Picking one activity per neighborhood is not easy in the city that never sleeps. The part of Manhattan above 59th Street is considered Upper Manhattan; home to beautiful brownstones, world-class museums and the city’s green lung, Central Park. As city tripping tends to be exhausting, every activity is paired with an option to fuel up on food or drinks.

---

Lincoln Square

Columbus Circle

The gateway to the Upper West Side is Columbus Circle, a heavily trafficked roundabout in the southwest corner of Central Park. Shopping is what draws hordes of tourists and locals to this area. The Shops at Columbus Circle is a popular mall housed in Time Warner Center. You’ll find some of the best holiday shopping in the elegant Columbus Circle Holiday Market. Top off the shopping experience with a cocktail and Central Park views at the swanky MO Lounge, part of the Mandarin Oriental but open to the public.

Fuel up: Magnolia Bakery‘s classic red velvet cupcake could be called the mother of cupcakes. The bakery expanded from one West Village location to over twenty shops in New York City and beyond, helped by appearances in Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada.

Upper West Side

American Museum of Natural History

Wandering the impressive halls of the American Museum of Natural History brings millions of years of natural history to life. It is easy to picture Ben Stiller’s vivid nights at the museum here. If you are looking to relive the box office hit, a self-guided Night at the Museum tour takes you past the movie characters and exhibits. Every year on Thanksgiving Day, the traditional Macy’s Parade starts at the southeast corner of the Natural History Museum.

Fuel up: The Empire Hotel dates back to the roaring twenties. More recently, it rose to fame as the hotel owned by Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl. The Empire Rooftop serves cocktails next to its iconic neon sign, an indispensable part of the Upper Manhattan skyline.

Central Park

Bike Tour of Central Park

Central Park is the city’s beating green heart. Spanning close to a thousand acres of land, the best way to explore Central Park is by bike. Relax at Sheep Meadow, run or walk around the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and wander through the romantic Bethesda Terrace. There are several Citi Bike stops in Central Park, which allow you to never exceed the 30-minute limit of each ride.

Fuel up: Every summer and fall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens up its unique rooftop terrace for cocktails between Central Park’s tree tops. Access to the Cantor Roof Garden Bar is included with a ticket to the museum.

Upper East Side

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, nicknamed the Met, houses one of the world’s largest art collections. Displaying more than 5000 years of art from across the globe, you can easily spend a week at the Met. The pay-as-you-wish policy is nowadays reserved for New York State residents, but $30 is still a bargain for access to one of the most impressive art collections in the world.

Fuel up: The Met Steps are almost as iconic as the museum itself, to Gossip Girl fans at least. This part of Museum Mile is usually lined with food carts. Grab a delicious Philly Cheesesteak and enjoy lunch at the Met Steps.

Yorkville

Sunday Game-day

Game-day is classic USA, and New York City is no different. As most NFL games are played on Sundays, that’s when the fun happens. Bars broadcast a different game on each of their 10+ screens and lure people in with special deals. Residential Yorkville has many great neighborhood staples that fill up with local sports fans on Sunday afternoons. The Supply House is one of these, and has great Belgian beers as a bonus. Order some beers, wings and nachos and you’ll feel like a local in no time.

Fuel up: Pil Pil is a cozy Spanish tapas and wine bar. The great lunch specials and happy hour on weekdays give way to bottomless sangria brunch on weekends.

Carnegie Hill

The Guggenheim

A masterwork both inside and out, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a must visit. The design by renowned architect Frank LLoyd Wright makes for a unique museum experience. You take the elevator to the upper level, then spiral down past masterpieces from Picasso, Monet and Kandinsky. The Guggenheim has a limited collection on display compared to other NYC museums, which allows you to savor every work of art.

Fuel up: Variety Coffee Roasters is an excellent space to get some work done. While you do, the floor-to-ceiling windows make sure you don’t lose touch with the amazing reality of being in NYC.

Morningside Heights

Morningside Park

Where Central Park stops at 110th Street, Morningside Park is ready to take over. Made up of a narrow strip that stretches 13 blocks, it could be called Central Park’s baby brother. The park is situated on a cliff, which divides it into an upper and lower level. The upper level offers views of Morningside Heights and Harlem.

Fuel up: Much of the park is adjacent to the prestigious Colombia University. The impressive campus is open to the public, and so is the coffee shop. Grab a coffee to accompany you on a morning stroll through Morningside Park.

Harlem

Gospel Worship

Attending a Gospel worship is a unique experience, especially if you’re used to Christian masses where the volume rarely exceeds 50 decibels. Gospel is preaching, singing and dancing all at once, and can get pretty intense. Harlem is particularly famous to host many gospel churches and local churchgoers, although tourists often make up a large part of the attendees nowadays. The Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem holds a Sunday worship every Sunday morning at 10:15.

Fuel up: If you can’t get enough from the gospel, head to Red Rooster Harlem for their Sunday Gospel Brunch. There is live music and amazing soul food from chef Marcus Samuelsson. For Sunday dinner, live jazz is paired with creative Southern cooking.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated for accuracy.