The three museums you listed are completely different from each other. Each is good in its own genre and you should really decide what type of museum you want. I think the Tenement Museum is great because I have a personal interest in immigrant life in NYC but someone who doesn't would have less (or no) reason to go there.

My understanding is that the bikes have to stay on designated paths in Central Park which gives you less of a chance to explore the park (unless you get off, lock it up and walk) but I may be mistaken. Walking Central Park combined with the Metropolitan Museum of Art of the Museum of Natural History, should you choose to go to one of them, would make sense.

WLCOME TO NYC!!! Sounds like you guys are going to have a great time.

First grab a map of the city so in your planning you have some ideas of where things are so you can see more and travel less.

The City is FULL and I mean FULL, (we may tip over, if everyone walks to one side of the island) of tourists right now. I was walking in Times Square the other day and it was WALLTOWALLTOWALL..PEOPLE.

Your first day, you can see the ESB from everywhere, but you will waste ALOT OF TIME just waiting to get to the top FORGETABOUTIT. Go to top of the Rock instead, timed tickets and GREAT view, and no waiting (sh,,,,,we don't tell all the tourists about it), from there walk to Times Square and then down to Herald Square for some SHOPPING.

Your daughter will love Daffy's across from Macy's and at 16, she will LOVE Conway (34th between 7th and 8th, and 7th between 34th and 35th), jeans there $10 and tees $3, tops, shirts, and all things for kids for school and your budget stays intact. There's also alot of stores on 34th like Forever 21, H&M, Express. There's also a new DSW and a Famous Footware so she can get shoes to match the new outfits, lol.

Ok back to touring, The Staten Island Ferry would be a nice way to start your Saturday and then walk up Broadway, and see Wall St. Trinity Church, World Trade Center and Memorial, stop at Century 21 and around that area for more shopping, then walk up toward City Hall on Boadway and make SURE you stop at St. Paul's Chapel, for the 9/11 remembrance.

From there head up to Canal St, and turn right walk over to Chinatown and have lunch in Chinatown and desert in Little Italy. (2 fav places on Mott St - Mandarin Ct. (dim sum) or Peking Duck House (for peking duck of course)).

From there wander up through SoHo to The Village and stop and see NYU and Washington Square Park, and presto you have seen most of downtown.

Sunday you might do Central Park or stop at The Met for a couple of hours.

Hope this helps, have a GREAT time.

If you really absolutely must go to the Empire State Building, buy your tickets in advance .... today. You'll be able to bypass some of the lines that way. But I agree with all others who will tell you that Top of the Rock is a much better view and a much better experience.

I'd urge you not to have lunch in Little Italy but do the Lower East Side instead. Check out Meatball Shop on Stanton, or just have lunch in Chinatown (Congee Bowery or Congee Village are good, among many good options). If you do want to eat in Little Italy, then the best place is Torrisi Italian Specialities, though it's pretty expensive. The streetside pasta joints are mostly blah. So you eat there at your own risk.

The Staten Island ferry is your best bet for a view of the Statue of Liberty.

Vjpblovesitaly - Thanks for telling me about cycling in central park, we will wander around instead

Travelbuff - thanks for all that advice, that was really helpful! I can now suprise her with my knowledge of shopping in NYC! By the first day did you mean friday?

Thank you doug as well, I will try to talk her to her about the empire state building, but I think that she feels it has to be done at least once. Also we won't eat in little italy we will do as Travelbuff suggested and get lunch in china town and desert in little italy, so that way she can still get to eat there. Or maybe do dinner there and lunch in the lower east side.

Actually, I'd recommend il laboratorio del gelato for dessert, but it's also in the Lower East Side on Ludlow, so perhaps do that on the same day you eat lunch on the Lower East Side, if you choose to do that. A lot of people also like Katz's for deli food, and all these places are near the Tenement Museum, one of my favorite places. I'm not sure if that's your daughter's kind of thing, but if she's into history, then that might be the one museum to visit since it's more experiential and close to good food and shopping. Economy Candy is also nearby.

There are some undistinguished gelato shops on Mulberry, so if you really want to eat there you can without any problems. But I actually like Ferrara Bakery & Cafe on Grand. It's an old Little Italy place back when Little Italy was an actual neighborhood and not just a tacky tourist street. It's a tad expensive, but traditional. Though again, you can get similar, better pastries at Veneiro's and better gelato in a lot of places.

Thankyou, I had read about il laboratorio del gelato on this sit somewhere but I completely forgot! I will have to remember to write all of these suggestions down

Also I have another question, my daughter has decided that she doesn't want to go to museums while in nyc as "they've got them in london". Lol. So what can I pair with central park on either friday or sunday?

You can rent bicycles near Columbus Circle entrance, you can go to the zoo, you can visit the Conservatory Garden (really beautiful if she's into that), you can rent a rowboat at the Boathouse, you can visit the castle, you can look at the statues, you can take a bicycle rickshaw ride, or you can take a horse and carriage ride, though the latter is really really expensive. There's enough to do in Central Park that you can spend 2 whole days there. There are also miles of walking paths. Of course, this all depends on how hot it is, but there's also a lot of shade and plenty of vendors selling food and drinks.

And near the 5th Avenue/59th Street entrance is our giant 24-hour Apple Store, which is also across the street from the Plaza Hotel for a quick walk-by.

There are 2 museums bordering the park that actually deal with NYC history - The Museum of the City of NY and the NY Historical Society (I know these do not exist in London). Also , while I know you have a zillion churches in the UK, the Cathedral of St John the Divine is a distinctly NY take on the concept.

http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/explorenyc/2012/03/st-john-the-divine-paul-winter.html

Like many posh hotels, the Church has just gotten into the bee keeping business as well!

All of London is a museum.

Re. NYC: You'd miss nothing if you skipped Serendipity.

I think bicycling in Central Park is an exercise for the brave and bold. Pedestrians don't watch out for bikes and the 'professional' bicyclists don't watch out for anybody. Some of their bikes don't have brakes. It's potentially much more trouble than it's worth.

Try talking her into going to Top Of The Rock. She can see the Empire State Building from there. The entire experience is superior to that of the ESB.

If you can get her to one museum, I'd consider the Museum of Modern Art. London's Tate Modern doesn't come close. At all. Different animal.

All of the Tenement Museum tours are wonderful. The city is jam packed; buy your tickets online to avoid disappointment.

Get your daughter a book on NYC and let her pick some things she wants to see, easy fix to "I don't want to do museums".

I'd also second the idea of the Central Park Zoo, or you might try a subway ride up to the Bronx Zoo.

If she is shopped out, how about a day at the beach, try LIRR (that's Long Island Rail Road) out to Fire Island for a day just to relax, and enjoy one of the best beaches in the US.

BTW, I was waiting for a bus yesterday (50th and 3rd) and looked up and there was the sign for the Affinia 50. A good area for exploring, a few shops in the area, a deli or a hundred, lol. The uptown bus stops right there, and you are a couple of blocks from the Lex Ave subway.

Also a great new restaurant right there, Italian (which is why I was in the area) called DA NOI, 49th just off 3rd. The food was GREAT and I loved the little garden seating.

stardust, if your daughter wants to go to the ESB, then by all means go, and don't try to talk her out of it. It is a NYC icon and the lines are not that long -- and they do move!

It's very nice for people who live here and can do both at any time to tell you to go to the TOTR, but I'm sure your daughter wants the experience of going up to the ESB at least as much as the views, so let her go.

panecott: What, in your opinion, is so wonderful about the experience of going up to the top of the ESB?

stardust: If you go to the ESB, buy your tickets in advance or you could be waiting on line forever.

(16 years old might be a little young still, to run the show, panecott.)

Thank you for all the tips and comments everyone!

Bowsprit - "16 years old might be a little young still, to run the show" haha yes I agree, however I forgot to mention that this trip is for her as it is her 16th birthday and she will have just finished exams when we leave (16 exams!) DD is used to travelling with her 3 younger brothers, so I think she is enjoying being able to 'run the show' for a change

Re. ESB we have decided to do it as that is what DD wants, we have bought tickets online so should be able to skip some of the queue! Next time we will definitely do TOTR though

We will try and get central park zoo in at some point, she would love that! Thank you for the suggestion Also I think we will skip the cycling (thanks bowsprit), although we did manage to cycle through the traffic in london last summer!

Travelbuff - It's good to hear that our hotel is in such a good location, and we will definitely check out the italian restuarant you suggested.

London cycling is like a day in the park compared to C.P. cycling. Watch out for the cyclists as you are walking through Central Park, they stop for No One.

Enjoy the ESB and Happy Birthday wishes to your DD. Have a great time.