New York City, Philadelphia and Hudson Valley Day Trips
Five days covering Manhattan's main landmarks, and two days by train to Philadelphia, Sleepy Hollow and Cold Spring.
Stay in Midtown for the whole week. Use four days to cover Lower Manhattan, the Uptown museums, Chelsea and Hudson Yards, and Midtown landmarks, with two train day trips in between: take Amtrak to Philadelphia for Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Reading Terminal Market, and Metro-North to Sleepy Hollow, Lyndhurst and Cold Spring. Suited to first-time visitors to the US East Coast who don't want to change hotels but still want to see the surroundings.
In October, Sleepy Hollow has many Halloween events and great fall foliage; book early.
Day by day
Day 1 · Arrival and Times Square at Night
New York City（Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock、Times Square / Broadway）
From Newark Airport, take the AirTrain and then NJ Transit to Penn Station, about 40 minutes; in the evening walk to Rockefeller Center and Times Square.
Book a reservation to go up Summit One Vanderbilt around sunset.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 2 · Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan
New York City（Statue of Liberty、Wall Street & Charging Bull、National September 11 Memorial & Museum、Brooklyn Bridge）
Take the subway to Battery Park, take a ferry to Liberty Island, then walk on shore to Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial; in the evening, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The 9/11 Museum is often closed on Tuesdays; buy ferry tickets in advance.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 3 · Central Park and the Museums
New York City（The Metropolitan Museum of Art、Central Park、American Museum of Natural History）
Walk or take the subway to the Upper East Side; after the Met, walk through Central Park to the Natural History Museum, then take the subway back to Midtown, about 15 minutes.
The Met is closed on Wednesdays.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 4 · Philadelphia Day Trip: The Nation's Founding
Philadelphia（Independence Hall、Liberty Bell Center、Reading Terminal Market、Philadelphia Museum of Art）
Take Amtrak from Penn Station to Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, about 1.5 hours; walk and take buses around the city, then return to New York in the evening.
Independence Hall requires a reserved timed entry; early trains are cheaper.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 5 · Chelsea and Hudson Yards
New York City（Little Island、Chelsea Market、The High Line、Hudson Yards: Edge & Vessel）
Take the subway to the Meatpacking District, then walk north from Little Island and Chelsea Market along the High Line to Hudson Yards.
The Edge observation deck is most crowded at sunset.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 6 · Sleepy Hollow and Cold Spring
New York City（Lyndhurst Mansion、Sleepy Hollow Cemetery） → Hudson Valley（Cold Spring）
Take the Hudson Line from Grand Central about 45 minutes to Tarrytown; visit Lyndhurst and Sleepy Hollow, then head north about 40 minutes to Cold Spring.
Lyndhurst tours require a reservation; you can take taxis between sites.
Stay: Midtown Manhattan
Day 7 · Midtown Landmarks and Departure
New York City（Grand Central Terminal、New York Public Library Main Branch、Empire State Building）
Walk past Grand Central, the New York Public Library and the Empire State Building; in the afternoon, take the subway and AirTrain to John F. Kennedy Airport, about 1 hour.