24 hours in New York
New York in just 24 hours. Where to start? You could spend 24 hours in any one of the city’s neighborhoods! But one of the most amazing things about this city is that it’s different for everybody, because everybody creates their own experience.
Text and Photos: Sofía Verzbolovskis
8:00 A.M.
We start on the Upper East Side with breakfast at Café Sabarsky on the ground floor of the Neue Galerie. This café, housed in one of the city’s most venerable buildings, feels like old Vienna. It was designed in 1914 by Carrère & Hastings, the same firm that designed the New York Public Library. After an Austrian breakfast —anything but light— we move on to a tour of Central Park. The park has many different areas, each one unique, but a paddle around the Reservoir is a must.
10:00 A.M.
At The Met, the city’s most elegant and majestic museum, you can easily spend a whole day visiting one magical corner after another. But we don’t have all day, so I recommend a visit to the Greek and Roman sculpture wing, which is my personal favorite.
12:00 A.M.
Washington Square Park, in the heart of Greenwich Village, is one of the best places to sit and watch the city’s incredibly diverse population passing by. Next, walk through the Soho and Nolita neighborhoods, filled with shops, bookstores like McNally Jackson, and emblematic flat iron buildings.
2:00 P.M.
There’s no shortage of delicious and distinctive restaurants in New York, but Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria is among the best Italian options, with creative yet simple dishes featuring fresh ingredients. But one man’s meat is another man’s poison, so others may prefer the Thai Diner, which for my money is the best Thai restaurant in Manhattan.
4:00 P.M.
Photography lovers will enjoy the International Center of Photography, a new space on the Lower East Side that hosts exhibits of old and contemporary photography. And right across the street is the new Essex Street Market, a European-style food market with cheese shops, bakeries, Japanese produce, and restaurants. The Lower East Side is Manhattan’s hippest neighborhood, with graffiti on every block and independent galleries surrounded by bars and restaurants.
6:00 P.M.
To appreciate Manhattan, you should also see it from a distance. I recommend taking the subway to the unique Domino Park, which opened in 2018, where the old 19th-century Domino Sugar Factory used to stand. Still visible are the original brick buildings where, until 2004, some of the largest amounts of sugar in the United States were processed. The Williamsburg Bridge can be seen to one side and the park offers a privileged view of the Empire State Building and the skyscrapers of Manhattan. This view is perfect for enjoying with a cocktail at sunset, so head for the rooftop of the Wythe Hotel a few blocks away.
8:00 P.M.
And after a cocktail it’s time to eat, so just go downstairs to Le Crocodile, a French brasserie on the ground floor of the Wythe, or walk over to Café Mogador for Moroccan tagine, bastille, and labne. Don’t forget to make a reservation!
10:30 P.M.
The night is young! Don’t miss a trip to the Blue Note, which has been one of the city’s most iconic jazz clubs since 1981. The club has a cozy but lively atmosphere and has a long history of welcoming prominent jazz figures such as Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Charles.
7:00 A.M.
Say farewell to New York with an authentic breakfast of classic bagels from Russ & Daughters, a Lower East Side institution for over a hundred years.
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