Manhattan
The one you already pictured. Worth doing properly, once.
Manhattan is the borough everyone means when they say New York, which is exactly why the standard itinerary is a trap. Times Square is a screen you stand in front of. The good version of Manhattan is Central Park at 9am, the museums on a weekday, the High Line early, and neighborhoods — the West Village, the Lower East Side, Harlem — that reward walking rather than ticking off.
It is also the most expensive borough by a distance, and it doesn't have to be. Several of the great museums run pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents, Staten Island Ferry views are free, Shakespeare in the Park is free, and Central Park costs nothing and can absorb an entire day.
Streets are a grid above 14th Street, so you cannot really get lost. Below it, all bets are off.
Manhattan by season
Where to go changes with the weather. All four are here; the one you're in is marked.
Spring
March – MayCentral Park's cherries and the Conservatory Garden peak in April. The High Line replants. Perfect walking weather and the summer crowds have not arrived yet — this and fall are the two best months to be in Manhattan.
Worth walking: Upper West Side · West Village · Chelsea
Summer
June – AugustFree-culture season. Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, SummerStage in Central Park, Lincoln Center's Summer for the City, HARLEM WEEK across the first half of August, Bryant Park's outdoor programming. Hot, humid and crowded — do outdoor things early and museums in the afternoon.
Worth walking: Harlem · Upper West Side · Lower East Side
Fall
September – NovemberThe best month in the city is October. Central Park turns, the light gets low and clear, and every museum opens its serious autumn shows. Walking weather with no humidity.
Worth walking: Upper East Side · West Village · Harlem
Winter
December – FebruaryMuseum season, and the holiday windows and markets from late November through December are genuinely worth the crowds. January and February are cold, cheap and empty — the best time to get into the restaurants you couldn't book in October.
Worth walking: Midtown · Upper East Side · East Village
Free
Under $25
Worth paying for
Guides for Manhattan
A day here, the free list, and the neighborhoods worth an afternoon.
- One day in Manhattan without the tourist traps
- Three days in New York beyond Manhattan
- Free things to do in New York City
- Free things to do in Manhattan
- Chelsea: the High Line, two hundred free galleries and the West Village below
- New York in spring: what's actually good in March, April and May
- New York in summer: beaches, free concerts and how to survive the heat
- New York in fall: the best season, and what to do with it
- New York in winter: the museums, the free skating and the empty parks
- Watching the New York City Marathon: where to stand and how to get around
- Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: where to stand and when to get there
Getting to Manhattan
You are probably already here. Manhattan is where nearly every subway line converges and where all three airport routes land.
From JFK: AirTrain to Jamaica, then the E to Midtown, about 60 minutes total. From LaGuardia: the Q70 bus to Jackson Heights, then the E, F, M or R, about 45 minutes. From Newark: AirTrain to Newark Airport station, then NJ Transit to Penn Station, about 45 minutes.
Once here, the grid means walking is often faster than anything else for under 15 blocks.