New York: 30K Steps In A Day And A Whole Lot Of Fun |

Simply Wanderfull

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If you really want to feel the heartbeat of New York City, lace up your walking shoes and get ready for a 30,000-step adventure. In just one action-packed day, you can experience it all—from an early morning e-bike ride through the serene paths of Central Park, to brushing shoulders (and maybe even cameras) with the hosts at CNBC’s Squawk Box, to sipping pints in some of the city’s oldest and most storied taverns. You’ll make your way down to Wall Street then back up to the West Village, fuel up on everything from Mediterranean feasts, a slice of pizza, to iconic burgers, catch live music in a cozy pub, and end the night high above Midtown with a cocktail in hand, gazing out at the glowing Empire State Building. If you love walking and site seeing while on vacation, check out my article on Amsterdam: Wander and Get Lost In Its Charm which features walking and stopping along the way!

It’s history, flavour, and pure NYC energy—wrapped into one unforgettable day on foot. Let’s lets get to stepping!

I always create a Vacation Itinerary Brochure for our trips. I create beautiful Tri-Fold Vacation Brochures uniquely tailored to the itinerary. They fit neatly into my purse and I just love it for reference at my fingertips. If you are interested in making your own vacation brochures visit my Etsy store, Simplywanderfull to download and create your own in Canva. If Canva isn’t your thing, I can help you! Message me to have a custom brochure made just for you.

What does 30,000 steps in a day look like in New York? Well get your runners on and here we go! To kick of this amazing walking journey throughout Manhattan, we need to fuel up before we begin! Our stay begins at a Midtown favourite, the Refinery Hotel. This hotel is centrally located and only a couple blocks away from Bryant Park. It’s a perfect place to grab a coffee, a little breakfast treat from Ole & Steen and then sit and watch this vibrant city of New York come to life – and of course enjoy the little birds trying to pick up any of your crumbs.

Our first stop took us to the bright lights of Times Square and the CNBC Studios, where we couldn’t resist peeking through the window to catch our favourite (and most-watched) morning show at home — Squawk Box. We spotted our “morning friends” Becky Quick, Joe Kernen, and Andrew Ross Sorkin in action, running the show live. The best part? We even got to wave to our family on TV from the window — a simple, silly, and totally fun thrill!

This was one of our bucket list stops in New York, as my son has just launched a Stock educational app called Stocx AI and is available to download in the app store! Its a super genius idea that helps investors with all of their questions involving stocks and purchases, when to buy, hold and sell! Check it out here: Stockx Ai

Continuing on, we made our way towards Central Park for some e-biking throughout Central Park. We quickly downloaded the app for the City Bikes and away we went! Since we had these awesome e-bikes, we were able to bike the entire park, making a few stops along the way to take in all the beauty the park has to offer!

Now, our walk begins. We will make our way towards the NoMad district and the Ritz Carleton, New York where the beautifully decorated Zaytinya Restaurant for a few tapas style Mediterranean dishes to share. The food is absolutely incredible! The incredible chef and philanthropist Jose Andreas is the creator of Zaytinya is a celebrated Mediterranean restaurant in New York City known for its innovative mezze menu inspired by Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisines. If you want to learn more about Jose Andreas you must read his new book called: Change The Recipe: Because you can’t build a better world without breaking and egg.

New York Pub Crawl Tour

Now we are going to continue our walk for an authentic Irish pub crawl in New York that takes you through some of the city’s oldest and most storied taverns as you continue your journey towards Wall Street and Battery Park.

Walking from Zaytinya, your journey begins at John Devoy’s, named after the influential Irish revolutionary and journalist who played a key role in Ireland’s fight for independence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Next, just a short walk away, is McSorley’s Old Ale House, established in 1854 and recognized as New York’s oldest continuously operating tavern. Its sawdust-covered floors and simple décor have witnessed generations of workers, writers, and artists, including the likes of Abraham Lincoln’s visits.

Now before we continue our Pub Crawl towards Battery Park, you may want to stop into one of New Yorks most famous pizza joints which is along the way to the next tavern! Check out Lombardi’s, the first pizzeria in the United States! The pizza is absolutely delicious-its sure not to disappoint.

From there, make your way to The Dead Rabbit, a 19th-century-inspired establishment named after the Dead Rabbits gang, an infamous Irish-American street gang active in the 1850s. The pub pays homage to this rough-and-tumble era of Five Points, one of the most notorious neighbourhoods in New York’s early immigrant history.

Finally, the crawl ends at the iconic Fraunces Tavern, a landmark dating back to 1762, which famously served as George Washington’s headquarters during the American Revolution. This historic tavern was also a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty and a site of early American political activity, blending colonial history with Irish pub traditions. Enjoying a pint here is like stepping back into a pivotal chapter of both American and Irish heritage. If you want to continue the pub crawl, take a walk over to Stone Street. Stone Street in New York is renowned for its original cobblestone paving, making it the city’s first paved street in 1658. This short quaint street is lined with pubs, taverns and restaurants.

This pub crawl offers much more than drinks—it immerses you in centuries of Irish immigrant stories, revolutionary history, and the resilient spirit that shaped New York into the vibrant city it is today

Follow Our Irish Pub Tour Here:

Whew, tired yet? Well we still have a few more steps to go! After our Irish Pub Tour, we will continue towards Wall Street, with a respectful stop at the 9/11 memorial. If you have another day in New York, I would highly recommend the How Money Was Made Walking Tour. We took this tour the following day and our guide Jess, was absolutely outstanding. His energy, personality, and wealth of insight brought the history to life and made the entire experience unforgettable.

Now our feet are hurting, our steps are at around 28,000 and we are hungry for one of the best burgers in New York! Time for UBER! We hopped in and headed off to the Minetta Tavern in the Greenwich Village for the Black Label Burger. Trust me, you will not be sorry!

After this most delicious dinner and your still feeling up to continuing this journey, you could visit the Red Lion bar which is not too far away. The Red Lion bar is New York’s best live music bar! Every night, top cover bands and tribute acts play your favourite songs. For an authentic night of live rock and roll, this is the place.

If rock and roll isn’t your scene, why not catch a comedy show instead? We went to the Gotham Comedy Club, and it had us laughing all night! The Gotham Comedy Club is located in the Flatiron district and just a short distance away from Greenwich Village.

We were so tired by this point that we decided to get an UBER back to Midtown and close to our hotel for a last cocktail of the day and an amazing view of the Empire State Building. The Skyglass Rooftop bar which is located inside the Archer Hotel or even the Refinery Rooftop at the Refinery Hotel both equally offer amazing night views of the Empire State Building and great for photos!

Time To Rest Those Feet!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog and joining us on this whirlwind 30,000-step journey through New York City. I hope this glimpse into an action-packed day inspires you to visit the Big Apple and experience its amazing energy, history, flavours, and vibrant neighbourhoods for yourself. There’s truly no better way to discover New York than on foot (or e-bike!), soaking in every moment and making memories along the way. Until your own adventure begins—keep exploring and stay Simply Wanderfull!