One and 1/2 hours in NYC?

Go to times square, take some photos, watch the world go by, go back to the theater!

-john

Get a timed ticket for Top of the Rock. Yes you can walk to the American Girl store but it'll be crowded and crazy and no fun. Better to walk to the Public Library and say hi to the original Winnie Ther Pooh doll.

Agree with john.

The American Girl Store is on 49th St and Fifth Avenue. It's a few blocks from Times Square. Definitely doable

If it's a nice day, you might want to take a walk up to Central Park -- it starts on 59th St.

There's really not much you can do in an hour and a half.

Oh, I did forget, we probably will need to squeeze lunch into our very limited time! Is there a quick, preferably not McDonald's type lunch you could recommend? Guess our time just got really cut down.

I like the Central Park idea. Of course Times Square is good too. I was told about some cupcake place around there as well, but I'm not sure the name...anyone?

There is a Magnolia Bakery on 6th Ave and 49 Street and one downstairs in Grand Central Station.

Let's be realistic here....You've got a mere 90 minutes between the tour and the show. Unless you're planning to grab something on the run (or, on the walk) from a street food vender, you're not going to have much time for anything, especially if you decide on a sitdown lunch.
Let's take one possible alternative scenario: Walking from the theater to, say, Magnolia Bakery on 6th and 49th, will take at least 10 minutes each way. So that leaves 50 minutes at most for each and sightseeing. You're in the Rockefeller Center/St. Patrick's Cathedral area. Spend the remaining minutes visiting those worthy sites.

Go to the Top of the Rock.

A cupcake is not lunch. Is the bus dropping you off at the New Amsterdam Theatre? Try to get a table at John's Pizza on W. 44th street. If you get there right after the tour you should be able to squeeze in lunch before the show. Here's the link:

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/index2.htm

If you have time after the show, go to TOTR. If you really get caught short on time, visit the concession stand at the theatre. They sell enough candy and junk food to count as a meal. Your daytrip sounds like fun! Have a blast!

Looking for confirmation from native New Yorkers on this one, but it seems like you could walk to Grand Central and eat quickly there and then walk back to the show. That is, if your daughter and mother are both willing to be brisk walkers and fast eaters.

Personally, I would prefer just to find a meal in Times Square and experience the craziness of that area.

If you go to GCT, go downstairs to the food court. You can eat lunch And get a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery.

Well you'll need to eat lunch - or be starving after the show. so I would pick out something casuale nearby. then - if the weather is decent do Top of the Rock - you can reserve tickets that am to get the time you want. If you want to do something indoors you might want to drop into MoMA. another option is the main branch of the NY Public library - which always has great exhibits and has an absolutely shatteringly beautiful reading room.

You're leaving right after the show?
In your 90 minutes, just have a slice of pizza or some other quick meal (there's a pedestrian only area with seating right on the streets nearby), stop into some of the stores in Times Square (M&Ms, ride the ferris wheel at Toys R US, whatever), have a cupcake, and get to the theater a few minutes early to take it all in.

I'm a big proponent of culture, but with so little time and a kid that age, I would not try to run around just for a taste of this or that. By the time you walk to and from Rockefeller center,or Grand Central (not really fun for a 10 year old anyway, in my opinion) you're probably talking about 30 minutes. Who wants to rush so much?

You might try the Discovery Center which is in Times Square, and last I heard there was a Harry Potter show, lots of items on display from the movies, costumes wands, and of course a themed gift shop. If she is a Harry Potter fan a must see.
Get your tickets online.

Eating in the theatre area is probably the best idea and I would suggest the Cafe 1,2,3 on W.43rd just off 6th Ave, something for everyone there, and for desert the creme brule is heavenly.

If you can walk a bit further your daughter would LOVE Ellen's Stardust up on Broadway around 49th. The servers are all wantabe broadway performers so you get lunch AND music.

Hope this helps.

Sorry, just checked and the HP exhibit is gone, Dead Sea Scrolls might be good for you and Mom, but probably not much fun for your Daughter.

How about the ToysRUs in Times Square with a ride on the 4 story ferris wheel, or a walk over to Bryant Park 6th and 42nd and a ride on the Carousel.

From there to Cafe 1,2,3 and then to the Theatre.

Have a GREAT time.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I think my daughter would love Ellen's Stardust, so our plan is to head there after our tour and then just check out Times Square. It's too bad we don't have more time, but we'll make the best of what we do have and have a blast I'm sure!

Ellens Stardust diner serves some of the absolute worst food in the city. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Really, you'll be happy you did.

Ellen used to have a restaurant across Broadway from City Hall Park. They made one thing I liked for breakfast and I used to run into Ellen on occasion. She was Miss Subway 1959. No kdding. They would post the pictures of five "hot" women in the subways and NY'ers would vote for their favorite.

She was tiresomely vain becasue of her 1959 election and her staff thought they had found a cure a cancer rather than dispensing coffee and biscuits. I have never been to her singing dinner since I never heard a good word about it and I had no good words for Ellen.

To call Ellen's Stardust Diner the worst food in the city is a bit of hyperbole. No, it's hardly gourmet cooking, but then, what 10-year-old is looking for gourmet cooking? Rather, it would be a fun experience for the child.

I did qualify the hyperbole by saying Ellen's serves "SOME" of the worst food in the city. They serve inedible food. Gruesome. If you go, order a cola. Then leave.

If the 10 year old knows anything about the iconic Eloise character of The Plaza Hotel fame, she might enjoy the (also not gourmet, but 'fun') Eloise tea offered in the recently revamped Palm Court at the Plaza.

But I don't think you have time for that....

Good for you for planning ahead. Many of the people will probably waste part of their 90 minutes trying to decide where to go eat.

Just seeing Times Square itself is fun.

The M&M store is HUGE and would be fun to see. (It has restrooms.)

There is a Times Square visitors center nearby. When we were there, it had a/the ball from the New Year's Eve drop. (I can't remember if it was a previous ball or the current ball.) You can also write wishes on little scraps of paper which will rain down on the NYE's crowd. There's a wall for photos and also rest rooms.

There is a McDonald's nearby. Not your first choice - but it is quick and will allow you time outdoors to see what you can see. Street food is another choice. Going to a sit-down restaurant will probably eat up most of your time.

You might want to get a New York City map to see how far the library, Toys R Us or Central Park are. We went to all of those places, but I can't visualize how long the walk is.

You will also want to get to the theater a few minutes early. If you are late, you will miss the first part of the show.

We saw Mary Poppins in Indianapolis. The story line is a bit different from the movie. The set is awesome - one of the coolest things I've seen.

Well, I just realized that she went yesterday. I wonder how the day went.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! We went yesterday and had a blast! We ended up getting in an hour early so we had some time before our tour and went to Crumbs for some great cupcakes. It's somewhat across the street from the New Amsterdam. Then we did a quick walk up Times Square for some pictures.

Back to the theater for an amazing tour. Not only did we get to go behind the stage, up on the stage to see the set up close, but we got an incredible history of the theater. The woman who did the tour somehow kept the attention of the youngest kids (probably around 6 years old) as well as had the adults riveted to her stories. The tour lasted just under an hour. We ended up with closer to 2 1/2 hours free time.

So we did choose to go to Ellen's for lunch. We had about a 20 minute wait and sure, the food was just OK, but the atmosphere is definitely what you're going for. And keeping in mind that this was a Youth Theater Group trip - all the kids on this trip LOVE the theater! So my daughter has aspiring dreams of being on Broadway someday! I think half of the guests there with us were from our bus trip. We had over 100 people with us (2 buses full). They all loved it! And what a reality check for these kids to see that you don't go from a school play to a lead role on Broadway! It was great!

Then we did just take in the sights, mainly around Time Square.

Back to the theater - had great seats and the show was great. Many of the adults in our group commented that we didn't think we'd like Mary Poppin's so much. It wouldn't have been our show of choice. But WOW! What a spectacular performance! And the effects were great. Nothing like a NYC musical!

The adults and kids loved it equally...

So, thank you for you help - and we can't wait to be back. My daughter is already asking when our next trip is. And seeing how we only live outside if Philly, I'm sure it will be very soon!

Gald you had a good time. You can easily take AMTRAK from Philly to NYC and in many ways is preferrable.

Crumbs is better(and bigger) than Magnolia.

Glad you fun. I love Crumbs too. Sounds like a good day.

Glad you *had* fun.

Glad you fun

Maybe they saw a Tarzan movie.

Me doubt it.

Ungawa, bwana.

Were I with you, I would walk you through Times Square (home of the New Year's Eve celebration), to Rockefeller Center (where there is a big Christmas tree each year), and up Fifth Avenue (past Tiffany's, etc.) to the south part of Central Park (walking by the lake and past the Zoo, if time allows.)

We would return to Mary Poppins waking down Broadway.

HTTY