How to Do New York in 3 Days

New York absolutely has my heart. When I went the trip happened so fast. It was a spur of the moment type of thing so I tried to enjoy it as much as I can. Since I had one week to go to both Washington D.C. and New York I had to be really strategic on what I did and how I did it.

Determine the Non-Negotiables

There are for sure things to do and see for everyone. On my last day in NY, I had tickets to see Hamilton at the matinee. This was a bit tough because it was in the middle of the day so I had to plan around that. Other than that, I was game for anything. So make sure to list what your for sure must do’s are and start from there. This will determine how you travel and what days you do things.

I feel like this is one of the things you will struggle the most with because it’s hard to pick and choose what to do. But there are so many factors like distance, fatigue, and of course, picking what everyone will enjoy if you’re traveling with others.

If You Want to Sightsee

I know people tend to not look like a tourist but trust me, use the tour buses you see around. Usually, you can easily get a deal out of them. The one my family went with was really cheap because we kept talking to the guy. He gave us a good deal plus ferry tickets for the Statue of Liberty. A lot of these have direct stops at all the big landmarks so it’s easy to hop on and go. At some point, we just used it as our transportation to completely different places since we had already paid for it. It worked out!

But just like any city, remember that all the landmarks are not all close together, so like the first point, determine which things you for sure want to see. It’s the best bet for getting things done.

You Have to Go with the Flow

The key to getting a city done in a short amount of time is to realize that you can’t do everything. Trips are frustrating enough when you have itineraries and things planned. The best advice I can give you for doing a city, especially New York, is to just roll with it. On my second day, I found myself down by Wall Street but really wanted to check out Central Park. But it just wasn’t going to happen. But my family had a free ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and it was amazing! Just remind yourself that you are in a new city and that in itself is pretty great. Always anticipate the worst but go with it like it is the best.

If you want to see a post like this for Washington D.C., let me know! Check out how my trip went here and some vlogs on YouTube.

What are your tips whenever you’re doing a short trip?