Day 1
Downtown, from 9/11 to Wall Street
Morning
One World Observatory, 9/11 memorial and museum
The car is returned on arrival: the eight days in New York are done by subway, far cheaper than parking in Manhattan. Then the One World Trade Center lift rises to the 102nd floor in 47 seconds, projecting 500 years of the skyline's evolution onto its walls. Below, the two pools of the memorial occupy the exact footprint of the towers, the 2,983 names engraved on their parapets, and the museum descends to the foundations.
Afternoon
Wall Street, Trinity Church, Federal Hall and Battery Park
The financial district is walked on foot: Trinity Church, whose spire was the highest point in New York until 1890, Federal Hall where Washington was sworn in as the first president in 1789, Fraunces Tavern (1719) where he bade farewell to his officers, the cobblestones of Stone Street, the Charging Bull of 1989 and finally Battery Park, facing the bay.
Evening
Staten Island Ferry at sunset
Free, every 30 minutes: a 25-minute crossing with the Statue of Liberty to starboard and the skyline lighting up on the way back. The finest view in New York costs nothing.
Good to know
The car is returned as soon as you arrive: a parking space in Manhattan costs more than a hotel night. The 9/11 museum requires a timed ticket, the outdoor memorial is open and free. The Staten Island Ferry leaves from the Whitehall terminal, with no ticket and no booking.