24 Hour NYC Itinerary
If you’ve been following along for even like two seconds, you know I live in New York City, so NYC content is obviously nothing new here, BUT I did just have a friend visit from out of town for a short 24 hour trip, so I thought it would be fun to share our 24 hour New York City Itinerary and show you everything we packed into 24 hours in NYC in case you’re planning your own quick trip to NYC anytime soon!
First stop: the Friends Experience!
I actually did this one before I met up with my friend, but since it was the same day and a fun thing to do in NYC, I figured I’d still include it in the post! If you’re a huge Friends fan, the Friends Experience is definitely a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon. They have authentic memorabilia from the show, and did such an incredible job re-creating the set, you’ll feel like you walked right into the show. Their attention to detail was truly incredible, and you can even grab a coffee to go at Central Perk! To see more, check out the reel I made here!
Next up: $.99 Pizza!
If you’re visiting NYC, a stop for .99 cent pizza is a must! I know it sounds too good to be true, but it’s actually surprisingly great pizza! They have locations all over the city, but the one we went to is on Canal Street! I’d recommend this as a stop before (or after) a night out, or grabbing a slice before heading to a more upscale restaurant for drinks to avoid blowing $$$$ on food (this was what we did!).
Stop #3: Grand Banks
Grand Banks is a restaurant on an actual boat with the yummiest fancy drinks and incredible views of lower Manhattan. They’re owned by Crew Hospitality Group, who owns a few similar restaurants around NYC (check out our experience at their other restaurant, Pilot, here, and our visit to their Governors Island location here!) and the experience at each location is pretty similar. It’s such a fun place to grab lunch or drinks, but definitely be sure to make reservations in advance because the restaurants themself are pretty small, so seating is limited.
After lunch, we walked around a bit and took a few pictures. My friend who was visiting is also a blogger (check her out on Instagram!) so we wanted to shoot as much content as possible while she was here! That’s why this post has so many different outfits even though it only covers a 24 hour period of time 😂(ps, this shirt runs HUGE, so size down at least one size, if not two! I’m wearing a medium because I couldn’t try it on so I just grabbed my usual size and we had to clip it in the back. I probably would have fit best in an XS.)
Stop number 4: The Edge Hudson Yards
Visiting The Edge in Hudson Yards probably the highlight of the day for me. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The sweeping views of the city were truly jaw dropping. Pro tip: the tickets for sunset are like $10 more, but there is no time limit for how long you’re allowed to be there, so buy the tickets for right before sunset and you’ll get to see the sunset without shelling out extra cash. This is another thing that you’ll want to make sure to book in advance. I think technically they do take walk ins, but it’s not guaranteed, so it’s definitely worth planning ahead if it’s something you want to see!
Dinner: MONOMONO
MONOMONO was kind of a random find when we were looking for places a little last minute that still had reservations available, and I am SO glad we ended up here. The decor was so cool, and the food and drinks were absolutely incredible. The menu is a little small, but every single thing we tried was sooo good! If you go, make sure you get an order of the wings. We got them as an appetizer and they may be some of the best wings I’ve had. I also got the bulgogi fried rice and still think about how good it was. After dinner we both went our separate ways because we were DEAD tired, and we knew day two would be long, too!
Day 2, Stop #1: Starbucks 🤣
I headed back to Ashlee’s hotel room at around 9am the next day, and after the long day we had had the day before, coffee was an absolute necessity. I know there are definitely better, more NYC places I could have grabbed coffee, but I grew up in Seattle so Starbucks is always my go-to! It’s also right next to my apartment, so it was just the easiest, fastest place to stop.
Stop 2: Hotel 57
After grabbing Starbucks, I met Ashlee at her hotel, Hotel 57, where we quickly changed outfits and ate breakfast on her amazing terrace! It’s rare to find a hotel room with a private terrace in NYC, so this felt like such a luxury. I had to snap a pic because the view was gorgeous, too!
After breakfast, we walked around the Upper East Side and looked at all of the gorgeous buildings and homes in the area. This building is one of my favorites in the city. I mean, it’s just so pretty 😍 It’s home to the Ukrainian Institute of America, but if you’ve seen the movie Cruel Intentions (real talk, wtf was that movie? Like seriously, I watched it for the first time in 2021 and was SHOCKED. There is no way any of that would be allowed today 😂) you might recognize it as Sebastian and Kathryn’s home.
Next Up: Loeb Boathouse Canoes
One of the main things Ashlee wanted to do while she was here was stop by the Loeb Boathouse and canoe around the pond in Central Park! I’ve done this twice now (see the last time I went here), and it’s so much fun every time. It costs $20 (with an additional $20 deposit which is returned once you bring your boat back in time) and is cash only, so be sure to plan ahead for that.
Last stop: Oxomoco
After the canoes, we headed to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to send Ashlee off the right way: with tacos and margs, duh! We found Oxomoco on Instagram and loved the decor. The food and margs ended up being amazing, too! We split an order of the guacamole (SO GOOD!) and then I got the Flank Steak tacos, which were exactly as yummy as they sound. After lunch, we walked back to my apartment and Ashlee headed home!
What does your ideal 24 hours in NYC look like? If you’re looking for more suggestions, feel free to reach out on Instagram via DM, I’m always happy to help! You can also check out my reels for a ton more NYC spots to visit!