Cheryl,
I have been spending a lot of time up in NYC while my husband has been working. So here is just my 2 cents.
This is completely random so take from it what you wish.
1) Go to Pommes Frites. They make scrumtious handmade fries and you have your choice of sauces to dip your fries into. Completely yummy. Here is a link:http://www.pommesfrites.ws/

2) Go to ABC Carpet, they really have cool things in every price range. On the first floor in the middle toward the back they have a section of ethnic imports. Assortment of textiles, jewelry from all over the Far East. I found a pair of colored booties from Nepal and use them as art. They were inexpensive.

3) Across the street from ABC is a great store called Fishs Eddy. Here is a link http://www.fishseddy.com/
They have the coolest things. It is mainly dinnerware and glassware. However they have tons of vintage items. One of the neatest things I found were porcelain glove molds that manufactures used to use to make hand gloves. You need to check this store out. Again great selection all prices but not expensive.

3)Explore Brooklyn lots of great places. Williamsburg and DUMBO I liked for art and various small boutiques.

4) If you are into good fabric fyi, The Silk Trading Company is in the basement of ABC. I just was there and purchased some fabulous linen/cotton fabric for $5/ yard on sale. I bought enough to make a duvet cover. I also loved going to M&J Trimming for all sorts of buttons, ribbons and trim. This place has EVERYTHING. Here is a link http://www.mjtrim.com/
Another place for beautiful (mainly silk)is Baranzelli. They have beautiful fabrics as well as some Scalamandre silk remnants. Worth a trip if that is your thing. They are on 3rd ave btwn 56th and 57th. I believe they are known as Silk Surplus Baranzelli.

5) Check out a great foreign film at the various cinemas around town. You'll see movies that might now ever make it to your local town.

Have fun!

I'm glad you've seen and done most everything. I've been living here for 30 years and have worked as a tour guide for the last 10 years and my list keeps growing.

Now that you've seen what you think you are supposed to see, you should be exploring things that interest you.

Tell us more about your likes and dislikes in food and travel and then perhaps we can be more helpful.

Hi,
Thanks for everyone's advice. I love anything ethnic. I enjoy anything having to do with theater, music (jazz, contemporary, world, etc...) or television. I am a nature person so any outdoor activities are great.

I loved the pommesfrites suggestion. I lived in Germany for 6 years and they had the best pommesfrites ever. I have missed them.

Ellen's Stardust Diner (1650 Broadway) for singing waitstaff and lots of fun atmosphere.

Rent a bike. www.nycbikemaps.com has maps and times/days that the various paths are open. There is a bike path that pretty much goes all the way around Manhattan.

bigapplejazz.com does Jazz tours at night. They also have links on the website for jazz clubs with descriptions. Jazz brunch on a Sunday is a fun thing to do. Some places that do them and are inexpensive include the Garage, Jules Bistro, North Square and Cafe Loup. Dizzy's Coca Cola in the Time Warner building is a great jazz venue with views of the park. You don't have to eat there but they have a relatively inexpensive food menu with things like sandwiches and burgers. Monday nights is upstarts night with students or new performers so cover charge in much less.

Goldstar.com is a website that has major discounts on a lot of theater and music venues, some by date. You'll need to join for free to purchase discounts. Broadwaybox.com is another place to look for discounts on theater and other things.

Have you been to Riverside Park or any of the parks along the water? There are free walking tours in Central Park for nature enthusiasts.

There's free kayaking on the Hudson River. http://www.downtownboathouse.org/

There are free walking tours of the lower east side on Sunday mornings at 11am starting at Katz's deli.
http://lowereastsideny.com/

First, NYC has literally dozens of museums - and I'm sure you've seen only a few of them. You can get info o n most by looking at the website of New York Magazine.

Also, there are many activities limited to certain times of the year. Suggest you go to events on the same website - where you can search by date or type of event - thre are hundreds to choose from.

And if you're tired of the city consider taking a day trip either up the Hudson or out onto Long Island. You can do these as day trips or overnights - just avoid weekends to limit crowds and keep costs down.

Yu may have already been to these places, but I like the Cloisters, the Frick Museum, and the Museum of the City of NY.

For jazz, check out Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, part of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Also, have you been to the Museum of Television and Radio? Sounds like you might enjoy that.

In August there will be a ton of free activities happening in the city - outdoor films, dancing, concerts, etc. A lot of the listings aren't published yet, but here are some to check out:

River to River Festival: http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/

Hudson River Park "Take Me To The River": http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/index.asp (look under Calendar)

Central Park SummerStage: http://www.summerstage.org/

Brooklyn Bridge Movies with a View: http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/go/programs-/-events/movies-with-a-view

I like sitting outside at St.Marks Place on a Saturday afternoon and people watching. You can substitute Tompkins Square or Union Square for good people watching.

Anything downtown in the Financial District on the weekends. NYSE, Trinity Church, Federal Building, Maratime Museum, etc.

Go to www.DowntownNY.com for great tips.

Have you been to Kalyustyan's the spice emporium? Get any kind of cooking spice and other exotic things at this Indian run shop in Curry Hill.

What about the Forbes Galleries or the Rubin museum of Art or the Morgan Library?

The trapeze school of new york?

the New York Botanical Gardens or the Bronx Zoo?

Just remembered one of my favorite smallish museums in New York, The Folk Art Museum. right next door to the MoMa

Have you eaten at Les Restaurant Sans Culottes? Good country french food, lots of fun and not expensive. It is on 2nd ave just north of 57th.

How about going out to Brooklyn. The Little Odessa area is fun. It is full of terrific Russian and international food shops that are not like you would see elsewhere and some excellent Russian restaurants. Once there, you can walk along the boardwalk as well and enjoy the ocean breeze.

Speaking of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Museum is world class. The nearby Botanical Gardens are very nice too, particularly the Japanese Garden.

Bronx Zoo? One of the best.

How about one of the food tours? www.foodsofny.com

We were just in NY and we go a couple of times each year.

Decided to see something a little different this year along with our usual Broadway shows. Loved -- Steve Cohen's Chamber Magic at the Waldorf Towers. Here's the web site. Amazing close up magic in an intimate setting.
http://www.chambermagic.com/

We also love BargeMusic. Chamber music set in a beautiful old barge on the river. They have recently turned Thursday's over to jazz. Stunning views of the NY skyline.
http://www.bargemusic.org/about.html

We love sitting at the Ava Lounge on top of the Dream Hotel at 55th (between 7th and Broadway). The views are heavenly at night. Do phone for a reservation or be prepared to tip about $10 for a picture perfect place to sit. Well worth.
http://www.dreamny.com/index01.html (Entertain Me section)

Little restaurants that we like:
Dervish (Mediterrainean/Turkish)www.dervishrestaurant.com
Pomaire (Chilean) http://www.dreamny.com/index01.html
Cafe Victor (Cuban) http://www.victorscafe.com/index2.html
Joe Allen's (can't beat the star gazing and the food is good)
Boom (on Spring St.) Great people watching.
La Bonne Soupe (48 w 55th st.) www.labonnesoupe.com
Pigalle (French bistro) www.pigallenyc.com
Provence (38 MacDougal)

"The Little Odessa area is fun. It is full of terrific Russian and international food shops that are not like you would see elsewhere and some excellent Russian restaurants. Once there, you can walk along the boardwalk as well and enjoy the ocean breeze." I agree. I've made the trek out to Brighton Beach and enjoyed it very much.

I'm assuming you've already been to the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum?

if you like photography, http://www.icp.org/
Really good Cuban Restaurant in the Village (Thompson Street?).

People watching-Washington Square Park or Central Park

Washington Mews-one of the most quaint streets in NYC

Resiendtial architecture- 10, 11, 12 Streets between 5th and 6th, West Village, East 80's.

Most interesting markets-Saturday/Sunday Chinatown

Best Greenmarket- Union Square-Wed, Fei, Sat.

Great home made ice cream shops-Cones (bleecker) Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Il Laboratorio de Gelato

Most interesting independent clothes stores-East Village and Elizabeth and Mott between Houston and Spring

Indian Resstaurants-Banjara, Saravanaas on Lexington

Old style Jewish stores-Yonah Schimmel knishes, Gus's and the Pickle Guys, Kossar's bialys

Greatest concentration of galleries- West 20th between 10th Ave and the river.

First time to NYC in Sept. CanI get a bus tour directly from a hotel? Also, do hotels let you park your car for free? Any suggestions for sight seeing tour bus co.s?

Only one hotel in Manhattan allows you to park for free; others charge from $25 to $50 per night for paking. I can't recall the name of the hotel that offers free outdoor parking. The Skyline Hotel does have relatively low-cost parking. Most of the guided sightseeing buses have centrally located stops throughout Manhattan but do not pick you up at the hotel. Depending on where you stay, you might have to walk a few blocks to find one, but that's probably as far as you need to go. However, you end up wasting a huge amount of time and money by taking these buses (in my opinion). It's much easier to do a little research, buy a transit pass, and head out on your own.

mergie, you should start your own thread with your questions which have nothing to do with these. But to answer your questions:

A private tour like Real NY Tours will pick you up at your hotel. http://www.realnewyorktours.com/yourtour.htm A public tour that picked up at hotels would be a waste of people's time.

The only hotel with free parking in Manhattan is the Travel Inn. But you can stay anywhere and find a nearby garage by looking on bestparking.com

You might take a look at the beautiful Wave Hill in Riverdale (Bronx)

If you have not been to the Cloisters, you should take the subway to this incredible site! It's beautiful, historic and uncrowded. You can look it up on-line.

I spent years traveling in Europe and wishing to see the Unicorn Tapestries, only to find them hanging in NYC's Cloisters museum.

Enjoy your trip!

Try Pete's tavern, the High Line, or find a good flea market in a new neighborhood for a unique way to travel New York. Blogged about it here: http://www.bluefishtimes.com/unique-new-york/

Even though you drudged up a four year old topic, Pete's Tavern is a dreadful little place and even though it is historic, a walk by is sufficient. And a flea market can be found any corner of the world, NY has too many other places to waste one's time there.