3 Days, 2 Nights in New York City

You CAN successfully enjoy New York City in 3 days and 2 nights! If you want to “wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep”, but don’t want to LOSE sleep when you see your credit card bill, this post is for you. Typically, hotels in NYC are the most expensive part of your trip. We’ve managed to travel to the Big Apple several times while only staying 2 nights in a hotel, and making the most of our 3 days meandering this great city.

I’m all for enjoying a vacation experience..but not 16 hours of hitting the pavement. Too much cardio is not vacation to me. I’m talking about getting a great overview of the city, savoring the sights and sounds & making the most of my vacation dollars (2 nights hotel) and vacation time (3 days sightseeing).

We’ve managed several 3 days, 2 nights in New York City trips and here’s some advice:

Book the earliest flight that arrives at the earliest time you can physically handle; let’s not arrive exhausted. This will allow you the maximum amount of time on your first day in NYC. (We’ve found great deals as low as $150 roundtrip on nonstop service through Delta or Jetblue. See my post on 3 Ways to Find ALL Airfares.) And be sure to book the latest flight out of NYC to make the most out of your trip since we’re trying to maximize the 3 days by only spending 2 nights of hotel. We’ve landed as early as 8am on Day 1 and departed as late as 10pm on Day 3.

Yes, the trains/subways are your most economical way to get from the airports to Manhattan. But depending on how many people are in your party, a taxi (flat fares from the airports are in the $50-70 range) or Uber might be preferred, especially for first timers. Seeing the city “above the ground” for the first time is really amazing. Most hotels in NYC allow for luggage storage so we always head straight there, drop off our bags and start our vacay! And on departure day: we check out, leave our bags at the hotel and fit in everything we can before going back to the hotel to grab our bags and head to the airport in the evening.

We have stayed in and recommend West 57th Street by Hilton Club (Central Park area), The Frederick Hotel (Tribeca) Hilton Garden Inn (Times Square area, & the sunset photo above from our room) and The Hotel Wolcott (Empire State Bldg area). And for a fantastic city skyline room on the New Jersey side, we have stayed in and recommend Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel.

Plan ahead and make a list of your “must-see’s”. There’s SO much to do and you won’t want to miss your wish list items. Of course if you pack well, you’re prepared for it all! (see my post on packing lists) When it was just my hubby and I in NYC, our trip was much more laid back. When we included our teens, we hit more icons. We found it easier to group our must-sees by sections of town so we weren’t wasting steps or backtracking. Here is a brief list of groupings of landmarks:

• Central Park (could spend an entire day here), Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art
• 5th Avenue Shops, NBC, Top of the Rock/Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Fox News, Times Square/Broadway
• United Nations, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, NYC Public Library, Empire State Center, Madison Square Garden
• World Trade Center Memorial/Museum, Trinity Church, Wall Street, Boat/Ferry to Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island & Brooklyn Bridge

The beauty of NYC is that you can have a different-flavored-trip each time. Maybe you want to take in all of the museums and indoor venues in winter? Maybe you want to do the park and outdoor attractions in the summer? Or maybe you just want to see back-to-back Broadway shows the whole time (a girl can dream, right?).

If you like to be prepared, I always consult the Metropolitan Transportation Authority site, the official subway and bus site for NYC, and start my route planning at home so I know where to get on and get off and where to walk once we’re on street level again. Backtracking isn’t in my travel vocabulary! Of course the “map” app on your phone is a great tool once you’re in town, but sometimes gps is sketchy and I don’t want to be lost in a subway. I have my routes in hand while roaming NYC and that is comforting to me. My hubby prefers to figure things out as we go. Whatever floats your boat.

To save money, we don’t use taxis within the city, just from the airport to the city. Of course NYC is a very walkable city, but when we want a break from walking or time is of the essence, we use the subways and busses. And we typically take the subway/train back to the airport when leaving. Depends on how many people are in our party! Subway/bus fares are about $3 or you can purchase a 7 day unlimited pass for around $30.

Once you book your flight and accommodations, planning your itinerary is the best part. Don’t be surprised; you really can get a great overview of the Big Apple in 3 days. If “you can make it there, you can make it anywhere“, right? Stay tuned for more posts about what to see & do during your stay in the City of Dreams.

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