A work-related conference brought us to Manhattan the end of January. We knew we would only have 12 hours, at the most, to tour the city on our own. We definitely needed to find the perfect place to stay to make the best of this opportunity to photograph Manhattan as well we could, given our time restraints.

After much research, we settled on the ROW NYC . This hip and affordably-priced hotel sits in the bull’s eye of Manhattan’s most famous locales, including the Empire State Building, Broadway theaters, Times Square, 5th Avenue shopping, and Penn Station, just to name a few.

An added bonus to our stay at the Row NYC was the proximity of CITY KITCHEN, Time Square’s first indoor food market located off the lobby of the hotel. We conveniently enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner at this venue, which offers a wide variety of excellent culinary options—including perhaps one of the best sushi platters we have ever experienced! Seating is casual, but we so enjoyed perching on our stools by the window and watching the excitement of Times Square roll by as we dined.

You may be wondering what you can do in 12 hours on a winter day in Manhattan? The answer is, plenty—and we have an extensive MANHATTAN PHOTO GALLERY to prove it.

Whenever we travel to a destination where a CityPASS is available, we make a point to purchase one prior to departure. Our pass gave us access to six of New York’s top attractions over 9-days, a time period we wished we had the luxury of enjoying on this trip.

Since we awoke to a clear blue winter sky, our first choice was a visit to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. I had last visited as a child, and my husband Tony had never been, so it was an easy decision. Turns out we spent several hours pouring over the many historical displays that detailed the building’s construction and admiring the Art Deco architecture from ceiling to floor. When we finally did get to the observation deck, we spent another several hours photographing the awe-inspiring views of Manhattan from all sides of the platform..

Dusk had fallen by the time we exited the Empire State Building. We strolled for hours down Broadway, past Times Square and through the theatre district, savoring the sights and sounds of the Big Apple. After a nightcap at Row NYC’s cozy District M bar, we fell into bed for a restful night’s sleep.

It was back to business the next day, but those 12 hours were right up there among some of our most memorable visitor experiences.