My wife and I just returned from a quick trip to New York. We’ve had the good fortune to go on previous occasions, so spent much of this visit walking in Central Park to Midtown to Union Square and back. If you’re planning to go in the next 30 days or so and have already done the “big” stuff in the city, these were some of our highlights:

• Hotel Plaza Athenee: got a good deal on Expedia, very nice room, but restaurant was way too expensive
• Rafael Barrios sculptures on Park Avenue between 50th and 69th: colorful two dimensional sculptures that have an amazingly cartoonish, three dimensional appearance: see http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2012/04/rafael-barrios-sculptures-and-yellow.html (sans the yellow tulips)
• Fun diner breakfast: Gene’s Coffee Shop, 26th E. 60th, between Madison and Park Aves., good coffee, eggs, sausage, and service -- very reasonably priced
• Good Cuban dinner for reasonable price (by New York standards) in nice surroundings: Cabana Midtown, 1022 3rd Ave.
• The Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien: always good for an inexpensive greasy but tasty cheeseburger lunch
• Good pre-theater appetizers, drinks, and jazz: Victor’s Café, 236 W. 52nd St.
• Jesus Christ Superstar — this revival has gotten a mixed critical reception, but we got great eighth row, middle orchestra discount seats on Broadwaybox.com and enjoyed the creative, frenetic staging with those classic tunes that make this 40+ year old musical still seem current.