Yesterday I did something I’ve wanted to do for so long- walk entire length of Manhattan from north to south. I originally got this idea from an episode of Broad City, where, in celebration of Abbi’s 30th birthday, her and Ilana walk Manhattan from tip to tip. I propose this idea to some of my fellow NYC content creator friends, and we got a group together via instagram who wanted to do the walk it us. Sharing our route here! Here is the link to a YouTube video I made for the walk!

If you go straight down Broadway (the most common route) you will clock about 13 miles. We decided to zig zag a bit, especially uptown to make sure we hit some interesting sites. Arguably, the uptown portion is the best part of this trip. We met at Kuro Kirin Coffee in Inwood, so it was pretty close to the top tip of Manhattan, but we did cheat a bit. If you really want to start at the tippy top, take the 1 train to 215 St. We set out at 9:30 am and walked south on Broadway until we hit 161 St, then we turned east. The first stop we made was visiting Sylvan Terrace, a private cobblestone-paved street lined with charming townhouses built in 1882. It neighbors the Morris Jumel Mansion, built in 1765 and headquarters for Washington and his troops.

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Next, we headed south on Edgecome Ave. until 145 st, where we turned west on Convent, walked south on Hamilton Terrace until we hit the Hamilton Grange, home of Alexander Hamilton. This portion of the city is SO charming, please don’t skip it!

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Next, we headed south on Amsterdam, passing the beautiful campus of City College around 137th St, passing Morningside Park (bathroom break), then hitting up the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on 110th St. This is my favorite place in the city. If you’re up for it, check out the inside of the church and the gardens. There are peacocks roaming the grounds, and it’s a lovely place to relax. You can grab a cookie and coffee across the street from the Hungarian Pasty Shop, or if you’re ready for lunch, head to Roti Roll for take out Indian.

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We then headed over to Broadway and walked south throughout the Upper West Side. The Upper West Side marks the halfway point, so it’s a great place to grab lunch! Some notable to-go food recommendations in this neighborhood: Absolute Bagel, Mamma’s Too Pizza and Gray’s Papaya. Continuing south on Broadway, you’ll hit Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle. The shops at Columbus Circle is a great place for a bathroom break (upstairs).

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After Columbus Circle, you’ll hit midtown, if you continue down Broadway you’ll walk through Times Square. We headed two blocks east to avoid a demonstration that was going on and walked down 5th Ave. Walking down 5th, you pass a lot of shops and see the Flat Iron building. There are still a lot of historic buildings hiding between newer ones, so 5th is a great route to take.

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Continuing down 5th, you’ll pass by the beautiful neighborhood of Gramercy, and if you want to take a little detour, walk over to Gramercy Park. Then, keep walking south and you’ll hit Washington Square Park, another great place to take a rest if needed.

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After passing Washington Square Park, it really started to feel like the final stretch! We walked through Soho (great architecture), Lower Manhattan and FiDi, passing Trinity Church, the Oculus and the World Trade Center before ending in Battery Park. Battery Park is a great place to end because you have a view of the water and the Statue of Liberty. We got here around 4:20 pm, making our total walk time just under 7 hours.

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After ending, we headed for some well deserved beers and giant pretzels at Treadwell Park. By the time I got home, I had done 16 miles and slept until 2pm the next day. I was exhausted, but had SO much fun. I cannot recommend this walk enough! Let me know you do this yourself!

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