Walking Manhattan From Top to Bottom: The Ultimate NYC Adventure
There are so many cool ways to experience New York City. You can fly over the skyline in a helicopter, cruise around Manhattan by boat, or hop on one of those big red buses to see all the classic NYC sights. But if time isn’t an issue, there’s another cool and unique way to see the city: WALK TO MANHATTAN TOP TO BOTTOM. Yep, the whole thing.
This has been on our summer bucket list for quite some time. And because it’s summer, we’ve been trying to find more ways to be active on the weekends versus our usual food and drink outings. Justin mapped out all of our stops and boom, we set off on a brand-new NYC adventure.
Our starting point was the Henry Hudson Bridge at 9 AM, around 218th Street. And I have to say, it was a beautiful start. The park was lush and full of greenery, we were right by the water, and honestly, it didn’t feel like we were in New York at all. Unfortunately, one of our planned stops was The Met Cloisters, but it didn’t open until 10 AM, and we didn’t want to wait around, so kept it moving. Not long after, we made it to The Little Red Lighthouse, a hidden gem tucked beneath the George Washington Bridge.
Afterwards, we made a stop at Buunni Coffee around 10:40 AM near 169th Street, and already my feet were barking LOL! Here we grabbed an energy waffle, Gatorade, juice, and some scones. We probably spent about half an hour here before continuing south along Riverside. Our next stop wouldn’t be for another two hours, in Hell’s Kitchen. Along the way, we crossed bridges, walked along the beautiful waterfront, and passed countless parks. We also talked the entire time. About anything and everything that came to mind, and apparently we had enough material to get us through the entire walk.
By the time we got to Hell’s Kitchen, the sun was BLAZING! We were dying, and my feet and hands were so swollen. We stopped at Lily’s Craft and Kitchen, located in Hell’s Kitchen between 46th and 47th Streets. We stayed here for about an hour, and we needed every single one of those minutes to hydrate, eat, and give our feet a break. The food was pretty good. We both ordered breakfast burgers with fries and two espresso martinis made with whiskey, which were actually really well made. We also took the opportunity to stretch before getting back on our feet.
After we wrapped up lunch, we headed to the High Line entrance at 34th Street and 11th Avenue. This was probably one of my favorite stops along the walk, especially in the summer when they refresh the sculptures, the food and shop vendors are out, and there’s an abundance of beautiful views of the city, the waterfront, and, of course, the overpriced apartments surrounding the High Line. We exited at Gansevoort Street, around 12th Street.
From there, we did the rest of the walk along the Hudson River waterfront, passing the piers along the way. At this point, we were officially in the home stretch, but because we were tired and our feet were SO sore, this part somehow felt like it took the longest. We were basically dragging our feet. Eventually, we made it to the bottom of Manhattan at Battery Park! We ended the walk with a view of the Statue of Liberty and a much-needed Uber ride back home.
I’m glad we accomplished something we had set out to do. It took us about eight hours, and it’s definitely an activity we’d recommend for New Yorkers and visitors alike. If you’ve got the time, comfortable shoes, and a little determination, we say go for it!
