Granted, you could probably write a separate bucket list for each of New York’s boroughs and by just visiting the city alone, you will never be able to discover all the neighborhoods, bars, and restaurants (unless you take a New York gap year I suppose). I assure you, there are better, longer, and more detailed New York bucket lists out there. But maybe some of you don’t have the time or energy to read through all the 1000 New York bucket lists out there - or you’re looking for the 10001 bucket list from your average Bavarian girl. So here is my take on the New York bucket list!
SIGHTS
Statue of Liberty
Brooklyn Bridge
Empire State Building
Times Square
Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock
9/11 Memorial & 1 World Trade Center
Flatiron Building
Grand Central Terminal
Coney Island
Roosevelt Island
Vessel
The Oculus
MUSEUMS
MoMa
Metropolitan Museum of Art (take the EmptyMet tour!)
Guggenheim Museum
American Museum of Natural History
The Jewish Museum
Madame Tussauds
Federal Hall
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
Whitney Museum of American Art
EVENTS
Ride a helicopter over the city
See a show on Broadway
See a Yankees game
Go to a New York Comedy Show
Ice skate in Central Park
TriBeCa film festival
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve
Aire Ancient Baths
Staten Island Ferry
See live Jazz at Lincoln Center
Witness Manhattanhenge
Ride the Roosevelt Island Tramway
Christmas spectacular at Radio City Music Hall
Pillow fight in Union Square on International Pillow Fight Day
BOROUGHS & MY FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOODS
Bronx
Woodlawn
City Island
Belmont
Queens
Long Island City
Corona
Astoria
The Rockaways
Manhattan
SoHo
East Village
TriBeCa
Chelsea
Little Italy
Upper East Side
Brooklyn
Fort Greene
Downtown Brooklyn
DUMBO
Brooklyn Heights
Prospect Heights
Bay Ridge
Park Slope
Williamsburg
Staten Island
St. George
South Beach and Midland
PARKS
Central Park
Washington Square Park
High Line
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Bryant Park
The Battery
New York Botanical Garden
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Riverside Park
Prospect Park
BARS
Brooklyn Brewery
Bar Nine
Spyglass Rooftop Bar
Frying Pan
Please Don’t Tell
Dead Rabbit
Mace
Pokito
Dutch Kills
Ghost Donkey
Attaboy
Apotheke
Dear Irving on Hudson
Torst
Evil Twin Brewing
Dante
Summerly at the Hoxton
Refinery Rooftop
EATS & TREATS
New York Bagel
Chelsea Market
New York-style cheesecake
Smorgasburg food market
DeKalb Market Hall
sushi donut from Poketeria
Waffles and Dinges kiosk
Pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen
Pizza slice from Prince St. Pizza
Economy Candy
RESTAURANTS
Moonrise Izakaya
Sylvia’s
Red Rooster
deep indian kitchen (indikitch)
Jack’s Wife Freda
Adda
Ugly Baby
Dirty Candy
Los Tacos No. 1
Oxomoco
Smor
Mercado Little Spain
Terenga
Upland
Lucali
Atoboy
Lilia
NIGHTLIFE
Le Bain
Avant Gardner
The Box
1Oak
Bossa Nova Civic Club
Elsewhere
THE DAY TRIP SPECIAL
Fire Island, Long Island
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Phoenicia, New York
Greenport, Long Island
Hudson Valley, New York
The Hamptons, New York
While I might never be able to visit and list all the bars and all the restaurants and all the top secret New York tips, I am curious to hear about your favorites and if you think there is something I definitely missed!
Kate recommends: Granted, it took me a while to get through what might be John Dos Passos’ greatest novel Manhattan Transfer. In his novel, Dos Passos describes urban life in The Big Apple from the Golden 20s up to the Jazz Age, while following the overlapping stories of several individuals. It is said to be a masterpiece of modern fiction and depicts a capturing image of New York, from the Bowery to the Waterfront. Definitely a first class pick when travelling to New York! I also encourage you to check out The Fearless Foreigner’s post about historical fiction books set in New York City! You will find a good read for sure!