perfect on rainy or cold days.

Cobblestone shopping street in SoHo with cars parked on both sides and colorful buildings
We love walking around cobbled SoHo streets like this for food, drinks and shopping

But there’s still a ton of places we haven’t done any shopping that we’ve heard a lot of good things about. The Brooklyn Flea in DUMBO sells antiques on weekends, the Chelsea Flea on West 25th Street is a proper flea market, Bedford Ave in Williamsburg is home to trendy boutiques and the East Village is where to find vintage or thrift stores. These are the next places on our own shopping list.

Feasting On New York’s Immense Food & Drinks Scene

We always start the morning right with a breakfast bagel – either egg and sausage or just straight up cream cheese depending on how naughty we’re feeling. We love Liberty Bagels and Best Bagel & Coffee on 35th Street near Penn Station, and Russ & Daughters is an NYC institution that lives up to its hype in Lower East Side. Here’s our guide on where to get NYC bagels to learn more.

Person holding a rainbow colored bagel that's been cut in half with cheese stretching between the two sides
Kristen holding her bacon, egg and cheese rainbow bagel in New York

Pizza slices are the quintessential New York foodie experience. The first thing we do when getting off the train at Grand Central or Penn Station is head into a pizza joint (with our suitcases!) and buy two slices of pepperoni each. We’ve tried so many places – our favorites include L’Industry in Williamsburg, Joe’s Pizza on Broadway (busy and touristy but iconic), Underground Pizza in Lower Manhattan for a no-frills hidden gem and basically anywhere in Little Italy. Read our guide on where to get NYC pizza to see more of our favorites.

Outside of a famous pizza joint in NYC with crowds of people eating and waiting
We’ve had a hundred slices at Joe’s on Broadway but we’ve never seen it as busy as this in July 2025

Getting a bit more specific, there are two over-touristy but still worth it places we have to recommend: Katz’s Delicatessen in Lower East Side is expensive and crowded but the pastrami sandwiches are excellent, and Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo serves up the most delicious Cronut that justifies the long line. Oh, and we know hot dog stands look like food poisoning waiting to happen, but we’ve had loads of hot dogs as we walk around the city and never had any issues. It’s another classic experience.

Hot dog stand with umbrellas and lots of snacks outside a building in NYC with green leaves on top of a short wall
It’s not healthy, but we’ve stopped for a quick refuel at many a hot dog stand in the city!

Looking for something a bit classier? Try a spot of afternoon tea. London has the tradition, but NYC has the variety and vibe. Take a look at the Mandarin Oriental or Bergdorf for views, Baccarat Hotel or Palm Court at the Plaza for glamour, or the boutiquey Whitby Hotel where we tried our afternoon tea in NYC – it was fantastic.

Stack of sandwiches, scones and desserts on a three-tier serving platter
This was our afternoon tea at The Whitby Hotel

If you’ll be in NYC on a Saturday between April and October, you simply must go to Smorgasburg open-air market on the Williamsburg waterfront. We absolutely love street food, and we’ve eaten some seriously creative dishes here. In winter, we go to Time Out Market’s rooftop instead. Chelsea Market is super touristy but it’s busy for a reason. We’ve tried tons of spots in there, but our favorite is Los Tacos No.1, don’t miss it. And our hidden gem pick is Turnstyle Underground Market near Central Park – we had glorious donuts down there in July 2025.

Close up of the Empire State Building lit up green at night
Mark took this photo from 230 Fifth in May 2024 when visiting the city with friends

Let’s talk drinks: Rooftop bars are the clear winners in New York because of its immense skyline. 230 Fifth is our top pick for first timers, it’s touristy and commercialized but the close-up Empire State Building view when it’s lit up at night is wild, and it does have a fun vibe. Both Refinery Rooftop and The Skylark are great alternatives if you want a bit less touristy. We’ve found the key is to get there early and find a good spot before it gets too busy (and sometimes even skip the cover charge). The downside? We’ve heavily overpaid for every beer and martini with a view.

What about foodie tours? Well, we have to admit we never really thought about it. Sure, in Italy or France. But in NYC? It turns out there’s heaps of fun and unique food tours with near-perfect ratings. Take a look at these:

Enjoying The Magic At Christmas

We’re sorry if you’re visiting any other time of year, but this is a guide about our personal standout NYC experiences, and the festive atmosphere at Christmas is up there with our absolute favorites. We lived in the city through a brutal winter in 2020-2021 and it took ages before we finally got our bona-fide Central Park snow day, but boy was it worth the wait. Our camera got a real workout that day as we ticked off Home Alone 2 locations. (Read our NYC in winter guide if you’re planning to visit for Christmas.)

Mark and Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans wearing heavy winter coats on a snowy white out day in Central Park
Mark and Kristen enjoying a snow day in Central Park in 2021

In reality, it rarely snows (like a proper downpour) in NYC in December, so don’t expect a Hallmark movie scene if you decide to visit before Christmas. Instead, think of the snow like an early Christmas present if it happens. Anyway, there’s so much more holiday fun to get stuck into – we loved seeing the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree and ice skating at the Winter Village in Bryant Park. Our backup ice skating spots were the Rockefeller Center (expensive but bucket list worthy), and the much larger Wollman Rink in Central Park.

The Rockefeller Christmas Tree behind the famous ice rink with a few people skating
It’s not quite the same during the day, but it’s still cool to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree

Shopping on Fifth Avenue got even better because big-brands and department stores filled their windows with festive displays, and there was a chaotic buzz that we couldn’t get enough of as everyone rushed around shops with coffees and heavy coats. It just felt like Christmas. The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular is unmissable, and our favorite markets were in Union Square and Grand Central.

Outside Radio City in New York when it's lit up purple and orange at night
Radio City is one of our favorite photo spots when it’s lit up at night

One thing we missed (which was a big mistake) was “reverse Manhattanhenge”. Every winter in early January at about 7:20 AM, the sunrise lines up bang in the middle of Manhattan’s east-west grid streets. If we’d known about it when we lived there, we’d have gone to 42nd Street and 5th Avenue for one of the best east-facing views (map location). The more popular Manhattanhenge for sunset is at the end of May and in mid-July with west facing views, so check it out if you’ll be there around those dates.

View looking straight down one of New York City's grid streets with barely any traffic on the road
Mark took this photo at the most popular sunset spot during Manhattanhenge called Tudor City Overpass

Finally, if you want to see the best Christmas lights and decorations in NYC, there’s only one place for it – Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. The problem? Getting to southwest Brooklyn isn’t easy, which is why we didn’t do it when we lived there. It’s a long way on the metro from Manhattan to 71 St and then it’s a 20-minute walk to the lights. The good news? This guided tour transports you to the lights, shows you the best spots and then heads back to Manhattan.

Going Full Tourist Mode

Some of our trips to NYC have been to just hang out, eat, drink, and basically just meet locals and other tourists in the cool neighborhoods. But on other trips when we used NY attraction passes to bundle top sights (CityPASS in 2021, Sightseeing Pass in 2022 – no longer operating, and Go City in 2025), we’ve gone into full tourist mode.

When we go full tourist mode in cities around the world, that means we plan action-packed itineraries filled with attractions from dawn to dusk. It’s a fun way to explore new places because we see and do as much as possible. Now, New York is jam-packed with a massive variety of things to do so we won’t cover every single attraction in the city. Instead, we’ll show you what to do in NYC if you go attraction hunting – other than what we’ve already talked about in the guide so far.

Close up of the Statue of Liberty on a side profile with clouds behind
Mark took this close up of the Statue of Liberty when we visited Liberty Island by ferry

Statue of Liberty: We took the ferry to Statue of Liberty on a freezing cold winter day and thought it was well worth actually going to Liberty Island (rather than just passing by on the Staten Island ferry) because we were able to learn about the history of the statue and then visit Ellis Island Museum as part of the same ticket. If you’d like to do a guided tour of Lady Liberty to learn more, compare this tour with Take Walks and this tour with Viator.

The High Line: We’ve walked the High Line all the way from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards in different seasons, and honestly it’s one of our favorite free things to do in New York. Not only does it skip crossing the road a hundred times, but it’s got elevated views, gardens, and even cherry blossoms in the spring.

Close up of the 4 sided clock in Grand Central Terminal with an American flag behind
We loved photographing the 4-sided clock face in Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal: A train station as a tourist attraction? Oh yes. We think the magnificent terminal building is a must-see place in NYC because of its architecture, clock, underground eateries, hidden market, and secret whispering spot between opposite-facing columns – which we actually found super interesting. Here’s a top rated tour with Take Walks if you want a comprehensive Grand Central experience.

TV & Movie Locations: Walking around NYC is like walking around the world’s best “movie backlot”. Our favorite spots include the Friends Apartment (90 Bedford Street) and Carrie Bradshaw’s Stoop from Sex and the City (66 Perry Street) – both in Greenwich Village, the Plaza Hotel from Home Alone 2, Grand Central and Bethesda Terrace from a ton of movies, and the Ghostbusters Firehouse (14 N Moore St) in Tribeca.

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans standing with the Charging Bull in Lower Manhattan
Kristen with the Charging Bull in Lower Manhattan

Financial District: We think Lower Manhattan is underrated for fun touristy things to do in NYC. There’s Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange (fearless girl statue is a fun photo spot), charging bull, Seaport, Trinity Church, Fraunces Tavern, 9/11 and Battery Park all within a few minutes walk.

Flatiron: As travel photographers, we’ve been permanently disappointed that the iconic and incredibly photogenic Flatiron Building has been covered in scaffolding every time we’re in the city. But good news – it’s complete as of late 2026, and with a new lighting at night that’s sure to be popular.

Inside the cavernous Oculus in New York City with white floor and interior
Mark took this photo inside Oculus on a cool morning in March 2021

Oculus: Technically, Oculus is also near Wall Street but it deserves its own mention because both the outside and inside are superb photo spots you should’t miss. We couldn’t believe our eyes the first time we walked through the door and saw the brilliant white cave-like interior.

Strand Bookstore: We love reading, so Strand Bookstore near Union Square was one of the first lesser-known attractions we visited in the city. It’s like a small city, with 18 miles of books inside. Don’t miss the rare book room on the third floor, and leave room in your suitcase for the trip back home.

Looking up at the Roosevelt Island Tramway as a carriage is approaching the station
This was the tram we took to reach Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island Tramway: We finally got around to taking the aerial tramway to Roosevelt Island in July 2025 and it was definitely worth doing. It cost us $2.75 each per direction, and it gave us awesome views over the East River, Queensboro Bridge and northeastern Manhattan. Next time we’ll stay on the island longer and explore. Here’s more about the tram.

River Cruise: We did the Circle Line cruise a few years ago – it didn’t blow us away, but it was still a good way to see the city from a different perspective. Other less generic and crowded options include this sightseeing cruise to the Statue of Liberty and NY skyline, or this sunset cruise into the harbor.

Kristen from Where Are Those Morgans standing inside the New York Botanical Garden with flowers all around
Kristen enjoying the flowers at NY Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden: We agreed not to visit New York Botanical Garden until we took a trip in spring, and we eventually made it there in April 2022. The stunning cherry blossoms were better than anywhere in else in NYC, and the orchid show was beautiful. We tied it in with a quick walk around Bronx Zoo which might work if you visit with the kids.

Bus Tour: After taking the Big Bus and being disappointed (we had issues getting the last bus back from Financial District to Times Square because it was so crowded in July 2025), we decided that if we ever did any kind of sightseeing by bus through New York, it would be with a private tour. Here are some great options we found:

  • NY in one day: 6-hour guided bus tour hitting the city’s major highlights.
  • Luxury bus: 4-hour guided bus tour with 4 photo stops at iconic sights.
  • Off the beaten path: 6-hour guided bus tour to Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens.
What's included with Where Are Those Morgans NYC guidebook

Next Steps

We hope our top 10 NYC experiences helps with planning your trip.

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments box below, and remember you can schedule a travel planning call with us if you’d like expert help figuring out how to make the most of your trip to New York.

Still researching for your trip?

Finally, if you’ll be heading upstate on the same trip, we recommend reading our New York State travel guide for more helpful tips and advice.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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