Bucket List Planner

15. Street Hot Dogs

Any bucket list travel plans should include some sort of dining goals. And while it may not be the healthiest food you have ever been exposed to, the "dirty water hot dog" is pretty tasty! I would add it to my bucket list for sure. It is easiest to find  these guys at lunch time in mid town, although they are sprinkled all over the city.

6. Eat Bagels

Every New Yorker has a bagel shop that they refer to as the "best bagel shop in the city." And the truth is that there are more than a few great ones. Here are some basic rules around bagels. First, bagels are always better in New York City, which is why they need to be on your bucket list of things to do in New York City. Second, bagels have a very short half life. They should be eaten fresh and hot and really would never need to be toasted. This leads to choosing a great bagel shop and a great bagel. The best bagel shop will have high volumes of traffic, forcing fast turn around of fresh bagels. The best bagel in that shop is the freshest one. So, the blueberry bagel that is sitting there with 2 others might not even have a chance of being great, but the steaming hot sesame bagels overflowing their basket will be unbelievable. Timing is everything. Add it to your bucket list!

10. Museum Mile

There are no shortages of museums in New York City. Whether you are looking for modern art, American art, egyptian ruins, old fashion, new fashion......it is all there! The bucket list tour, which should take more than a day, but could be squeezed down if you are picky about the exhibits you actually visit will get you allot of museums in a concentrated ammount of space. Stating uptown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then on to the Guggenheim, then the Frick and beyond, Uptown 5th Avenue's Museum Mile is a great way to get your art mind going. If somehow you have more time, you can also drop into Central Park on your Museum Mile Bucket List Tour and visit the Central Park Zoo. The truth about New York City is that there are way way way to many museums to visit in a single day. Make a point of visiting MoMa and some of the downtown museums. These museums should be part of your museum bucket list! Enjoy!

3. Staten Island Ferry

You gotta love FREE STUFF! And a FREE BOAT CRUISE across New York Harbour, with views of Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline; you can't go wrong with the Staten Island Ferry. It's very simple to do. You can take a cab or the subway (or bus) downtown to the very tip of Manhattan...just a few short blocks from Wall Street. The Staten Island Ferry Terminal is huge, you can't miss it. And the Ferry's only go to one place. So, if you want to relax a little on a nice day, just hop onto the Ferry, go to the upper level with outdoor seating and ride over to Staten Island and then turn around and come back. It's free and you will get some nice fresh air! A great addition to your free stuff bucket list!

5. Central Park

This incredible park is an absolute MUST-VISIT if you are going to spend a long weekend in NY. So many people say things like "I could never live in New York City. It's nice to visit, but it's too crazy." Central Park is one of the wonderful solutions to urban living craziness. Olmstead and Vaux designed Central Park as we know it today and construction of the park took place during the US Civil War. Scenes in so many movies have been filmed in this beautiful park. There is a small zoo with polar bears and penguins; an ice skating rink in winter; a pond with boats that you can row and a pond yacht pool as well. Street performers, runners, bikers, rollerbladers...all living peacefully in this nearly 800 acre arboretum. Breathtaking. And the perfect add to your NYC bucket list!

​by  Manitou Rey

8. 9-11 Memorial

Before 2001, New York City's skyline was defined by the twin towers of the World Trade Center. After the tragic attacks of September 11th, 2001 more changed than just the skyline. There is a peaceful memorial that has been placed in the foundation of the two towers as a reminder of all of the innocent lives that were lost. It may not be on everyone's bucket list of things to do i New York. If it is on your list, it can be nice to visit in the late evening, when there are no lines. It is a very solemn place. So, do your best to avoid the Disney-like attraction feeling that you will get by standing in a long snaking line by visiting on a drizzling weekday. This should provide a more balanced experience. There is also an interesting museum next to the monument. It's downtown, so try to coordinate your visit to the 9/11 memorial with a visit to Wall Street, a visit to the Statue of Liberty or some other downtown experience.

4. Statue of Liberty

Getting on the Ferry to Statue of Liberty is not free and it is not as simple. These days, reservations way in advance are required. Especially during the heavy tourist seasons. It's easy enough buy your reservation online on the Official Statue Cruise Website. It costs $21 for an adult to take the ferry, tour the Island and go up into the crown of the Statue of Liberty. The ferries take off from both New York and New Jersey. A nice way too spend the afternoon. The refreshments are not the greatest and it won't hurt to have a snack with you if you are traveling with kids. Or just have a lunch downtown before you go. A visit to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty should be on everyone's bucket list!

1. Take a Yellow Taxi

An image of a Manhattan city street without taxi's would be unrecognizable as a part of New York City! It is a great way to get around and the prices are reasonable, albeit way more expensive than the subway or bus, especially if you are going the length of the city. Make a note that it may be slower in a cab at rush hour. And for those who have never hailed a cab in New York, here is how you hail cab. First, only the cabs with the white light ON on the top are available. If the light is off, they are already committed. Stand in (or almost in) the road and put your arm up and she you see one, yell taxi, if you think the driver did not see you. Residents typically tip 10%. Easy to accomplish this Bucket List item if you plan travel to the city!

13. Take the NYC Subway

The great thing about taking the New York City Subway is that it is BY FAR the most efficient way to get anywhere (except across town.) It is easy, and the maps make it even easier. Our NYC Bucket List Tour would have you take the subway to different corners of the city each day and then work your way home each day with a different focus. Fares have changed in recent years, so the best thing to do is to buy a rechargable subway ticket. Here are some little known facts: You can take the Subway to Golf! You can (sort-of) take the subway to JFK airport! This is a cool experience for anyone's New York Bucket List!

11. Galleries in Soho

Speaking of Downtown Manhattan. SoHo (which means "South of Houston") has long been known as one of the world class destinations for art galleries. With what was once less expensive real estate and large open spaces, some of the finest galleries have set up shop there. Don't miss the outstanding restaurant experiences that are lined up in SoHo for you. And be sure to take advantage of the fact that the surrounding neighborhoods downtown have all grown into cool-zones. Chelsea is now one of the fanciest neighborhoods and the Meat Packing District went from being the bottom of the food chain to the hippest of all (at least it is right now!) The great thing about The Bucket List Gallery Tour in downtown Manhattan is that you can stray from the main trail at any given time. Add this to your New York City Bucket List!

12. Go to a Yankees Game

Alright, so Derek Jeter will not be on the field anymore, but the Yankee tradition is somthing that cannot be overlooked. The "New" Yankee stadium is simply one of the best spots to watch the men in pinstripes do their Yankee thing. A great thing to do is to schedule your New York City Travel around your favorite baseball team's schedule so that you can have some serious investment in the game that you have gone to see. It is an easy subway ride to the Yankee Stadium. You can just get on the 4 (Green) on the East Side of Manhattan or the B (Orange) on the West Side. Pick up a Yankee's cap at the ballpark and enjoy the price beers and the corporate fans! This has to be on your New York Bucket List!

2. See a Broadway Show

While their are several cities that have robust theater districts, New York is arguably the biggest, between the On Broadway and Off Broadway options. If you really really want to see a specific show on a specific date, way out in the future, you can certainly get your tickets online in advance at full price. You can look at the location of all seats in NY online, so you should not end up with a seat that surprises you. If you are more flexible about what you see on the weekend that you are visiting, there are several ways to get discounted tickets. The easiest is, on the day of the show, go to the Times Square or South Street Seaport TKTS booth and get 20%, 30% or even 50% off both long and short runs, depending on availability. You have to stand in line, but there is great people-watching. Keep your eyes on the TKTS app, so you know what to buy when you get to the front. New shows often not available. But the last minute experience is great for anyone's NYC bucket list.

New York City Bucket List Ideas

First things, first. What New York City has to offer does not fit in your bucket list! The number of restaurants alone makes certain goals unachievable. But there are plenty of ways to dissect this great city to create cool items to put on your bucket list. And going to New York City, in and of itself, is a worthwhile item for your list. Come back and check this list any time, because it will always be changing and evolving; just like the city itself. 

14. Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is dead center in the middle of New York City. Some people will remember when Linus ran away to New York City to follow his dreams and Snoopy followed him to the city and preformed a breathtaking figure skating performance at Rockefeller Center. Either way, figure skating there is really fun! And in the summer, the skatingrink is replaced by a lovely cafe, where you will be sure to meet international visitors. The infamous Rainbow Room at the top of Rockefeller Center has just reopened in October 2014 and will, no doubt, pull in a great happy hour crowd. Other fun things to do in this area include lining up in the middle of the night to see the Today Show: have fun making Artskills Posters!!! Rockefeller Center is right near Radio City Music Hall, Saks Fifth Avenue, St Patricks Cathedral , Times Square and Grand Central Station. So you can plan activities around your visit.

7. Ride a Public Bike

An emerging trend in big cities is the bike share. In lower Manhattan, there are blue bikes every few blocks. You check in with a credit card at the first bike, and then you can ride for 20 minutes before you need to drop off your bike and get a new one or go for a walk. There are more and more bike lanes appearing in New York City every year. This can be a really fun way to spend an afternoon in New York. Riding a bike in the city is more athletic than taking a cab, faster than walking and just plain old fun! Something as authentic as riding your bike really makes you feel like you like in the city, so make a point of adding this to your New York bucket list.

9. Run the NYC Marathon

If you ever wanted to run a marathon, New York is a really great one to do! Because the race starts on Staten Island, the day begins with a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. The race tours through all 5 boroughs of New York and eventually ends in Central Park, right by the Tavern on the Green, a famous old restaurant in the park. Why is running the New York Marathon such a great race for your bucket list? Because you get a great tour of the city and the run is easier because it's pretty flat (except for a few bridges) and there are crowds cheering for you the whole way. There are also bands every few hundred yards. It's really fun! If I were putting a marathon on my bucket list, this would be the one! And it is an experience that should be on anyone's new york bucket list!