Photographs show different viewpoints, dates and conditions. They do not establish current access to a particular route. Every image is credited below.
New York's neighbourhoods, waterfronts, parks and institutions reward a day with a geographical focus. A high viewpoint can explain the city's form; time on a street or in a museum provides detail. The contrast between scales is part of the pleasure.
Choose one main reservation for each day and build nearby discoveries around it. Leave room for queues, meals and the real time taken by urban travel.