1-Day Plan

If you find yourself in the city of New York for just 1 day, do not be discouraged! You can still get a very nice feel for the city, but it's best to stick within the city limits, and be very focused on what you'd like to do.

Here are things you might consider for a 1-day stopover, with options according to weather, interests, and whether or not you are there on a weekday or weekend (for example, on weekends, you may save a museum visit for another time, given the crowds and schedule):

• After breakfast either in your hotel, or (better!) in a neighborhood diner or coffeeshop, you will be ready to absorb as much of the urban landscape as possible, armed with your maps. Consider taking a quick sightseeing bus tour. (Type in "New York sightseeing tours" into your Google search, and you will see a variety of options.) With only 1 day, you will want to take a  short one, as you do have to walk the city to have a good idea of what it's about. A good option is to take one of the midtown area that will cover landmarks like the Empire State Building, the site of the World Trade Center, the United Nations building and also breeze around the interesting neighborhoods of Soho, Chinatown, Little Italy, with glimpses of Washington Square and Greenwich Village.
  
• From the tour stop, catch a cab (quick at that time of day) to the middle of an area called the Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue. (To save your feet, you might ask to be dropped off around 97th Street.) Once you have been dropped off, walk south on Fifth Avenue. You will get a wonderful sense of the elegance of Fifth Avenue, as well as the choice of a stop at any one of a number of very important museums, including the incredibly interesting building that houses the Guggenheim Collection. For an overview of museums, check http://www.ny.com/museums/
• Cross Central Park after you pass the Metropolitan Museum. Once across the park, you may elect to continue walking south along Columbus Avenue until it crosses Broadway.  (Broadway is a fascinating street that traverses the city at a diagonal: see 3 Days or more.)  Take a look at Lincoln Center, one of the major centers for the performing arts in the world.  If you have not already had lunch at one of the museums, you might want to pause for a bite as you stroll south along Broadway.
  
  
  
• If the weather cooperates, make your next stop the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, all the way at the southern tip of Lower Manhattan. This is a FREE passenger service that will take you to Staten Island, passing the Statue of Liberty. Each leg of the journey is approximately 25 minutes, and you may be asked to disembark at the other end. But the view is spectacular, you will get to see a slice of "real" life, and the price cannot be beat! For more information, check http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Pages/Staten_Island_Ferry.html
  
• Once you get back from your boatride, you can elect to do one of several things, all of which are more or less in the "hood." You could take a cab to Chinatown, stroll around, and either elect to have your evening meal there, or in Little Italy, which is directly across. If you've had a late lunch, you might also go to Greenwich Village instead, rest a while in Washington Square (see the 2-Day Plan), and then from there have a civilized dinner in The Village before you call it quits for the day.
  
• Or, you could choose to splurge and have a leisurely dinner at any of New York's  amazing dining establishments, possibly even one with a view! The only revolving restaurant in the city is called "The View." See http://www.nycvp.com/DiningOptions.htm 

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