Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
The defining symbol of New York and one of the most-photographed monuments in the world — ferry-only access from Battery Park, with Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum on the same ticket.
New York
New York City
New York City is the country's most-visited destination — five boroughs, an unending supply of museums, observation decks, neighborhoods, and food.
The most rewarding visits skip the obvious traps, plan around the queue patterns, and balance one Manhattan day with one outer-borough day. Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) are the strongest windows.
Don't miss
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
The defining symbol of New York and one of the most-photographed monuments in the world — ferry-only access from Battery Park, with Ellis Island and the Immigration Museum on the same ticket.
Empire State Building
The 1931 art deco icon that defined the New York skyline — 86th-floor outdoor observation deck and 102nd-floor enclosed observatory, with King Kong references everywhere.
Top of the Rock
The 70th-floor observation deck at Rockefeller Center — the only place to see the Empire State Building IN your skyline photo. Three levels of open-air viewing.
One World Observatory
The observation deck at the top of One World Trade Center — the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, with the most emotionally weighted view in the city.
Things to do in New York City
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
Empire State Building
The 1931 art deco icon that defined the New York skyline — 86th-floor outdoor observation deck and 102nd-floor enclosed observatory, with King Kong references everywhere.
Top of the Rock
The 70th-floor observation deck at Rockefeller Center — the only place to see the Empire State Building IN your skyline photo. Three levels of open-air viewing.
One World Observatory
The observation deck at the top of One World Trade Center — the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, with the most emotionally weighted view in the city.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
The newest observation experience in NYC — a mirrored immersive art installation across multiple floors at the top of One Vanderbilt, including glass-floor ledges and an outdoor terrace.
Edge at Hudson Yards
The Western Hemisphere's highest outdoor sky deck — a triangular cantilever 1,131 feet above the Hudson, with a glass floor section and an angled-out glass wall.
9/11 Memorial & Museum
The memorial pools and underground museum at the World Trade Center site — one of the most important historical sites in modern American history, and one of the heaviest visiting experiences in NYC.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of the world's great encyclopedic museums — Egyptian, Greek, Roman, European masters, American wing, modern art, Asian art, Islamic art, costume institute, all under one roof on Fifth Avenue.
Museum of Modern Art
The world's most important modern art museum — Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh's "Starry Night", Warhol, the canonical 20th-century collection plus a serious contemporary program.
American Museum of Natural History
The 28-building complex on the Upper West Side with dinosaur halls, the Rose Center planetarium, the blue whale, and the new Gilder Center — one of NYC's great family museums and a classic since 1869.
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Renzo Piano-designed museum at the foot of the High Line in the Meatpacking District — focused on 20th- and 21st-century American art, with a sculpture garden and outdoor decks at every floor.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral building on Fifth Avenue — a museum where the architecture is the experience as much as the art, with rotating contemporary exhibitions and a strong permanent modern collection.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Sustainable luxury at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO — reclaimed wood, living plant walls, and the city's best rooftop pool with direct Manhattan skyline views.
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$$$$The Knickerbocker
Times Square
The 1906 historic luxury hotel at the southeast corner of Times Square — the building where the original Manhattan cocktail was reportedly created — now a 330-room boutique with a rooftop New Year's Eve viewing bar.
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$$$$The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel
Financial District / Civic Center
The 1881 historic landmark in Lower Manhattan — a 287-room boutique with a nine-story Victorian atrium and rooftop bar, three blocks from City Hall and the 9/11 Memorial.
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$$Moxy NYC Times Square
Times Square
Marriott's design-forward mid-range brand — 612 small but cleverly-designed rooms two blocks from Times Square, with three on-site bars including a rooftop with skyline views.
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$$$Ace Hotel New York
Flatiron / NoMad
The 2009 Flatiron boutique that started the Ace chain's NYC presence — 282 rooms in a 1904 building, with the Breslin gastropub downstairs and the Stumptown coffee that helped third-wave coffee land in NYC.
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$$$$The Greenwich Hotel
Tribeca
Robert De Niro's Tribeca hotel — 88 individually-designed rooms above the Locanda Verde restaurant, with the Shibui Spa pool in a converted Japanese farmhouse beneath the lobby.
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$$$$Aman New York
Fifth Avenue / Crown Building
The ultra-luxury Aman chain's NYC property opened in 2022 in the Crown Building on Fifth Avenue — 83 enormous rooms (average 750 sq ft, the largest in NYC), three-story spa with 25-meter pool, and rates that start at $3,000+/night.
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$$$$The Plaza
Central Park South / Fifth Avenue
The hotel that plays itself in the movies — the 1907 French-chateau landmark at Central Park's corner, home of Eloise and the Palm Court's tea, the Champagne Bar's windows on the park, and the food hall hiding downstairs.
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$$$$The Standard High Line
Meatpacking District / High Line
The hotel straddling the High Line — floor-to-ceiling glass over the Hudson and the park below, the Top of the Standard's golden-hour cocktails, the Biergarten under the viaduct, and the Meatpacking District at the elevator.
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$$$$The Bowery Hotel
Bowery / NoHo
Downtown's velvet institution — the faded-grand lobby of fireplaces, oriental rugs, and lantern light that defined a Lower East Side era, with terrace-draped rooms, Gemma's trattoria buzz, and NoHo-to-LES at the door.
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$$$The William Vale
Williamsburg / Brooklyn
Brooklyn's skyline machine — the Williamsburg tower where every room has a balcony facing Manhattan, the 60-foot outdoor pool runs the borough's best summer scene, and Westlight's 22nd-floor bar owns the city's finest panorama.
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$$$$Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards
The sleep-and-sweat flagship — Hudson Yards' performance hotel with the 60,000-square-foot Equinox club included, blackout-engineered bedrooms kept at sleeping temperature, the Electric Lemon terrace, and Edge next door.
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$$$The Ludlow
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side's house hotel — exposed brick and factory casements with Empire State sightlines, the lobby's firelit salon and ivy courtyard, Dirty French downstairs, and the LES's bars, bagels, and galleries in every direction.
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$$$$Pendry Manhattan West
Manhattan West / Penn Station
The glass wave by Penn Station — Manhattan West's design-luxury boutique with its rippling facade, warm-modern rooms over the plaza, Zou Zou's Levantine hit downstairs, and Midtown's train web three minutes away.
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$$Arlo SoHo
Hudson Square / SoHo
The smart small room done right — Hudson Square's design-micro hotel where clever cabins meet big social spaces: lobby library and courtyard, the A.R.T. rooftop's skyline cocktails, and SoHo-TriBeCa-Village walks in every direction.
Check rates →Wythe Hotel
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A 1901 cooperage factory turned Williamsburg boutique hotel - exposed brick, factory windows and Manhattan skyline views on the East River waterfront.
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$$$The Hotel Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
New York's most storied artists' hotel - an 1884 landmark where writers, painters and musicians lived and worked, reopened after its restoration.
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$$$$Park Hyatt New York
Midtown, Manhattan
Quiet luxury opposite Carnegie Hall - spacious rooms, a serene spa and Central Park a block away on West 57th Street.
Check rates →Crosby Street Hotel
SoHo, Manhattan
Firmdale's colorful SoHo hideaway on a cobblestone lane - Kit Kemp interiors, a garden terrace, a screening room and one of downtown's best hotel bars.
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$$$Soho Grand Hotel
SoHo / TriBeCa, Manhattan
The hotel that kicked off downtown cool in 1996 - cast-iron and glass design, a legendary bar and SoHo, TriBeCa and Chinatown at the door.
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$$citizenM New York Bowery
Bowery / Lower East Side, Manhattan
Smart, stylish and affordable on the Bowery - tech-driven rooms with big beds, a rooftop bar and the Lower East Side at the door.
Check rates →Hotel Beacon
Upper West Side, Manhattan
The Upper West Side's practical favorite - spacious suites with kitchenettes, Central Park and the Museum of Natural History a short walk away.
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$$$$The Lowell
Upper East Side, Manhattan
A discreet, residential-style luxury hotel on the Upper East Side - suites with fireplaces and kitchens, a garden room and Central Park a block away.
Check rates →New York City guides
A First-Timer's Guide to New York City
Everything you need to know for your first trip to NYC — when to come, where to stay, how to plan a 3-4 day trip, and what to skip.
New York City in Three Days: A Perfect Itinerary
A worked three-day NYC itinerary covering Lower Manhattan, museums and observation decks, and one Brooklyn day — with timings, food stops, and rest breaks.
How to Spend a Perfect Day in Brooklyn
A self-guided Brooklyn day starting at the Brooklyn Bridge, covering DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Williamsburg — with food, photo spots, and timing.
NYC by Neighborhood: Where to Eat, Walk, and Stay
A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to NYC — Tribeca, SoHo, West Village, Lower East Side, Midtown, Upper West Side, DUMBO — what each is good for.
NYC for Families: The Best Things to Do With Kids
NYC family travel — best attractions for kids, kid-friendly restaurants, where to stay with children, and a sample family-friendly itinerary.
NYC Observation Decks Compared: Which One to Pick
Empire State, Top of the Rock, One World, SUMMIT, Edge — how the five major NYC observation decks differ and which one to book based on your priorities.
Iconic NYC Without a Ticket: Free Things Every Visitor Should See
New York's most iconic public spaces — Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, the High Line, Washington Square Park, Charging Bull, Wall Street, the Chrysler Building lobby — and how to weave them between paid attractions.
