My teenage son and I are excited to be heading to NYC for a 3-night trip later this month. I was last there in 2016, and this is his first trip. We are flying into LGA and staying at the Archer. Our general goal is to see some of the highlights but maintain enough flexibility/open time to take advantage of spontaneous experiences. The only tickets we have purchased now are to see American Utopia at the St. James on 9/24. So far we plan to (in no particular order at this point) explore Central Park, walk the High Line down to Greenwich Village and shop/dine/explore there, go to Grand Central Station, go to MoMA, visit some of the city's renowned bookstores, see the 9/11 Memorial (not the museum), and take the Staten Island Ferry for Statute of Liberty views (we decided against the Ellis Island trip due to the time commitment). I would appreciate any input on the above itinerary along with these questions:

- Would you recommend Uber or a car service to/from LGA?
- Is Little Island worth a detour from the High Line?
- Optimal time to see Grand Central without massive crowds?
- Optimal time for MoMA, recommended 2ish hour itinerary there, and comments on in-museum dining spots or recommended restaurants nearby?
- Recommended bagel places for my bagel-loving son?
- Is the Museum of the Moving Image worth the trip from Midtown? My son is a complete movie buff.

Thank you all!

I would advise you to walk north on the High Line rather than south, to avoid having the sun in your eyes.

Alas, Grand Central is seldom crowded these days.

I'm a fan of Tal Bagels.

Hi, Bsr112712, my late DH and I had a fun 3-day trip. It was in 2009 so DO double-check what's still current:

Our favorite things:
Friday: Ellen's Stardust Diner
"39 Steps" [On Broadway at the time]
Sardi's

Saturday: Coney Island
Nathan's hot dogs
NY Aquarium
Met Museum
Carina restaurant
Elaine's

Sunday: Intrepid Museum

I didn't expect to enjoy the Intrepid so much. This is the report, FYI:

NYC trip report-Short on time, Long on fun!

Please let everyone know all about your trip.

TDudette,

Thank you! My son actually mentioned Coney Island but I thought that was too far from our East Midtown base for a 3-night trip, and I wasn't sure exactly what the draw was, but you have me reconsidering!

We went by subway from Columbus Circle....not sure about subway from your location. Check online for buses also. Can others help!

The High Line from North to South has the benefit of ending at the Chelsea Market, with many food choices.

We thought Little Island was worth the detour. We happened to be there on a lovely summer day.

Sounds like a fun trip.

Since you will be using the subway, I advise that you don't make the mistake a lot of visitors do - getting the $3.00 single fare card from the MetroCard vending machines.

First of all, the booths no longer do any transactions (due to COVID-19).

In using the MetroCard machines there is a 2 transaction limit per day, system wide, when using the same debit or credit card.
The machines will only doone transaction at a time.

If using cash in the vending machine the maximum amount of change the machine will give is $9.00. If the change amount due is higher the machine will suggest a MetroCard at a higher amount. If using cash have some $10 or $5 bills.

Also do not choose the $9.00 MetroCard as you would have to add more money to bring it to full fares. (Select MetroCard and then Buy a new card).
​​​​
My recommendation is get a regular MetroCard (there will be a one time fee of $1 for a new card). Put at least $11.00 on the card - that will cover 2 fares for each of you (the fare is $2.75).
You can add more value at any time using the MetroCard machines (MetroCard and then Refill my card).. If the amount you want to put on the card is not shown on the screen of machine thenchoose 'other amount' and enter the amount on the screen.

Examples:

2 fares 5.50
4 fares 11.00
6 fares 16.50
8 fares 22.00

​​​​​​​Enjoy your stay .

​​​​​

In addition to the Staten island ferry you might enjoy the east river ferry. It goes across the river to the area under the Brooklyn bridge. Lots of good views of the Manhattan skyline.
https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-sch...te/east-river/
Many people enjoy walking across the bridge.

its interesting to wander through different neighborhoods like Chinatown, the lower East side and Little italy.

as an alternative to Ellis island you might consider the excellent Lower East Side Tenement museum. Note you have to reserve tours and the indoor ones require proof of vaccination

Why not just a taxi from the airport?

I would take a taxi from the airport as well.

Taxi or Carmel Car from LGA.
Our grandson loved the Museum of the Moving Image , probably his favorite place along with MoMA. It is easy to get to the Museum of the Moving Image by subway from Manhattan.We spent most of a day there.
MoMA- two hours ? No, you need more time there just for a highlights tour. There may be lines, usually are, to enter. Two hours would not begin to give you the value of your tickets.
Bagels- Es-a- Bagel, Murray’s, Zabars
I used Grand Central Terminal( not Station) for years. You want to look at the newly restored ceiling with the constellations on it, some of the other areas. An hour at most. Lunch at the Oyster Bar is great if you love oysters and seafood like we do.
Walk down to the Greenwich Village on the Highline which ends at 14th Street. When it ends , keep walking south into heart of the west Village. Is there any way you can extend your trip a few days?
Forget Coney Island on this short trip. He will want to return.
Use the free Staten Island Ferry to get views of the Statue of Liberty and NYC skyline.25 minutes each way.Best deal in NYC!

In Greenwich Village be sure to stop at the place that introduced cappuccino to NY, the iconic Caffe Reggio. The ambiance there will take you back 100 years - in a good way. Have the cappuccino and an Italian pastry. Skip the food.
I agree to skip Coney Island on this trip.

If tou are at all interested in the history of Grand Central, is worth taking an audio tour. It is a magnificent building. It was threatened with demolition and here was a big campign to save it when i lived in NYC in the 1970s

Thank you to everyone for the incredibly helpful responses! I read somewhere that the LGA taxi pick-up point was difficult to get to due to construction, but must be outdated info.

We had no trouble getting a taxi from the Delta terminal at LaGuardia this summer.(dropping of the rental car was another story, it's horrible.) But in the city, Uber was very expensive and sometimes it was hard to find a taxi, so definitely get ready to do the subway. Wish we had known that trick about the subway cards as I just paid $3 every time. The subway was pretty empty as well but it was August. No telling what it will be like when you are there. There's now a Harry Potter store in the Flatiron district. Only go if you are a huge Harry Potter fan. It was very crowded. You have to scan a QR code and then wait around to get into the store whenever your time is ready. and then you have an hour to get back to the store. For the Little Island, you might need tickets/reservations depending on what time of day you will be there.

My 9 year old loved The Color Factory. we also did The Museum of Ice Cream and we both liked the Color Factory better. I think the museum of Ice cream is for little kids really. We also really enjoyed the USS Intrepid. Spent a couple of hours roaming all over it.

We also did the Empire State Building on a Saturday night. I had made reservations but we were able to walk right on. No lines or maybe a 5 minute wait. Definitely worth doing.

And I don't see Broadway on your list. Supposedly Broadway is back. Even if musicals or shows are not your thing, they are a New York thing and you should look into one that you might actually enjoy.

Agree with taxi from LGA but if you decide to go with ride share option we found Lyft to be cheaper than Uber and very reliable.
If you do make it down to the West Village a great place for a casual meal is Tavern on Jane at the corner of 8th and Jane just a few blocks from the subway stop at 14th St and 8th Av in a neighborhood several big name celebs call home but which has a down to earth vibe. Never had anything there that wasn't very good - fish and chips is a fave - and the french fries are great. And if you want some great Chinese food in a hole in the wall that feels like something in a Beijing hutong without the tourist trappings of Chinatown, Asian 59 at 207 E 59th is excellent. Ambience is 0.5 but food is 10+ Not far from Bloomingdale's.

Oh, and be sure to take your proof of COVID vaccine cards with you - you will be asked to show to gain entry to most public venues. You can also download to your mobile phone the NYC COVID Safe app which lets you upload your photo ID and vax card.We used it extensively, easier than digging out the paper card.

I agree about the COVID vaxx card.

I forgot to mention something regarding the MetroCard.

The 'Regular' (pay per ride) card can handle up to 4 people (as long as you have the money loaded on it). If you had 5 people and tried to use it for the 5th person you would see a 'Just Used' message on the little window on the turnstile. In using the card for more than one person it makes no difference if you swipe it in the turnstile each time or you go first and hand it back to the next person in your group.

(Swipe is the term used to describe the sliding of the MetroCard in the slot on the top of the turnstile).

I would choose the American Museum of Natural History over the MOMA. I have heard that the MOMA isn't as good as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

That has to depend on the interests of the viewer, SFTravelGirl. 😇