The best things to do in New York City: a plan for 1, 2 or 3 days

If you only have one day

Start in Central Park, and be specific about it: enter near Bethesda Terrace and wander north through the Ramble, the wooded middle of the park most visitors miss. Walk out the east side to The Metropolitan Museum of Art — if you only choose one museum, it is this one.

If the Met is too much for one afternoon, The Frick Collection a few blocks south is the quieter, more elegant counterpoint. In the evening, head to Grand Central Oyster Bar under the terminal for seafood and a martini in an old New York room, then downtown to the Comedy Cellar, the city's essential comedy club.

Two days: downtown on foot

Walk the High Line, an elevated park on an old rail line through Chelsea, then cut east to Washington Square Park for the best people-watching downtown. Get a slice at Joe's Pizza — the classic, no need to overcomplicate it — and browse The Strand Book Store near Union Square.

Spend the afternoon on the Lower East Side: book a tour at the Tenement Museum, then eat your way down the block — pastrami at Katz's Delicatessen, smoked fish and bagels at Russ & Daughters. For dinner, Via Carota in the West Village or Balthazar in SoHo, and finish with an ale at McSorley's Old Ale House.

Three days: the boroughs

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge to Dumbo in the morning — tourist-heavy, but still one of the great New York moments. Then pick your borough. In Queens, the Flushing Food Crawl is dumplings, noodles and bakeries for an afternoon. In the Bronx, Arthur Avenue has more old-school Italian character than Manhattan's Little Italy.

In the evening, see a show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, catch a dine-in movie at Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, or dress up for a drink at Bemelmans Bar, expensive and one of the great New York rooms.

Where to eat

• Katz's Delicatessen — pastrami, noise and Lower East Side history.
• Lucali — the serious Brooklyn pizza pilgrimage, in Carroll Gardens.
• Superiority Burger — a cult vegetarian counter in the East Village.
• Atomix — the high-end modern Korean tasting menu, if you are doing one big dinner.

Where to drink

New York happy hours are the best deal in a famously expensive drinking city — dollar-ish oysters, cheaper martinis and bar menus at rooms that cost a fortune at dinner. We keep a list of the best NYC happy hours by neighborhood, with what's on right now.

What's on while you're here

Fall brings the Village Halloween Parade and the New York City Marathon; November has the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and December the tree at Rockefeller Center and holiday markets across the city. For the dates on the week you visit, see things to do in NYC this weekend, updated every day.

Getting around

The subway goes nearly everywhere, all night. Tap a contactless card or phone at the OMNY readers instead of buying a MetroCard. From JFK, the AirTrain connects to the subway at Jamaica and Howard Beach. Manhattan above 14th Street is a grid and easy to walk; below it, and in Brooklyn, use a map.

When to go

Fall and late spring are the best: mild weather, full calendars and the parks at their best. December is crowded and festive. July and August are hot and humid, but the city is at its most relaxed and the summer events are free.

Save the plan — and bring people

The NYC Essentials pack drops all 25 of these onto your map in Whosly for free. Turn any of them into a plan, text the link, and see who's in — friends RSVP without the app.

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