How to Spend 8 Hours in New York: Inwood Forest to Harlem Barbecue
Updated October 3, 2026
Eight hours in New York runs down upper Manhattan from Inwood Hill Park's forest to The Met Cloisters, a mofongo lunch, the West Harlem Piers and dinner at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
This full day follows the spine of upper Manhattan from its wild northern tip to the river at West Harlem. You start in the island's last stretch of natural forest and salt marsh, where the Lenape once camped, then walk to a medieval museum on a ridge above the Hudson. After a Dominican lunch you drop down to a waterfront pier for the afternoon light, and finish with smoked ribs under the Riverside Drive viaduct. Comfortable shoes help, since there are hills along the way. Bags can wait at a Bounce partner near 125th Street. As of October 2026, it charges from $2.90 a day.
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The 8 hour plan, stop by stop
Stops and travel: 4 hr 40 min to 7 hr of 8 hours
Inwood Hill Park protects Manhattan's last natural forest and salt marsh, a landscape of towering tulip trees, rocky ridges and caves where Lenape families once sheltered. A plaque at the Shorakkopoch rock marks where a giant tulip tree stood for some 280 years until 1938. It also recalls the legend that Peter Minuit bought Manhattan here in 1626. Trails climb to overlooks of the Hudson and the Henry Hudson Bridge, and the Urban Ecology Center by the marsh explains the park's wildlife.
Tip: Start at the salt marsh near the ecology center, then follow the trail uphill through the forest toward the Hudson overlooks.
- Time here
- 40 min to 1 hr 10 min
- Website
- nycgovparks.org
NaviTime to head out from Inwood Hill Park for The Met Cloisters. It's a 9 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
From the forest it is a short walk to The Met Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum's medieval branch, where whole sections of French monastery cloisters were rebuilt stone by stone around peaceful gardens. As of October 2026, adults pay $30, and the museum does not open on Wednesdays. Inside are the Fuentidueña Chapel's Spanish apse, the delicate boxwood miniatures, the jeweled treasury and the seven Unicorn Tapestries, whose story of a hunt is one of the most celebrated works of medieval art. Arcaded walkways look out over the Hudson to the Palisades.
Tip: Pause in the Cuxa Cloister garden, the largest of the courtyards, before seeing the Unicorn Tapestries in their own gallery.
- Time here
- 1 hr 15 min to 2 hr
- Website
- metmuseum.org
NaviTime to head out from The Met Cloisters for La Casa del Mofongo. It's a 20 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Big and lively, La Casa del Mofongo is a Washington Heights favorite named for the Dominican dish it does best: mofongo, green plantains mashed with garlic and pork cracklings, topped with shrimp, steak or chicharrón. It serves from breakfast until late, and while weekend nights get busy, lunch is relaxed. The menu also covers roast pork, fried fish, tostones and tropical shakes.
Tip: Share a mofongo with shrimp in garlic sauce and a passion fruit shake, then walk to the 181st Street station.
- Time here
- 45 min to 1 hr 10 min
NaviTime to head out from La Casa del Mofongo for West Harlem Piers Park. It's a 24 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Once a strip of parking lots along the Hudson, this waterfront park opened in 2009 between Manhattanville's old industrial buildings and the river. A fishing pier and a boat landing reach into the water, a riverside path links up with the Hudson River Greenway, and public art dots the lawns. Benches face the Palisades and catch the late afternoon sun, and the elevated subway and the steel arches of the Riverside Drive viaduct frame the view behind you.
Tip: Walk to the end of the fishing pier for the sunset view across the river, then cross the street to dinner.
- Time here
- 20 to 35 min
- Website
- nycgovparks.org
NaviTime to head out from West Harlem Piers Park for Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. It's a 2 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Born as a biker barbecue joint in Syracuse, Dinosaur opened its first New York City outpost here in 2004, in a two-story brick building beneath the Riverside Drive viaduct. Pitmasters slow-smoke ribs, brisket and pulled pork, served with house sauces, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes and cornbread. The rooms are loud and friendly, with a long bar and blues on the speakers, and walk-ins are welcome.
Tip: Order a combo plate to try ribs and brisket side by side, and ask which house sauce goes best with each meat.
- Time here
- 45 min to 1 hr 10 min
- Website
- dinosaurbarbque.com
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