1 day in New York: NYC's highlights

Manhattan is densely packed with sights to see, and one day will only allow for the most important "must-see" places. This itinerary is divided in sections that could be done of foot. You have to use subway to travel between them.

Central Park 

Start your day exploring Central Park. The Park is very big, so you will be able to see only a small part of it. Spend about an hour walking around the south side of the Park that starts at 59th Street. Meander through its maze and admire the views. Exit at the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street.

• Central Park -- the First Landscaped Park in the Nation

Midtown/5th Avenue area

This is the most glamorous part of town with major landmarks, fancy stores and beautiful architecture. Most of the sites are located along 5th Avenue between 59th and 42nd streets and arranged as if you are walking south from 59th Street. This should take you about 2 hours. After you are done, you can take subway from the Grand Central Terminal to Fulton Street (4 or 5 train) to explore Downtown/FiDi

• The Plaza  -- Where Nothing Unimportant Ever Happens (59th Street)
• Tiffany's -- Tiffany Blue (57th Street)
• The St. Regis -- What do Napoleon, Dalí and Marilyn Monroe have in common? (55th Street)
• St. Thomas — Medieval Church on 5th Avenue (54th Street)
• Cartier Building — a  Pearl of Fifth Avenue (52nd Street)
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral  -- one spectacular folly! (51st Street)
• ​Rockefeller Center -- a City Within a City (bw 49th and 50th Street)
• Saks Fifth Avenue — “a Guarantee of High Style” (bw 49th and 50th Street)
• Fred F. French Building  -- “Mesopotamian” in Manhattan (45th Street)
• New York Public Library  -- Lions, books, and philanthropy (42nd Street)
• Grand Central Terminal — a Beaux-Arts Masterpiece (42nd Street and Park Ave)
• The Chrysler Building  —  The most spectacular Art Deco silhouette in the city (42nd Street and Lexington Ave)
• The Empire State Building  —  The Eighth Wonder of the World saved by a Hollywood movie ( bw 33rd and 34th Streets and 5th Ave)
• Bryant Park  -- The location of the first American World Fair (bw 40th and 42nd Streets behind Public Library). ​

​Downtown/Financial District/Wall Street area

This is the most historic part of town, the city started here in the 17th century as a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam. This is where the American Revolution was brewing and where the first institutions of the new republic were located. This is the location of world-renown Wall Street - the financial center of the world as well as the World Trade Center. This walk should take you about 2 hours.
​Finish at the World Trade Center, where you can take a train (1, 2, or 3) to Times Square from the Oculus. 

• Wall Street  -- a tiny street with a big history
• Federal Hall — over 300 years of American History (located on Wall Street)
• Trinity Church  — on Wall Street since 17th century (located on Wall Street)
• New York Stock Exchange  — a Roman temple with glass walls (located on the corner of Wall and Broad Street)
• Castle Clinton  -- the first immigration station
• St. Paul’s — a Chapel Older than the United States
• Charging Bull  — One Giant Christmas Present
• Brooklyn Bridge — The oldest and the most beautiful
• Statue of Liberty  — an American Colossus​
• The Municipal Building — a Beaux-Arts Skyscraper
• New York City Hall — one of the oldest continuously operated city halls in the nation
• The Woolworth Building -- “Cathedral of Commerce”
• Fraunces Tavern — Where George Washington gave a farewell dinner for his officers
• World Trade Center
• The Oculus — innovation, tradition, and a tremendous expense
• South Street Sea Port 

Midtown/Times Square 

With typical modesty, the New Yorkers call Times Square 'The Crossroads of the World'. If it's not central to the whole world, it is pretty central to the island of Manhattan. Times Square is located in the heart of New York Theater District, hosting around 40 Broadway theaters. This is a good place to finish your day of sightseeing and catch a show or have a dinner in one of many restaurants. You might want to check out West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, known as the Restaurant Row.

• Theater District and Times Square — the Crossroads of the World in a shape of a bowtie