How to Spend a Perfect 24 Hours in NYC

Laura Greathouse of Roams and Rosé moved to NY exactly one year ago! In honor of her renewing her lease, she’s taken the best of the best to create this perfect 24 hours in NYC itinerary.

It almost pains me to hear that you’ll only have 24 hours in this wildly exciting city. But short layovers and brief work trips happen and I want to help you make the most out of it! I hope you have your comfortable walking shoes on and that you’re ready to eat and drink A LOT… here we go! Here’s how to spend 24 hours in NYC:

9am — wake up and head straight to Russ & Daughters for a real bagel. The earlier the better as this place gets packed and you don’t want to waste any of your precious 24 hours waiting in line. My fav (as you can see from that smile on my face) is the pumpernickel with goat cheese cream cheese and lox.

9:30am — Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Again, the earlier the better. This is such a wonderful way of getting from Manhattan to Brooklyn because you get the views AND you get all your daily steps in! If you’re here on a nice weekend, it’ll be crowded and you’ll most likely struggle getting your perfect bridge pic without any selfie sticks in the background.

11am — Coffee/ Matcha at Brooklyn Roasting Co./ Matchaful in DUMBO. This is the perfect spot to rejuvenate after your long walk. It’s spacious, has comfortable seating, and amazing caffeinated beverages. My personal fav is the iced oat milk matcha latte. YUM!

11:30am — Finish off your morning with a stroll along the river in DUMBO. See (and ride!) Jane’s Carousel and soak in the amazing views.

12:15pm — Take the subway into West Village. You can take the C train from High St. in Brooklyn to Spring Street in West Village. It’s not a real NYC trip if you don’t take the subway at least once.

1pm — Lunch at Tomoe Sushi.. just trust me on this one. They serve some of the best sushi I’ve ever had (and I’ve had A LOT of sushi). NOTE: They are cash and AMEX only and tend to have a very long line for dinner.

2:30pm — Get ready to walk off your food coma! Head up for more walking through Central Park, a must for your 24 hours in NYC. Take the 1 train to 72nd.

3:30pm — Treat yourself to a Levain Bakery cookie because you definitely have hit over 10,000 steps at this point. And they bake the most delicious cookies in the world (I highly recommend the dark chocolate peanut butter one if you’re into that).

4:00 pm — Head back to your hotel and freshen up for the evening

6pm — Early dinner at Trattoria Dell’ Arte. I absolutely love this place for both big groups and date night! Amazing service, energy, food, and wine. Your tastebuds will thank you

8pm — After dinner, see a Broadway Show. My most recent favorite was Come From Away.

10pm — Head on down to LES. Some of my favorite bars are Mr. Purple (rooftop), Verlaine (lychee martinis), Pianos (dueling piano bar), and La Caverna

Wow, you’re still awake! — End the perfect 24 hours in NYC with a late night slice at Proto’s

Well, I’m exhausted just reading through this. You can see my more extensive NYC map here in case you have the energy to do even more. Hope you enjoyed your quick stay! Xo