Our Family’s Perfect 3 Days in New York City
Last winter when I was recording the audio version of I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet, my publisher asked me to add one thing as an exclusive for audio listeners—an interview, an extra essay—anything, really. What I did was an extremely rambling, very passionate should-have-been-ten-minutes-but-omg-it-was-35-minutes all about our family’s perfect three days in NYC. I love getting messages from people who’ve listened to it and done a few (or all!) of the things we recommended, and for ages I’ve been meaning to put it in written form. Today, at long last, is that day!
First, all the disclaimers: this is very subjective, we’ve only lived here for four years, we’re not experts, three days isn’t nearly long enough, it completely depends on the ages of your kids, etc etc etc.
I feel like I want to make twenty different three-day itineraries at least, and I know I’ve packed in way too many restaurant options—restaurant recommendations being one of my primary love languages, as you know. I’m tempted to keep adding, keep tinkering, keep footnoting, but if I know anything about writing, it’s that at a certain point, you just have hit publish…
So here we are: Three Perfect Days in NYC:
Day One: Chelsea & the Highline
Start at Le Bergamote for coffee and a croissant.
We especially recommend their almond croissant and pain au chocolate. Consider getting a baguette for later in the day because they always sell out and why wouldn’t you want a really really good baguette in your tote bag for later?
The Highline—a beautiful city park that used to be elevated train tracks running north-south along the Hudson with tons of different kinds of plants & flowers & art installations. Get on at 20th or 23rd and head north to Hudson Yards.
The Edge at Hudson Yards—Of all the observation decks in the city—including Empire State Building, Freedom Tower—this is our favorite, and we recommend that you go early in your visit, so that you get sense of the city’s geography right away. To get to the Edge, you enter through the mall at Hudson Yards, and it’s not a bad idea to get tickets ahead of time online. The observation deck is open air, but the glass goes up really high so it’s not scary.
Get back on the Highline and head south to Chelsea Market for lunch. Chelsea Market is a great food hall in the old Nabisco cookie factory. Our family favorites: Henry loves Los Tacos—many people call Los Tacos the best tacos in NYC, and we do not disagree. I go just around the corner to their sister restaurant Los Mariscos for a spicy shrimp taco and a Paloma. William gets a margherita slice and a lemon soda from Filaga Pizza, and Aaron loves Ting’s for enormous portions of Jamaican jerk chicken and rice.
Also at Chelsea Market, Posman Books: our favorite neighborhood bookstore—great books but also great gift-y stuff…pens, posters, cards, postcards, etc.
After the market, hop back on the Highline and head south to visit either the Whitney or Little Island (or both!)
The Whitney Museum is a contemporary art museum that always has interesting exhibits and also absolutely gorgeous city views from the cafe.
Little Island is a new city park built out over the river—the cement supports were created to look like lily pads. Super cool!
If you need an afternoon coffee or a quick cocktail stop, the patio and lobby at the Highline Hotel are perfect. There’s a double-decker bus that serves Intelligentsia on the patio, and the bartender Michael makes a delicious Manhattan. Bonus: very good dog-watching.
Dinner in Chelsea:
Shukette: my favorite restaurant right now, and we looooooove that it’s right in our neighborhood. Get the labneh and the frena, the cauliflower and the pickles, and either the steak or the lamb. Also: the mic drop—tahini soft serve with halvah floss and toppings that change by season. AMAZING.
Cookshop: same restaurant group as Shukette, and speaking of seasons, Cookshop has been doing seasonal farm-to-table since before it was a thing, and everything’s great. We always get a pizza to share, we love their oysters, and they’re famous for their cinnamon rolls at brunch.
Juban: our favorite sushi spot— we love the artwork and their mushroom noodle dish—sometimes it’s not on the menu, but you can always ask for it.
Empire Diner: classic silver dining car. Perfect wedge salad, very good French fries. William loves their mac & cheese, and the Empire Sundae is not to be missed.
Day Two: Central Park & Broadway
Start at American Museum of Natural History—of Night at the Museum fame, and our family’s favorite museum. It’s laid out in beautiful vignettes that feel almost like enormous dioramas, and my favorite museum room anywhere in the world is the Whale Room—truly, truly magical.
Lunch at Shake Shack at 77th and Columbus. Shack Burgers are officially my second-favorite burger in all the world (Au Cheval is first, and what I like about both is the thin patties—all the more room for lots & lots of condiments!) (We also recommend the Madison Square original Shake Shack, if you find yourself in that part of town.)
After lunch, stop in to Levain Bakery: famous for their cookies—very big and very delicious.
And then, Central Park: Enter the park at the West 72nd Street entrance to Strawberry Fields—the John Lennon Memorial. From there, make sure you check out Bethesda Fountain, the Bow Bridge, and Belvedere Castle. The park is enormous, and you could easily spend an entire day (or a week!) there, but at the very least, visit those four spots—all in the Mid 70s, mostly on the west side.
Right at this very moment, the shows we’re hearing the most about are Hadestown, & Juliet, Sweeney Todd, and Parade. But especially with kids, Wicked, Lion King and Cursed Child are classics.
Where to eat before a show: Longo Bros or Capizzi—both in Hell’s Kitchen, both cozy Italian. Great spots if you’re coming down from the park: Quality Bistro and Meatball Shop—Oh, Meatball Shop! There used to be one right in our neighborhood, and we’re still not over it…total kid AND parent favorite :)
Day 3: Brooklyn Bridge & Downtown
Take the subway to Brooklyn Bridge High Street, and walk across the bridge back to Manhattan. Gorgeous view of the city, but short enough to be do-able for little kids. Walk up Mott Street through Chinatown (and depending on how early in the morning you left, it might not yet be lunchtime, but that’s never stopped me from popping into Wo Hop for an order or two of dumplings) and then through Little Italy, and on to Nolita (one of our favorite neighborhoods) for a late lunch.
Nolita favorites:
Aaron & Henry would send you to Habana for Cuban food, especially their rope vieja and plantains. But William & I think you should get slices at Prince St Pizza—some of the best slices in the city.
We’re all in favor of Little Cupcake Shop—Aaron recommends their gluten-free baked goods.
Mc Nally Jackson—an institution, one of our favorite bookstores in the city. Also lots of other great shops, like Clare V, Sezane, Le Labo, Cuyana.
After you’re finished in Nolita, walk north to Washington Square Park—of Henry James and Edward Hopper fame, also the center of the NYU campus. Wild, vibrant, beautiful—and a good play area for kids in the southwest corner, and surprisingly non-terrible bathrooms also in that corner. :)
Dinner on Greenwich Ave—one of our favorite streets, our go-to area for a quick date night or family dinner out, lots of great spots: among them, Le Baratin, Rosemary’s, Tea & Sympathy—a Henry favorite. Also, Mah-Ze-Dahr for a coffee and baked goods on the way back to your hotel.
Okay, phew! Yes, your legs will be falling-off tired, and yes, you need a salad, a green juice, and seven naps, but I hope you fell in love with this amazing city the same way we have!
And if you need more restaurant recommendations (I know, I know), here are a few of my favorites.
XO—S :)