Things to know before you go:
*Download NYC Subway
*Know and have a plan of where you want to go
*Bring a bag that you can keep in front of you at all times, and is easy to carry your cards and personal items for your safety.
*Bring hand warmers in the winter!
*For access/tickets to many places on this itinerary, order the GoCity or CITYPass for NYC depending on the activities you want to do. We originally thought we would use the Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour, so we went with GoCity, but we could have rode the subway and saved money through CityPASS instead.
Full Day Itinerary:
Stop 1: 9:00 AM Dropped Off at NYC at 8th Avenue Port Authority
641 8th Avenue, New York, New York 10036
We walked into the 8th Avenue Port Authority and got on to the subway. We followed the red #1 signs to Times Square- 42nd Street entry towards South Ferry.
Tips:
*The terminals do take debit/credit cards for you to tap and go for entry.
*I believe it was around $2 dollars to enter.
*The trains run about every 8 minutes from this stop.
We traveled from Times Square-42nd Street to South Ferry, which led us to Battery Park where the Statue of Liberty is located. This was the 12th stop and took about 25- 30 minutes. We arrived before our 10:00 time stamp for entry.
Stop 2: Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island
Once you arrive and exit, there are plenty of people and signs that will lead you to the Statue of Liberty.
The tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are available on GoCity and CITYPass for NYC. Please note: We did have to make reservations beforehand for a certain time, so you need to do this about a week or two prior to your visit.
The activities we did at this stop included:
*Visit Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (a ferry will take you to the Statue first, and then Ellis Island second)
*Ate lunch Ellis Cafe on Ellis Island (about $20 per person)- the food was OKAY, but not worth the money; however, it is a good lunch break spot.
Tips for Statue of Liberty/ Ellis Island:
*Stay towards the bottom of the boat if you would like to exit first, and middle of the boat if you want to exit quicker, but want a better view of the Statue of Liberty. The boarding and unloading is not a quick process with the load of people they allow on the boat at each stop.
*Allow 2-3 hours for this part of your day
*You can pay extra to surf the computers at Ellis Island for background information on your family, but you have to choose a time and it costs $$.
*You can also add extra on visit the top of the crown, but I don't think we would have had time with this itinerary.
Stop 3: 9/11 Memorial and Museum OR One World Observatory
Next, we walked around .6 miles to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum from Battery Park. You could also go back down to the subway and travel Line 1 from South Ferry to Cortlandt St. However, we found the walk to be fairly easy for everyone in our party.
Once we arrived, we also visited and observed the 9/11 Memorial, and then our group split into two as we didn't have time for both things and these were the activities we chose between:
*1st Group: One World Observatory
*2nd Group: 9/11 Museum
Tips:
*The One World Observatory is available on GoCity pass, but we had to get a time stamp/reservation time. The employees would not let people in earlier than their reservation time. Due to the other group having to wait on us, we went ahead and paid $15 per person and got immediate entry. This allowed us to go into a VIP line on the way up and the on way down, which saved us a lot of time. This was a really cool experience to be able to see a 360 view of NYC, but we had to rush through it due to time constraints. With the immediate entry, it did allow us to get a $15 voucher for food or souvenirs at the shop as well. We spent an hour or so at this attraction.
*The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is available with GoCity and CITYPass. The group who went there felt they had plenty of time, and said it was an amazing experience.
Therefore, if you don’t want to be rushed I would recommend the 9/11 museum, but bring your tissues!
Stop 4: Rockefeller Center
After this, we went to the subway on WTC Cortlandt, which is near the memorial and we rode the subway to 50 Street Broadway. Once we got off the train, we had to walk about 10-15 minutes to Rockefeller Center. It was Christmas time, so this was a top priority for us.
The activities included:
*Visit the Rockefeller Center for Christmas Tree Photo
*Look at shops, decorations, and the Radio City Music Hall
*6:45 Dinner Reservation at Bill’s Bar and Burger in Rockefeller (16 West 51st Street, New York, NY 10111)
Tips:
*I recommend getting a dinner reservation somewhere. Once we arrived at Bill's Bar and Burger they were telling walk in customers 2 hours, but we were able to be seated right away. You can use OpenTable app to help you with this! It is very easy. Bill's Bar was also a great choice for burger and chicken sandwich lovers! It was also on a quieter street in the center.
*The streets of Rockefeller are CRAZY (especially during the winter months), so make sure to hold jackets or hands with your group and hold small children.
Stop 6: Times Square
Last, we walked back to Time Square down the backside of Rockefeller. It was less than 10-15 minutes to walk. It wouldn't have been worth it to ride the subway. At Times Square we enjoyed:
*Times Square walk around and people watch, take pictures, visit shops, and explore the last part of 1 day tour as we like
*Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum- it was open until 10 PM on Saturday and is included on the GoCity Pass! Michael and I visited this and it was nice break from the large crowds, and it was truly amazing! I think it is the best one we have been to yet for wax figures. It was also near our pickup spot at the 8th Avenue Port Authority.
After all of this, we had about 30 minutes before our bus was heading out to head back to Kentucky, so we headed over to our pick up point for the long ride back.
It is definitely worth it to visit NYC if you have the chance, especially during the Christmas season! And if you aren’t a huge fan of the city, this itinerary is the perfect way to see the most of the city in 1 days quick full day trip! We accomplished all of these wonderful things in 13 hours!
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