The Verdict · San Francisco & New York
The contested icons of San Francisco & New York — graded honestly for who they’re right for, and who should walk past. Pick a place to see the verdict by traveller type.
San Francisco
The famous island prison: a ferry, an audio tour, and books-out-weeks-ahead demand.
San Francisco
The last manually operated cable-car system in the world, with a 45-minute line for it.
San Francisco
The bridge. Walk it, bike it, or shoot it from a vista point, weather permitting.
San Francisco
Fine-arts museum in Golden Gate Park with a free observation tower.
San Francisco
Hands-on science museum on Pier 15, built for curiosity, brilliant with kids.
San Francisco
Aquarium + planetarium + rainforest + natural-history museum under one living roof.
San Francisco
Seven floors of modern and contemporary art, one of the largest collections in the US.
San Francisco
The clam-chowder-in-a-bread-bowl tourist core: souvenir shops, sea lions nearby, t-shirts.
San Francisco
A waterfront mall built for tourists, the famous sea-lion dock its one true draw.
San Francisco
The row of Victorian houses with the skyline behind, the 'Full House' postcard shot.
San Francisco
A free cliffside coastal trail with bridge views, ruins, and a labyrinth.
San Francisco
Old-growth coast redwoods across the bridge, reservation-only, often via tour.
San Francisco
A restored ferry terminal turned artisan food hall, with a farmers' market three days a week.
San Francisco
The oldest Chinatown in North America: temples, alleys, a fortune-cookie factory, dim sum.
San Francisco
Art-deco tower atop Telegraph Hill, with WPA murals inside and a 360° view up top.
San Francisco
A one-hour sightseeing boat past Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
San Francisco
A bundle pass into Cal Academy, the bay cruise, and a choice of other top attractions.
San Francisco
A 1,000-acre park bigger than Central Park, with gardens, lakes, bison, and museums within.
New York
The ferry, the crown (if you booked months ago), and the genuinely moving Ellis Island museum.
New York
A free commuter ferry that glides right past the Statue of Liberty and the harbour skyline.
New York
The art-deco icon and its 86th-floor open-air deck — the most famous skyline view in the world.
New York
The Rockefeller Center deck — the connoisseur's pick because the Empire State is IN the view.
New York
The western hemisphere's highest outdoor sky deck — a glass-floor triangle jutting off Hudson Yards.
New York
A mirrored, immersive observation experience above Grand Central — part view, part art installation.
New York
The reflecting-pool memorial (free) and the underground museum (ticketed, emotionally heavy).
New York
One of the great encyclopaedic museums on earth — 5,000 years of art over a Central Park city-block.
New York
The blockbuster modern-art collection — Starry Night, the soup cans, Les Demoiselles — and the crowds they draw.
New York
A Theater-District show — the genuine article, at genuine Broadway prices (or a TKTS gamble).
New York
843 free acres in the middle of Manhattan — the Mall, the Ramble, Bethesda Terrace, the boat pond.
New York
A 1.5-mile elevated park on a former freight rail line, threading the West Side from Chelsea to Hudson Yards.
New York
The blazing billboard canyon — costumed characters, the TKTS steps, and a wall of humanity.
New York
The free 1.1-mile walk across the gothic-arched icon, ideally Brooklyn-to-Manhattan into the skyline.
New York
A walking eat-your-way-through tour — Lower East Side, Chinatown, or Greenwich Village classics.
New York
A free, surreal pier-park on tulip-shaped concrete pots floating over the Hudson at Pier 55.
New York
A bundle into the Empire State, a museum or two, and a choice of icons (Statue, Top of the Rock, etc.).