Welcome to the Midtown, Manhattan Wonderlist: our list of the 22 best (most whimsical, most New York) things to do in Midtown Manhattan
Written by Lauren
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What’s your perfect day in New York look like? Better yet, what’s your perfect day in Midtown look like?
Do you grab a cup of coffee at a diner and watch the world pass by through the window? Do you take a stroll through Central Park, walking the Mall and the Bethesda Terrace? Do you hit the shops—the glitz and glam of 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales, Barneys, Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square? Do you go for afternoon tea at the Plaza, stopping by Pulitzer Fountain on your way?
Do you go architectural—take it all in at the top of the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center? Take in the sweeping arches and constellation sky of Grand Central Station? See the sky-sweeping spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral?
And then, as the night descends, do you hit the town? See a broadway show? Become a Rockette at Radio City? Be stunned by all of the lights in Times Square?
Or does it look like some unique combination of the above, suited perfectly for just for you?
Whatever you’re perfect New York day looks like our Midtown Wonderlist—our list of the 22 best (most whimsical, most New York) things to do in Midtown Manhattan—has you covered.
What’s in a wonderlist?
A wonderlist is a curated list of essential experiences that capture the je ne sais quoi, the genius loci, the essence of a place.
Wonderlists are not checklists. Nor are they bucket lists. They are a collection of moments, places, and experiences (sometimes happenstance, often serendipitous) that immerse you in a specific locale and culture.
Wonderlists contain, but are not limited to: historical and architectural sites, hidden gems, unique finds, local shops, cozy cafes and coffeeshops, diners, parks, gardens, nature-y things, sites of supernatural significance, and other beautiful spaces
The modus operandi is depth over breadth. It’s better to pick one thing and do it fully, than try to do many things, thus tainting the purity of the experience.
Wonderlists are not about accomplishing or checking things off (as if), but rather about immersing, being, experiencing, losing oneself in the moment and place.
Wonderlists are about wildering oneself, if you will.
Carry on.
So much of what makes Manhattan New York is Midtown, in all its Art-Deco glory.
Think skyscrapers, Times Square, Fifth Avenue with all its designer department stores and carefully curated window displays. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and ice rink. Broadway and the theatre. Rooftop views from the Empire State Building. The blinding lights and crowded streets, all the hustle and bustle and movement.
Location: Manhattan, island-wide from 14th Street (Union Station) to 59th (southern end of Central Park)
So, without further ado, our Midtown Wonderlist to create your perfect New York day . . .
Midtown Wonderlist
Eat at a diner
Try the classic Empire Diner on West 22nd and 10th
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Take the subway
You will have to purchase (or reload) a MetroCard (which cost $1), which you can do at the kiosk’s in most subway stations.
Go contactless with OMNY.
Create an account and connect your smartphone, smart watch, or contactless debit or credit card and tap them on the OMNY reader (available at every station).
Fare collected at turnstiles.
Take the subway
You will have to purchase (or reload) a MetroCard (which cost $1), which you can do at the kiosk’s in most subway stations.
Go contactless with OMNY.
Create an account and connect your smartphone, smart watch, or contactless debit or credit card and tap them on the OMNY reader (available at every station).
Fare collected at turnstiles.
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Screenshot the MTA subway map, so you can access it even when wi-fi isn’t working.
Visit
Patience & Fortitude
The library lions guarding the
New York City Public Library
5th Avenue and West 42nd
Patience and Fortitude have been guarding the flagship location and slinging reading recs since 1911. Be sure to pop in to take in this architectural Beaux-Art gem in all its glory, including the iconic Rose Main reading room.
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Download the Bloomberg Connects app and listen along to the history of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building as you walk the hallowed halls.
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Bryant Park
West 40th and 6th Avenue
Don’t forget to take a spin on Le Carrousel!
Bryant Park
West 40th and 6th Avenue
Don’t forget to take a spin on Le Carrousel!
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Grab a snack from a hot dog stand
Grand Central
Station
East 42nd and Madison
Take in the iconic zodiac mural (2500 stars and 12 constellations) spanning the ceiling of the main concourse, the information booth clock, and see if you can find the whispering gallery. Among many other hidden gems.
Grand Central
Station
East 42nd and Madison
Take in the iconic zodiac mural (2500 stars and 12 constellations) spanning the ceiling of the main concourse, the information booth clock, and see if you can find the whispering gallery. Among many other hidden gems.
Eat lunch at a delicatessen
Try Brooklyn Deli at West 43rd and 7th Avenue, a quintessential New York delicatessen (think pastrami and reuben sammies and soups) with counter or table service.
Stroll through
Central Park
Some highlights from the lower portion of the park:
- Gapstow Bridge
- Central Park Carousel
- Balto statue
- The Mall and Literary Walk
- Bethesda Terrace
- Bow Bridge
Stroll through
Central Park
Some highlights from the lower portion of the park:
- Gapstow Bridge
- Central Park Carousel
- Balto statue
- The Mall and Literary Walk
- Bethesda Terrace
- Bow Bridge
Take an audio tour put together by the Central Park Conservatory.
Download the Bloomberg Connects app (or scan the QR code found on signs throughout the park) and listen along to the history of Central Park as you walk the trails.
Afternoon tea at the Plaza Hotel
5th Avenue and West 59th
10:30am – 4pm
Reservations strongly encouraged
Dress to impress!
Pulitzer Fountain
5th Avenue and East 59th Street
Pulitzer Fountain
5th Avenue and East 59th Street
Take a stroll down
5th Avenue
Start at the corner of 5th Avenue and East 59th
and work your way south
Take in capitalism in all its designer brand drippings on Fifth Avenue:
- Apple Store
- Louis Vuitton
- Bergdorf Goodman
- Harry Winston
- Tiffany’s
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
5th Avenue and East 50th St
ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
5th Avenue and East 50th St
FAO Schwartz in Rockefeller Center
West 49th between 5th and 6th Avenues
Get in touch with your inner child at this iconic toy store!
Go to the top of the Rock for panoramic city views.
Not to be missed is the ice rink and Christmas tree during the holiday season.
Stop off at
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment
West 49th and 8th Avenue
They offer afternoon tea Tuesday – Friday noon to 3pm.
Stop off at
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment
West 49th and 8th Avenue
They offer afternoon tea Tuesday – Friday noon to 3pm.
Visit the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square
West 34th and Broadway
“America’s Largest Department store” takes up 11 stories over one whole city block
Go atop the
Empire State Building
5th Ave and West 33rd
An Art-Deco classic from 1931, get tickets to go to the top around $35
Go atop the
Empire State Building
5th Ave and West 33rd
An Art-Deco classic from 1931, get tickets to go to the top around $35
Catch a (Broadway) show
Take in a Broadway musical or a show at Radio City Music Hall
Broadway is much more casual than you might expect (though if you want to be fancy and make a night of it, you do you!) and you can usually score tickets same day or last-minute.
Our recs: The Lion King (forever a classic), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Chicago
The Ladies Lounge at
Radio City
6th Avenue and West 50th St
Sounds a little ridiculous to put this on a list of things to see in New York City, I know. But trust me, it’s worth it (it has been nominated as America’s best bathrooms. Honest, it’s a thing!) for the two full-sized art deco lounges with seating and vanity mirrors you have to walk through just to get to to the bathroom stalls and washroom with Tiffany blue pedestal sinks. It’s a sight to behold.
The Ladies Lounge at Radio City
6th Avenue and West 50th St
Sounds a little ridiculous to put this on a list of things to see in New York City, I know. But trust me, it’s worth it (it has been nominated as America’s best bathrooms. Honest, it’s a thing!) for the two full-sized art deco lounges with seating and vanity mirrors you have to walk through just to get to to the bathroom stalls and washroom with Tiffany blue pedestal sinks. It’s a sight to behold.
Take in all of the lights in
Times Square
West 42nd to 47th Streets
between 6th and 8th Avenues
Technically, the Times Square district covers from West 40th to 53rd street, but Broadway between West 42nd to 47th Streets are pedestrian only and what most people think of when they envision Times Square.
Eat Chinese food
Eating in a quaint, cozy Chinese restaurant is, to me, the epitome of being in New York City. Probably due to every Rom Com or tv show set in the city ever made (looking at you Honey and Sex in the City).
Try The Corner Chinese at the corner of 9th and West 48th. The (gluten-free!) sesame chicken was so delicious (crunchy and sweet and tangy)!
Eat Chinese food
Eating in a quaint, cozy Chinese restaurant is, to me, the epitome of being in New York City. Probably due to every Rom Com or tv show set in the city ever made (looking at you Honey and Sex in the City).
Try The Corner Chinese at the corner of 9th and West 48th. The (gluten-free!) sesame chicken was so delicious (crunchy and sweet and tangy)!
Drink a Manhattan
at a swanky hotel bar
Hail a cab
Hail down a ride New York style (stand on the curb and wave like you mean it—be bold, be brave, you can it!) or request a ride on the Curb app.
Hail a Cab
Hail down a ride New York style (stand on the curb and wave like you mean it—be bold, be brave, you can it!) or request a ride on the Curb app.
X Marks the Spot
Pocket Guide: Midtown Wonderlist
Midtown, Manhattan Wonderlist
Eat at a diner (Empire Diner)
Take the subway
Visit Patience & Fortitude
Flagship New York City Public Library
Bryant Park
Grab a snack from a hot dog stand
Grand Central Station
Grab lunch from Brooklyn Deli
Take a stroll though Central Park
Afternoon tea at the Plaza Hotel
Pulitzer Fountain
Take a stroll down 5th Avenue
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
FAO Schwartz in Rockefeller Center
Lillie’s Victorian Establishment
Go atop the Empire State Building
Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square
Catch a Broadway show
The Ladies Lounge at Radio City
Times Square
Eat Chinese (The Corner Chinese)
Drink a Manhattan at a hotel bar
Hail a cab
So, what’s your perfect Midtown Manhattan day look like?
Being dazzled by the glitz and glam of 5th Avenue with afternoon tea at the Plaza (xoxo Gossip Girl style)?
Hitting all the iconic architectural highlights—the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral?
Take in a show on Broadway or Radio City Music Hall?
Or maybe you want to live your best main character Rom Com life and stroll through the Mall in Central Park and then exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of Grand Central Station before being stunned by all of the lights in Time Square?
Let our Midtown Wonderlist—our list of the 22 best (most whimsical, most New York) things to do in Midtown Manhattan—be your guide map.
So many New York wonders await you in Midtown! Where will your adventures take you?
Your New York adventure awaits!
The Midtown Collection
About Lauren
Reader, writer, traveller, itinerary-creator & mapmaker extraordinaire
Detroit-born, Nashville-bent, everywhere-bound, some of her favorite things include drinking coffee, eating in roadside diners frequented by locals and truckers alike, reading entire guidebooks front to back, visiting local bookshops, spirit questing in New Mexico, watching wildlife documentaries, listening to unapologetic amounts of Taylor Swift, and sitting in aisle seats. To name a few.
