NYC - a few quick questions!

Arguably, the closest good pizza spot of this type would be John's in Times Square (260 W. 44th St.).

If you want real casual there's a very good "coffee shop" on Madison Avenue between 78th and 79th....Viand. It's just a few blocks from the Met. They are known for their turkey sandwiches..(fresh roasted every day.... a mixture of dark and white meat is the secret - They also serve wine if you're an imbiber. A lot more expensive.. and charming.. with killer desserts is the Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Gallery at 86th and Fifth Ave.

If you wanted to spend more time at the Met, you can eat there. I don't remember what I had, probably a salad. Seems like they had some good choices and wine.

Serafina at 55th & broadway great for pizza/pasta; a good euro vibe, too. near rock ctr but far enough away to not be crazy. RC WILL be a madhouse. make sure you catch the choreographed snowflakes at saks 5th avenue... across from RC. they "perform" every 15 minutes, I think. Really pretty.
boathouse in central park is a great setting for lunch after the met...a little pricey for what it is, but you go for the setting. not too many restaurants near the met unless you walk east over to madison, lexington or third, where there are quite a few.
for a flight at 7:30, 5:00 is fine to leave the city.

For a flight from JFK -- I would leave well before 5 especially with all of the Xmas/rush hour traffic.

Thank you, everyone, for the great suggestions.

SueNYC, we will plan on leaving no later then 4:30 for the airport. Thanks for the heads up.

What time does the airline require you to check in - and what airline is it? Some airlines have esp bad security lines - I've seen them for AA that take more than an hour to get through. Five pm could be too late to head to the airport (can easily take more than an hour then - and if that takes 1:15 and security takes 45 minutes you'll be in big trouble.

nytraveler - JetBlue. I'll check out their website for more information. I need to remind myself that I'm flying out of New York, not Buffalo. Thank you for the heads up.

If you can check in online and print your boarding pass from your hotel before you check out, that can save you time in the airport.

Thank you Centralparkgirl. I would definitely do that, but I think we'll leave for JFK by 4:00 p.m. just to be safe.

I only have two days / one night to enjoy my getaway and want to extend my time in the city as much as possible. But I think it's wise to leave a little earlier than I hoped.

Definitely leave no later than 4pm. Driving to JFK during rush hour is no picnic.

No one has suggested this yet, so I'll do so.

Consider the E subway to the Airtrain as a much cheaper and much less risky way to JFK. If you don't have a lot of bags, it works out pretty well, and is about $7 per person.

While John's pizza on west 44th is famous (and in a converted church so interesting interior) it's not that close to Rock Center (just off Times Square) and you'll likely wait forever for a table. It's not a relaxing place to sit and schmooze. I'd head to a nice wine bar like Cello or Sofia in the east 50's and then walk down Fifth ave. to see the Xmas windows at Lord & Taylor (Fifth & 39-40th). before heading west to your hotel.

Your hotel and the Met Museum are not really convenient to each other. If you want to use the train to JFK (which at that hour is not a bad idea) your hotel is near Penn station so that works. Leave yourselves plenty of time to get from the Met back to the hotel though. What day of the week are you leaving?

If you plan on using a taxi to JFK, I'd take your bags with you to the Met (they'll check small bags at coat check) and order a car service like dial7.com to pick you up at a specified time in front of the museum or if you decide to eat and then leave, they can pick you up at the restaurant. Near the Met, there's a Le Pain Quotidien on Madison Ave. & 84-85 st. This is a small chain of Belgian restaurants dotted around the city with good food.

If you want to grab a bite near the hotel Tracks inside Penn station where you'd get the LIRR train to Jamaica and then the AirTrain is good. Do you also know there's lots of food choices in the new Jet Blue terminal at JFK?

PS don't miss the Xmas windows at Bergdorf Goodman (Fith & 59th st.) and Barney's (Madison & 61 st) which are always fun.

PPS do you know the skating rink in Central Park at Wollman's rink is much nicer/bigger than at Rockefeller Center? There's also one at Bryant Park behind the library that's free (but skate rental isn't). There's a Xmas market at Bryant Park too.

Thanks for all the great suggestions, mclaurie.

I'm thinking of changing my hotel reservations to The Kimberly Hotel on 50th (a little closer the Met, I guess). And near Grand Central. Would I be able to take a train from GC to the AirTrain? And where does the Airtrain take me? (Sorry, I've not yet done the subway or trains in NY).

We fully plan on walking around and seeing the storefronts, etc. before ice skating. Yes, I know the rink is very small. It's just one of those silly things I've always wanted to do since I was a little girl. But I will give Wollman's a thought.

I'm aware of the Christmas market, but don't know much about it. I assume it runs during the day time during the week?

Thanks, again, for your help. You too, gb944!!!

The AirTrain is a train connecting train station with JFK Airport. There are a few different ways to connect with the AirTrain. If you are staying on the west side near Penn Station, then you can take the Long Island Railroad to the Jamaica (Queens) train station. For the east side of Manhattan, connect to the E train at 53rd St and take it to the Jamaica (Queens) train station. If you are staying on the Upper West Side or somewhere downtown, take the A train to Howard Beach to connect to the AirTrain.

The Kimberly Hotel is a few blocks from the E train on 53rd St and Lexington Ave.

Grand Central does not connect to the AirTrain.

When you see the enormous lines and ridiculous crowds at the Rockefeller rink, you may find the Wollman Rink more appealing.

The Christmas Markets at Bryant Park, Grand Central, and Union Square have day and night hours.Here's an article from last year:

http://nymag.com/guides/holidays/holidayshopping/

Thank you, ellenem! And I will definitely try go get to one of the Christmas markets.

I wrote "Grand Central does not connect to the AirTrain."

To be specific, the commuter railroads from Grand Central do not connect. The 6 train from Grand Central connects to the E train at 53rd St (just one stop later).

About the Met holding your luggage for you at coat check, I don't think that they do that. They will check a backpack, an umbrella, and an overcoat, but they will not check anything large enough to be considered luggage.

From the Met's website:

"Please note that luggage—including carry-on bags and oversize backpacks—is not allowed into the Museum and cannot be checked in at the Museum's coat check facilities. See Visitor Tips for more information."

http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/general_information/

BuffaloGirl, if you consider staying closer to the Met, there is a Courtyard hotel at 410 E 92nd St. (92nd and 1st), and they have rates at $239 that weekend before Christmas. You can get bedding types guaranteed there (I don't think the Kimberly guarantees bedding types for regular rooms). Rooms are big there and very clean. I almost stayed there recently but instead stayed at the Courtyard Midtown East (866 3rd Ave., at 3rd and 53rd) and my room there was big enough to waltz in, w/a sofa and chair and lots of floor space.

The Kimberly is a better location for the Met and getting out to JFK since it's on the east side; it's also closer to Rockefeller Center . It also makes the wine bar recos I made convenient. There's an Angelo's pizza on 2nd ave. & 55th that's good.

You can use the subway at 53 st. & Lexington (E train)to Jamaica station and there switch to the Airtrain to get to JFK. Grand Central terminal doesn't really figure into the equation to JFK. The E or the 4,6 are the subways you'd use to get around from the Kimberly and the stop at 51 st & 53 st. are closer than Grand Central. You can also use the Madison Ave. bus uptown to get to the Met although it will take longer than the subway.