THANKSGIVING IN NEW YORK

Day 1 | Sunday 22 November
Arrival
Flights from Australia arrive in New York in the late afternoon. If you have arrived early, we suggest you take one of the many harbour cruises available in Manhattan and can particularly recommend the AIA tour. Academy Travel can arrange bookings. In the early evening, we gather for drinks in the hotel bar followed by a welcome dinner at Serafina – a staple of NYC Italian dining for 30 years. Overnight New York (D)

Day 2 | Monday 23 November
Midtown
Our first morning begins with an introductory lecture in our hotel, providing historical and cultural context for New York and setting the scene for the days ahead. From here, we head out on a guided walking tour of Midtown, exploring one of the city’s most architecturally expressive districts. Our walk takes in the Art Deco ensemble of Rockefeller Center, alongside notable examples of early 20th-century and mid-century modern architecture that reflect New York’s rapid growth and enduring ambition. We conclude the morning at Grand Central Terminal – a Beaux-Arts landmark whose soaring concourse and refined detailing make it one of the city’s great civic interiors. Lunch is at leisure here, with time to explore the terminal and its surrounding precinct. We reconvene in the evening for dinner at La Grande Boucherie, a classic brasserie-style setting in the heart of Midtown. Overnight New York (B, D)

Day 3 | Tuesday 24 November
Downtown | Broadway Play or Musical
Today we venture into Lower Manhattan, beginning our exploration of the historic heart of New York, where the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam was established in the 17th century. A guided walking tour introduces the layered history of the area, tracing the city’s early colonial foundations alongside the development of Wall Street and the Financial District. Along the way we encounter a number of significant landmarks, including New York City Hall and the early skyscraper silhouette of the Woolworth Building. We also visit the National September 11 Memorial, where twin reflecting pools mark the footprints of the former towers, before viewing the striking white ribs of the Oculus. Lunch is then enjoyed in the Washington Room of the historic Fraunces Tavern. Dating to the 18th century, it was here that George Washington famously bade farewell to his officers at the close of the American Revolutionary War. The late afternoon is at leisure before we gather again in the evening for a performance on Broadway, selected from the best of the current season. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Day 4 | Wednesday 25 November
Upper East Side | New York Philharmonic
Our morning begins on the Upper East Side at the Museum of the City of New York, where exhibitions explore the city’s social history, urban development and cultural life, providing valuable context for understanding New York’s evolution from colonial outpost to global metropolis. Our next stop is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s final and most radical architectural statement. A guided visit focuses both on the building itself – its spiralling ramp and continuous interior space – and on highlights from the museum’s modern and contemporary collections. In the afternoon we visit the recently renovated Frick Collection, housed in the former residence of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. Renowned for the exceptional quality of its European Old Master paintings, the collection is displayed in an intimate domestic setting, offering a markedly different museum experience to those earlier in the day. In the evening, we make our way to Lincoln Center for a performance by the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, combing one of the world’s leading orchestras and a cornerstone of New York’s musical scene. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 5 | Thursday 26 November
Thanksgiving Day
Today we experience Thanksgiving in New York, beginning with one of the city’s most cherished annual traditions – The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. First staged in 1924, the parade has become an iconic fixture of the New York calendar and a defining expression of the holiday’s celebratory spirit, as its famous balloons, elaborate floats and marching bands make their way through Midtown. Following the parade, we then walk to lunch at Benoit New York, a refined French bistro by Alain Ducasse. Here we enjoy a group Thanksgiving lunch, marking the holiday together in one of Midtown’s classic dining rooms. Later in the day, we reconvene at the hotel for a lecture, followed by an evening at leisure. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Day 6 | Friday 27 November
Great Libraries | Jazz at Lincoln Center
This morning we travel to Midtown and begin with a walk through Bryant Park, taking in views towards the Empire State Building and the surrounding streetscape. Our next stop is the New York Public Library, one of the city’s most distinguished civic buildings, renowned for its Beaux-Arts architecture and grand reading rooms. From here, we continue on foot to the Morgan Library & Museum, originally the private library of financier J. P. Morgan and home to a remarkable collection of rare manuscripts, illuminated books and early printed works all housed within a sequence of historic and modern spaces. There is time for lunch in the Morgan Café before returning to our hotel. With Black Friday sales under way, you may wish to spend the remainder of the afternoon shopping! Reconvening this evening, we walk to Columbus Circle for a performance at ‘Jazz at Lincoln Center’, enjoying live jazz in their magnificent auditorium overlooking Central Park. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 7 | Saturday 28 November
The Met | Metropolitan Opera
Making our way to the Upper West Side today, our first destination is The New York Historical Society, founded in 1804 as the city’s first museum and houses more than 1.6 million works. The museum is also home to the Center for Women’s History, which unearths the lives and legacies of women who have shaped and continue to shape the American experience. From here, we walk across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with our afternoon devoted to exploring this vast encyclopaedic museum. You can select from the 50 departments presenting outstanding art from pre-history to the 20th century or you may like to join your tour leader in The American Wing, which houses one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of American art in existence. Tonight, we travel to Lincoln Center for dinner at the renowned Grand Tier Restaurant, set within the Metropolitan Opera House, before taking our seats for a performance that brings the day to a close. Overnight New York (B, D)

Day 8 | Sunday 29 November
Harlem & Hamilton | Broadway Matinee
For early risers, there is the opportunity to attend a morning gospel church service in Harlem, where music remains close to its communal and spiritual roots. The experience offers insight into a living tradition shaped by faith, resilience and collective expression, with powerful choral singing at its centre. After taking in some of the other northern Manhattan sights, including The Grange – the home of founding father Alexander Hamilton – we return to Broadway for a matinee performance (schedule permitting). On return to our hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 9 | Monday 30 November
Brooklyn Bridge | Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Following a lecture in our hotel this morning, we head out for a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge – one of the great icons of the city. Completed in 1883, this landmark of 19th-century engineering links Manhattan and Brooklyn and offers memorable views over the East River and the Lower Manhattan skyline. Tonight we enjoy New York City’s favourite holiday celebration – the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, showcasing dance and choreography at Radio City Music Hall since 1932. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 10 | Tuesday 1 December
Lower East Side | Broadway Play or Musical
This morning is devoted to the Lower East Side, long defined by migration, community life and urban change. Our visit here begins at the Tenement Museum, where restored apartments and personal stories bring to life the everyday experiences of those who settled here from the 19th century onwards. We then continue to a historic synagogue, reflecting the central role of Jewish communities in the social, religious and commercial life of the area, before walking on through Little Italy. This once-Italian enclave stretched from Canal to Houston Streets, between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, as immigrants from Naples and Sicily flooded the area in the 1880s. Today it is famous for its iconic restaurants, bakeries (like Ferrara Bakery), and gift shops, particularly along Mulberry Street. We return to the hotel for a late afternoon lecture, after which there is time to freshen up before our evening performance on Broadway, selected from the best of the current season. Overnight New York (B, LD)

Day 11 | Wednesday 2 December
MoMA Private Viewing | Carnegie Hall
We begin today with a short walk to the Museum of Modern Art, set in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Reopened in 2019 following a major expansion and rehang, MoMA has redefined how modern and contemporary art are presented, integrating architecture, design, photography, film and painting within a single narrative. Before the museum opens to the public, we enjoy a private guided visit led by a museum lecturer, focusing on key works from the collection with the likes of Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, Dalí, Pollock, Rothko and Warhol set to delight. Following our guided tour, the remainder of the morning is free to continue exploring the galleries at your own pace, allowing time to revisit favourite works or explore areas of personal interest within the museum. A farewell lunch is then enjoyed at Gramercy Tavern, one of America’s most beloved restaurants featuring contemporary seasonal American cuisine. In the evening, we wrap up our performance program with a concert in the legendary Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall. Overnight New York (B, L, LD)

Day 12 | Thursday 3 December
Departure
Before we farewell New York, our final morning is free for those interested in squeezing in some extra shopping or additional sights. (B)