4 days in NYC, What sites would you visit?

You will love Wicked. Art Museum-Metropolitan. My daughter adores Dos Caminos Mexican Food near Times Square. I've only ridden the subway one time and I confess I'm a wimp-it was so dirty(unlike those in DC, Chicago, Atlanta, London, Paris) that I won't do that again. Disclaimer: I have not been to NY since 2019.

It would help if you would share a little about you. How many people, ages, interests, physical limitations (if any),

The subway is safe as a rule. I've ridden it day and night without incident. That doesn't mean there are no incidents. You are best off sticking with daytime hours, and using a taxi to get around if you are not feeling confident or if anything seems sketchy.

Yes, you can do Ground Zero and Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty in one day. It's been a while since I've done either of them, and I don't know for sure how much time you'll spend at each, so it could be a long day. Also, expect Ground Zero to be emotionally draining. I'd do that afterwards. Take the subway (either the 1 or the R or W) to South Ferry in the morning for the ferry. Then when you return, ride the 1 (or better, walk) to the WTC. On the way, don't miss Trinity Church and Wall Street. Some of the buildings down in that area were around in colonial times.

For art museums, the two premier museums are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. There are many excellent smaller museums, but these two are among the world's greatest art museums.

Central Park is a delight to wander through without an agenda, but here's a list of some of the top sights:

https://www.takewalks.com/blog/best-sights-of-central-park

And here's a list of the best pizza places in NYC.

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/best-new-york-pizza

I don't know where you're from, but if you go into a random pizza place in NYC, you will be blown away! The worst pizza in NY is better than the best pizza in most of the rest of the US.

Enjoy!

If you find yourself around Prince street in the nolita neighborhood stop by Prince St pizza. Small hole in the wall place. No tables but a small counter inside or outside stand up dining area. Mix of college students and tourists so no one stays too long. Usually a line that moves quickly. Get the”square pepperonil”. So good.

https://princestreetpizzanyc.com/

Is it possible to see the 9/11 museum/Ground Zero and Ellis
Island/Statue of Liberty in one day?

Whether you can or can't do these both in a day depends on your stamina. Ours is pretty high but the 9/11 Museum - we spent 4.5 hours there - left us too emotionally drained for much else. I absolutely recommend seeing it; it's just high on the compassionate-fatigue scale. I've seen people say similar after they've visited former concentration camps: they really weren't up much more sightseeing afterwards. We felt that way after the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.

Recovery time over a couple of adult beverages was necessary. 😢

If you like art, MOMA and the Met, definitely.
Central Park: just walk. Have a beverage at the Boathouse,

We also enjoyed walking the High Line and across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Take lookabout of Grand Central Terminal.

The Tenement Museum is also fascinating, to see how the influx of immigrants to NYC in the 19th C. lived.
If you are short on time, choose the Liberty Island Museum over Ellis Island.
Both are wonderful, but Liberty is exceptional in my book.
Be sure to eat a black and white cookie from a good bakery!

You have gotten some good advice above. I would find Ellis Island plus Ground Zero too much for one day, but it might work for you, depending on your stamina, as noted above. I'd rather do them on separate days and then follow them with another activity.

I agree that the Metropolitan Museum is a priority, and it is right at Central Park, which makes for a nice combination of indoor and outdoor activities. The Tenement Museum is also good.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a self-guided walking tour, using one of the many books that feature walks in NYC. For example, Moon's New York City walks was just updated for 2024. I've never taken a guided walking tour there, but I'm sure someone on the forum can suggest guided walking tours if that interests you.

I've taken the subway many times by myself when there for work and never had a problem.

I highly recommend visiting the townhouse where Theodore Roosevelt was born and raised…

https://www.nps.gov/thrb/index.htm

There are tours of Central Park, that are actually quite helpful in getting oriented and getting some history. There is the Strawberry Fields memorial on the west side of the park, if you're a hard core Beatles fan.

The Staten Island ferry, and a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We got around everywhere by subway. The Citymapper app for NYC was great as it shows you step by step walking instructions as well as real time subway information including which corner entrance is best to use.

I agree with Stan. The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge TO Manhattan is a must do.

If going to Liberty & Ellis Islands do plan your day carefully.

We visited NYC many years ago (before 911)
The one day we’d planned to visit Liberty & Ellis Islands, we were delayed and ended up taking a later ferry than originally expected.

To my great disappointment we were not allowed to go up into the Statue of Liberty because we arrived 10 minutes after the last entrance time (now 3:30pm)

Here’s the official website with all the essential information you’ll need: nps.gov

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

patty.szym
Perhaps I missed it, but what month are you going? I ask because the one time I went to Manhattan was in December, and although
we didn't have snow, we enjoyed watching the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and seeing the dressed-up store windows. The cold nip in the air added to the ambience. We stayed in a hotel across the street from the World Trade Center, where we went to have coffee at the Starbucks inside. (Now a bittersweet memory.) It was a great walk down Broadway, past Wall Street, past Trinity Church, to Battery Park, where we took the boat to Ellis Island. You could visit the WTC site before or after a visit to Ellis Island, but it seems to me that each one deserves a good chunk of time, so I would do them on separate days and pair each one with a shorter, maybe more upbeat, activity.
As others say, the Metropolitan Museum of Art visit could be concluded with a wander around in Central Park or just down 5th Avenue. The Met Museum is vast, and you have to pick and choose which sections to see even if there for the whole day. If (no, when) I return, I may finally get to the Guggenheim, the Empire State Bldg, Liberty Island, Brooklyn, a performance at Carnegie Hall, and the Staten Island Ferry. (We were only there four days).
Have a wonderful time!

Hello, patty.szym,
Have you been to NYC yet? I am curious to know if our comments have been helpful to you or whether you availed yourself of any of them.
Thanks!

You can wander around Rockefeller Center, including inside the main building and the observatory, as well as stroll down 5th Avenue taking in the shops and St. Patrick's Cathedral. If you like President Trump, there's a shop and restaurant/lounge inside Trump Tower that may interest you. The Museum of Modern Art is also nearby. It's not pizza or in midtown but Peter Lugar Steak House is just a short walk from the subway in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn and is a great old style restaurant experience. Have fun!

The tour of the United Nations is fascinating and unique to NY. Other fun thing to do is to take the Roosevelt Island tram from the EastSide to Roosevelt Island. It goes over the East River for a fantastic view.

Patty what do you think of these suggestions?