48 hours in NEW YORK
IT IS relatively easy to get around Manhattan. There is little point, however, in asking a taxi driver to take you somewhere from an address alone – with the grid system, you will need the cross street. However, this is usually easy to work out, as street numbers go west or east from 5th Avenue, with numbers from 1 to 100 being the first block, 101 to 200 the second, and so on (plus, even numbers are on the north side, odd on the south). Timing is also simple – with the grid system it takes about one minute to walk a block. One warning: with the recent drop in the value of the pound, New York is no longer as cheap, so be prepared to spend some serious cash.
DAY 1
9am Start the day by making your way down to the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue and wander down 6th Avenue into the West Village. Make your way west along W 11th Street to Tartine, a small café bakery on the corner of 4th Street (253 W 11th).
10am After breakfast, carry on west until you reach the bustling Meatpacking District. Have a stroll along the High Line, the wonderful linear park created on the old raised New York Central railroad that starts at Gansevoort Street and runs to 34th Street. Double back after half an hour or so to return to Gansevoort Street.
11am Head for the nearby Whitney Museum (99 Gansevoort Street). The collection of 20th- and 21st-century American art moved to this ultra-modern building designed by Renzo Piano (of The Shard fame) in 2015, and contains works by many of the greatest names in modern art.
1pm Have lunch at one of the many great restaurants in the Meatpacking District. All budgets are catered for here, but a particular favourite is Fig & Olive (420 W 13th Street).
2pm Head south down nearby 9th Avenue until you hit Bleecker Street, one of the city’s most attractive shopping streets. It is also home to the original Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker Street) and its famous cupcakes – as loved by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City.
Must-see sights, world-class food, amazing shops – New York has them all. If time is short, here’s how to make the most of two days in the Big Apple
3.30pm Make your way to the subway station on Christopher Street, and catch a train to South Ferry on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. From there take the Staten Island Ferry. This is the best way to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty – and the trip is free. Just turn around and head straight back after you reach Staten Island.
5pm Head to Ground Zero and the haunting memorial to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. If you have the energy, continue on east to the Brooklyn Bridge. Stroll along to the middle for some of the best views of downtown Manhattan.
7pm It’s time for dinner in Chinatown. The choice of restaurants is extraordinary – a particular favourite is the Nom Wah Tea Parlor (13 Doyers Street) for delicious all-day dim sum.
9pm onwards If you are still standing and fancy a pre-bed cocktail, head to the Up & Up (116 MacDougal Street), a cool bar in a basement just off Washington Square.
DAY 2
9am Start on the Upper East Side at Zabar’s (2245 Broadway and 80th Street), the Jewish deli that’s a New York institution. Pick up some breakfast – bagels, or the famous savoury knishes – and head east to Central Park, Manhattan’s largest green space.
10am Across the park on 5th Avenue is the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, one of the world’s greatest museums. You could spend all day here, but, with time limited, two hours is enough for a taster.
Midday Jump into a cab for the corner of 5th Avenue and E 59th Street and some of the world’s greatest stores, from Bergdorf Goodman to Tiffany & Co. Stroll down 5th Avenue and head for lunch. Try Bill’s Bar & Burger (16 W 51st Street) – but come with an appetite!
2pm You are already in the Rockefeller Center, with its striking art deco towers clustered around 30 Rockefeller Plaza of
30 Rock fame, and home to TV channel NBC’s new studios, as well as the Rainbow Room. The panorama of the city from the building’s Top of the Rock viewing platform is breathtaking and probably better than those from the Empire State Building. Buy tickets in advance online to avoid queueing.
4pm Another iconic New York City sight is Times Square (named after the newspaper The New York Times) on Broadway between 47th and 42nd Streets – a must-stop for a selfie.
5pm Head east along 42nd, the heart of New York’s theatreland, and skirt along Bryant Park and the magnificent New York Public Library – the lions flanking its entrance were named Patience and Fortitude during the Great Depression to help buck up New Yorkers. Cross over 5th Avenue, and carry on to Grand Central Station. With its glorious ceiling over the main concourse depicting the constellations, this is one of the world’s most magnificent transport hubs.
6pm Fortify yourself with a drink in The Campbell (15 Vanderbilt Avenue), a gorgeous bar located in the former offices of one of the station’s directors.
7pm The Capital Grille (155 E 42nd Street) serves delicious steaks just minutes from Grand Central in the Chrysler Center, home of the Chrysler Building, often considered the most beautiful skyscraper ever built.
9.30pm For a post-dinner nightcap, walk to the St Regis Hotel (2 E 55th Street) and its King Cole Bar, dominated by a mural by Maxfield Parrish, depicting Old King Cole. For authenticity, ask for a Bloody Mary: this is said to be the first place in the US to have served the cocktail.