How long should I stay in NYC?

Finally, something short and sweet, but of course, highly subjective. What do you hope to accomplish during your New York City stay? Would you be satisfied just taking in a Broadway show and a bus tour around Midtown Manhattan or would you really like to put your finger on the pulse of the city? Think about the things that made you decide that you wanted to come to New York City in the first place and work off of that. 

For the sake of argument, I'm going to plan out what I consider a typical New York City visit, through the eyes of a tourist. Hmm... I'll probably want to waste a lot of my time walking around Times Square. That's one full day and night down. Next, I'll probably want to go to grrr "Ground Zero" (we don't call it that BTW) and the Statue of Liberty. Well, that's most of your afternoon right there. But, you see how I paired those two attractions together? Why did I do that, dum-dum? Because they're both downtown. In fact, if you were really smart, like yours truly, you'd also throw Chinatown, Little Italy or the Brooklyn Bridge into the mix.  Why you ask? Because they're all Downtown, ya Nitz! 

What else? Ok, you'll probably wanna see the Empire State Building, so that's another day in Midtown. Wait a sec, Midtown? Isn't that where Times Square is? Why don't you pair them up? Well, because I'm thinking like a tourist and tourists cling to Times Square like bees to honey. Now, you could feasibly throw Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum into the mix since you're probably gonna walk by it a dozen times. 

So, yeah, lets keep the smart planning going. How about a day Uptown? Well, the obvious stop would be Central Park. Depending on the time of year, you can easily burn a day there or paired up with the Museum of Natural History. 

Ok, our hypothetical short trip can suffice at around 4-5 days, but there's sooo much more to see and do than what I've written above and I'd seriously recommend at least a week. Regardless of how much time you have, remember to plan ahead and group your destinations together. It's moronic to try and see the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park on the same day. Proper planning will not only save you time, but money. Don't be a dumbass!