A 3-Day Girls Weekend Guide to NYC

From the aroma of freshly baked bagels on the busy street corners and the loud car horns in the concrete jungle and the refuge to the way the city lights sparkle well past midnight — traveling to the Big Apple never gets old!

I’ve been a handful of times, and each experience has brought something unique and exciting. Visiting New York City never fails to leave me wanting to return again.

One of my favorite trips to NYC was spent with my college best friend for a girls weekend. We didn’t waste a single minute of our time there and was able to pack a whole lot in within 72 hours! Here’s a snapshot of how we spent our time soaking in one of my favorite cities, hour by hour.

Day 1: Top of the Rock & The Brooklyn Bridge

We both flew into JFK from different locations on a redeye, met up at the airport before taking the subway to our first hotel in Brooklyn. We decided to stay in both Brooklyn and Manhattan during our long weekend visit, to really soak up different the boroughs. We were just expecting to drop our luggage off at our hotel, but our room was ready so we used that time to fit in a power nap and freshen up before hitting the town.

10:00AM The Bagel Store

Home of the original rainbow bagel, The Bagel Store, was our first stop before taking the subway into Manhattan. The bagels did not disappoint and were as delicious as they looked!

11:00AM Top of the Rock

If you haven’t done it at least once, it’s a must do – even if you’re a local! Another alternative to visiting the top of the Rockefeller Center would be to visit the top of the Empire State Building, but I opted for the Top of the Rock so I could have a view of the Empire.

1:30PM Magnolia Bakery

We couldn’t not stop by the famous Magnolia Bakery for their famous banana cream pudding. It was a quick pit stop from visiting the Rockafellar Center on our way to strolling to Central Park.

2:30PM Central Park

Meandering around Central Park on a warm day is a popular activity for both locals and tourists. My favorite thing was people watching. So many groups of friends gather at the park for birthday parties, picnics, and social gatherings, and I loved soaking in that vibrant atmosphere. Not to mention, the plush green grass served as great napping spot since we hit our wall after taking that red eye by mid-afternoon.

5:00PM Black Tap

Black Tap is known for their extraordinary shakes, but also offers great American food options too. Just after looking at their Instagram, we were drooling so we strolled from Central Park to their Midtown location (136 W & 55th St) and stopped in for an early dinner since we kind of skipped lunch altogether. Black Tap also offers locations in SOHO and off 35th if one of these locations proves to be more convenient for you.

7:00PM Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Since we were staying in Brooklyn for the night we figured what better way to meander back to our hotel for the night than by way of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge?! So that is what we did right as the sun setting, and it was majestic.

Day 2: Chelsea & The Upper East Side

9:00AM Dominque Ansel For Cronuts

If you don’t know what a cronut is by now, you must have been living under a rock. It’s one of the best food inventions ever, and this should not be missed when in SOHO or Greenwich Village. Expect long lines any day of the week, but especially on the weekends. No matter what, it’s worth the wait!

11:00AM Levain Bakery

I’m not even a cookie fan. Ice cream is more my jam; yet, Levain Bakery is a MUST for anyone visiting NYC for the first time. This place deserves all the hype it gets. We were able to bring back a cookie or two for some friends back home – they taste good a few days after you purchase them fresh!

12:00PM Chelsea Market & Walking the High Line

Have you noticed that we have a sweet tooth? We decided we best walk some of our morning treats off so we walked the High Line and did some window shopping and grabbed lunch at Los Tacos No. 1 at Chelsea Market.

The High Line a 1.5 mile elevated linear park and greenway path created on a former New York Central Railroad on the west side of Manhattan. Since it’s opening in 2009, it’s become a popular attraction and an icon for contemporary art.

3:00PM Cooper Hewitt Museum

While NYC offers a plethora of options when it comes to museums, we opted for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum because it offers more of an immersive, hands-on learning experience. The only regret we had was not spending more time here!

When planning your travel be sure to keep in mind when museums or certain attractions close, or else you’ll be sad when you have to leave a fun museum sooner than expected.

5:00PM Emack & Bolios Ice Cream

I told you I was an ice cream person. We ended up being so full from Emack & Bolios that we skipped dinner. HA! Also, how come everything I eat in NYC is so picturesque?!

7:00PM Mean Girls Broadway Show

To top off our second night we headed to Broadway to see Mean Girls. We tried to get lottery tickets online, but didn’t have any success so we ended up purchasing tickets day-of, but it worked in our favor! We sat five rows back and tickets were only $60 per ticket. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Day 3: SOHO, DUMBO & Coney Island

6:00AM Good Morning America Taping

Who needs sleep when you’re in the city that never sleeps? I scored GMA tickets weeks prior to our trip through their website and was present when Michael B. Jordan was the guest star on the show. I’ve always dreamed of going to a GMA TV taping since I was a youngin’, but boy did that wake up call come early!

10:00AM Breakfast at Jacks Wife Frieda

The food in NYC can’t be beat. This was my favorite breakfast we had while in the city! It’s quaint and full of locals. That’s when you know you’ve struck gold.

11:30AM Shop around SOHO & Explore DUMBO

SOHO has everything you could ever want when it comes to shopping – from boutiques to big box retailers. DUMBO is the area underneath the Brooklyn Bridge and full of culture, tons of restaurants, and waterfront views.

2:30PM Eat Pizza at Juliana’s

We couldn’t leave DUMBO without stopping in for a slice at Juliana’s. It was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had!

4:00PM Coney Island

Unfortunately, for us. Coney Island wasn’t open that day we went to visit. We saw Coney Island from the outside, visited some shops on the boardwalk, and laid out on the beach. Had it been open, we would’ve had a ball on the rickety roller coasters and eating an iconic Coney Island hot dog.

8:00PM Takeout

We were spent after such a long day after waking up at the crack of dawn so we opted for an early night in and takeout. It was fun recapping our trip, and we used the extra time at the hotel to pack up for our flight the next afternoon.

Until Next Time, New York City!

Our last day, we had a few hours before we had to head to the airport so we enjoyed Brooklyn a bit more – ate breakfast at Egg, biked around Prospect Park, and grabbed some crack pie from Milk Bar.

While we had so much fun exploring the different burrows of Manhattan, there are still so much more that I want to see and do! What are your go-to things to do or eat when visiting the Empire State? What’s on your NYC bucket list? Would you rather visit NYC in the spring or at the holidays? Tell me in the comments below!