One day in New York City: a self-guided walking itinerary

Lower Manhattan: Four Centuries Before Lunch

Start at The Battery while the harbor light is sharp and the ferries are just beginning to cross. Walk north through Bowling Green, past the Charging Bull, then down Stone Street's cobblestones to Federal Hall, where Washington took the oath. Cross Broadway to Trinity Church and its graveyard, then walk east to the 9/11 Memorial. End the block inside the Oculus, Calatrava's white-ribbed transit cathedral. This stretch is dense with history and easy on the feet. Every stop sits steps from the last.

• HoursThe 9/11 Memorial is free and open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Museum (open Wednesday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) costs $24 to $36 for adults and is worth the hour if you have it.Source9/11 Memorial & Museum
• HoursFederal Hall is free to enter and open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The stone where Washington stood is just inside the rotunda.SourceNational Park Service

EatCoffee and a bacon-egg-and-cheese from any corner bodega on the walk to Battery Park, or a sit-down breakfast at The Wooly Daily inside the Woolworth Building on Broadway.

Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO: Lunch Across the Water

From the Oculus, walk east to the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian ramp at Centre Street. Take your time crossing: the walkway rises above the traffic, the cables frame the skyline, and the Statue of Liberty sits small in the harbor to your right. On the Brooklyn side, follow the signs down into DUMBO. Plant yourself at the corner of Washington and Water Streets for the shot of the Manhattan Bridge framing the Empire State Building. Lunch here, on the waterfront, with Manhattan across the river.

• AccessThe Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway is open 24 hours a day and costs nothing. Stay in the pedestrian lane; the bike lane is to your left.SourceNYC DOT
• EatJuliana's Pizza (19 Old Fulton Street, next to Grimaldi's) opens at 11:30 a.m. Expect a line, but it moves. Time Out Market on Water Street is the faster option with a dozen kitchens under one roof.SourceTime Out Market New York

EatJuliana's coal-fired margherita at 19 Old Fulton Street, or the rooftop at Time Out Market for a beer and a burger with the Manhattan skyline in front of you.

Midtown: The Postcard Reel

• 1Grand Central Terminal7 min
• 2New York Public Library Main Branch2 min
• 3Bryant Park8 min
• 4Times Square10 min
• 5Rockefeller Center4 min
• 6St. Patrick's Cathedral14 min

Take the F train from York Street in DUMBO to 42nd Street–Bryant Park. Walk a block east into Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse and look up. From there, walk west to the New York Public Library's marble lions, then through Bryant Park toward Times Square. Do not linger in Times Square: a quick pass is enough. Head north to Rockefeller Center, then cross Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick's Cathedral. If you booked a late-afternoon Top of the Rock ticket, your timing will put you on the deck as the sun starts to drop.

• HoursGrand Central Terminal is free and open daily from 5:15 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. The official 90-minute guided tour books from $35 and uncovers the hidden staircases and the Whispering Gallery.SourceGrand Central Terminal
• TicketsTop of the Rock observation deck is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight; timed tickets start at $42. Book the 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. slot and you will catch golden hour over Central Park.SourceRockefeller Center
• HoursThe New York Public Library's main branch is free and open Monday through Saturday. The Rose Main Reading Room is the one you want. Closed Sundays.SourceNYPL

EatBryant Park's seasonal kiosks for a coffee or a crepe under the plane trees, or Los Tacos No. 1 on 43rd Street, a standing-room counter with the best al pastor in Midtown.

Central Park: The Elm Cathedral at Dusk

• 7The Pond2 min
• 8Gapstow Bridge11 min
• 9The Mall

From St. Patrick's, walk north on Fifth Avenue to Grand Army Plaza and enter Central Park at 59th Street. The Pond opens on your left, the skyline doubled in still water. Cross Gapstow Bridge (stone arch, Plaza Hotel behind you, Midtown towers ahead), then follow the path north to the Mall. Walk the quarter-mile cathedral of American elms as the light turns amber and the streetlamps flicker on. This is where the day ends: on a bench under the trees, with the city a soft hum beyond the leaves.

• HoursCentral Park is free and open daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Mall, the Pond, and Gapstow Bridge are all in the southern section and are well lit after dark.SourceCentral Park Conservancy

EatThe Boathouse bar for a glass of wine overlooking the Lake, or stroll east to the Upper East Side for a late dinner at Sistina on 81st and Madison.