How to see New York City in 5 days

Ok fine, I am a liar.

Have you ever been to New York City? It’s quite small, but on every other level besides actual size, it is massive. No seriously. I am not sure you could see everything in this city if you lived here for 20 years. But still, hear me out alright?

When I began planning this trip, I knew there were a lot of things that I wanted to do… like about a thousand, but we were going to be there for 5 days so I knew I had to come up with a plan in order to do and see everything on my list.

After many spreadsheets and lists (you probably think I am kidding…), I came up with 4 mostly full days of activities, sights to see and places to eat. Obviously we did not see everything in Manhattan as I honestly don’t think you could do this even if you lived there- we had a great time and thought we experienced the city in a great way.

Day 1- Get yo butt to NYC

Our travel day was going to be pretty long, with the time change and 4+ hour flight, we knew we would arrive late at night. After a thunderstorm delayed us 2 more hours we arrived at the fabulous Parker Meridien Hotel and basically ran (no, seriously) into Burger Joint, located in the lobby. A cool, 90’s vibe, hole in the wall where you order at the counter and get a deal on beer and wine had the BEST BURGERS EVER.

The view from our hotel room at The Parker Meridien.

Day 2- Midtown, Central Park & Tao

Our first full day was spent touring midtown Manhattan- this included 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Centre, Central Park and Times Square. Lucky enough for us (also, due to my intense planning), our hotel was within walking distance to all of these attractions.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Dress: Aritzia, Sunglasses: Gucci, Purse: Chanel, Shoes: Converse

We went to Rockefeller Centre and to the Top of The Rock. If you go here I highly suggest purchasing tickets beforehand with the VIP option as the lines are insanely long. Seriously I cannot stress the VIP option enough- we literally got to walk by tons and tons of people and get first dibs on the elevators to the top. The whole process probably took 15 minutes to get to the top.

View from the Top of The Rock

Next was Central Park, where we got on a pedicab and were toured around by a local. We saw the Friends fountain (apparently also called Cherry Hill Fountain to normal people), the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain (AKA where Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf got married) and the John Lennon memorial Strawberry fields. We also saw the gorgeous buildings and residences of the upper east and west sides and were hopeful that one day we could live there until our tour guide told us that most apartments are over $20 million dollars and you must be approved by the co-op boards. Apparently Mariah Carey and Madonna have been turned down…. but yeah, they would probably accept me, so I will keep that in my dreams (once I win $20+ million dollars and can, you know, afford it?).

John Lennon’s memorial in Central Park, Strawberry Fields

After this, we strolled down to Times Square and were intensely overwhelmed by the crowds of people and intense heat and humidity. It was really cool to see once, but I would suggest not spending a ton of time here and definitely not eating here. Most of the restaurants are chains and are quite overpriced.

I am a self-proclaimed foodie, so I scoped out all of the places I wanted to go beforehand. For our first “real” dinner we went to Tao Uptown. It was within walking distance from our hotel and the food was amazing. If you ever go in either NYC, LA or Vegas get the pad Thai and the duck for 2. Seriously, just do it, I promise it’s amazing.

Dinner outfit to Tao. Dress: Fashion Nova, Purse: Gucci, Shoes: Steve Madden

Day 3- 9/11 Memorial, Financial District & Pool Day

We started our day by visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. This morning it was rainy and gloomy and we basically sunk into a depression by visiting the museum. I learned so much and got quite emotional going through and reading about everything and all of the individuals involved and all of the innocent people who’s lives were taken far too soon. I would highly recommend visiting.

Afterwards, we walked to the Financial district where we saw the Charging Bull, The NYSE and Wall Street. We had lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in New York, Delmonico’s, which was amazing.

Wall Street outfit. Dress: Rag & Bone, Purse: Chanel, Sunglasses: Gucci

After all of the walking we did, we decided to hit up the rooftop pool at our hotel. Let’s just say space is small in Manhattan but things can still have quite the impact. The pool is indoors which is nice for colder months. There is then an outdoor terrace to sunbathe in the warmer months with an amazing view.

Sunbathing on the 41st floor rooftop terrace

For dinner we went to the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. Seriously, this was so beautiful. The service and food were amazing. We then got a gondola ride around the lake afterwards which was basically the most romantic and adorable thing ever. Being in the park surrounded by sky scrapers and lights is such a different feeling.

Dress: Simon’s, Shoes: Michael Kors, Purse: GucciView from our gondola ride around the lake

Day 4- Upper West Side & Phantom of the Opera

We spend the morning strolling through the upper west side, visiting classic Seinfeld landmarks and eventually eating brunch at this amazing placed called The Mermaid Inn. If you know me, you should know I am a mermaid, so this made my day pretty damn great. We also waited in line at Levain Bakery for about 20 minutes to get the tastiest cookies we had ever tried. So delicious and so worth it.

Mermaid Morgan happier than ever
Brunch at the Mermaid InnBrunch outfit. Dress: Simons, Purse: Gucci, Shoes: Jimmy ChooThe best cookie ever at Levain Bakery

At night, we had rooftop cocktails and snacks at Haven before heading to see Phantom of the Opera on broadway. It was fantastic and I loved it!

Phantom of the Opera outfit. Dress: Fashion Nova, Purse & Shoes: Saint Laurent

Day 5- Grand Central Station, Bagels & Hudson River Dinner Cruise

During our last day we strolled through Grand Central Station and I made every single Gossip Girl joke ever. If you don’t remember that the beginning of the series starts with Serena coming back to NYC after running away and is seen in Grand Central then you probably have a life and are most likely nowhere near as big of a nerd as me.

We then stood in line at Ess-a-Bagel for 45 minutes (there is obviously a theme here)  before getting some old-fashioned bagel sandwiches. Honestly, it was worth it. I am 400 lbs at heart.

Bacon, egg and cheese bagel. Not pictured: dunking it into homemade jalapeño cream cheesePretending I am Serena Van der Woodsen in Grand Central Station. Romper: Self Portrait, Purse: Gucci

Our last night was definitely my favourite. We set sail on a Hudson River Dinner Cruise and got to watch the sun set against Manhattan. We also saw the Statue of Liberty up close while enjoying a delicious three course meal with wine pairings. The whole evening was amazingly romantic and beautiful. I highly recommend this!

Watching the sunset. Dress: BCBG, Purse: Saint LaurentFrist course: tuna tartar and goat cheese tarts with a rosé pairingLady LibertyStatue of Liberty at Sunset

New York City was amazing and a total blast! Let me know where you want to visit in NYC or what your favourite thing was when you visited!

Thank you for reading my first blog post!

xo