Greetings!
I have 2 hours to explore the area before going to a matinée at a theatre located between Broadway & 8th.
Suggestions?
Many thanks!
Michèle

If the weather is nice and after you've had your fill of taking pictures in Times Square, you might walk over to Bryant Park on 6th Ave and 42nd St or you might walk around Rockefeller Center. Depending upon what street your theater is on (in the 40's or fifties), you could also walk north to Central Park and Columbus Circle and explore that area. I think the weather and location of theater would dictate what you do to some extent. Aren't you planning to have lunch/brunch before your matinee? One other option is to take in an exhibit at MOMA of MAD, but I think it would be rushed, imo. You could also walk to Grand Central to see the beautiful interior.

should be MOMA or MAD.

Does that 2 hours include lunch - or not?

You could ascend the Top of the Rock to get some great views of the city if the weather is good. Check out Rock Center and St Pat's.

When will you be in the city?

Thanks everyone. To answer your questions:
The theatre is located at 252 West 45th Street. We arrive around 11am and the matinée is at 2pm. We would like to have lunch somewhere nearby (our group is having dinner at Hard Rock Café after the show). The MAD looks very interesting; will we have enough time to visit it and lunch too? Weather prediction looks ideal: partly cloudy with a high of 64. I look forward and thank you all again for your feedback
Michèle

google: ellen's stardust diner nyc

It's at 51st and Broadway-lots of fun if open for lunch.

Were I with you girls for three hours in NYC, I wouldn't spend any time in a museum. Rather I would explore on foot the area from 42nd Street to Columbus Square, popping into the Time Warner building for the great view and a very quick meal--perhaps at Whole Foods.

I would then walk across the southern part of Central Park to the lake and out to Fifth Avenue. I would walk up Fifth Avenue to Rockefeller Center, perhaps checking out a store or two along the way.

From 30 Rock, I would meander over to the St. James Theater, where I gather you are going to a performance of American Idiot.

Enjoy, HTTY

We are seeing Driving Miss Daisy at the Golden Theatre.

Bryant Park seems closer. Is it not worth visiting?

Bryant Park is lovely - if with rather a bit of a European feel! When the weather is nice, I like eating my lunch on one of the benches adjacent to the bocci courts.

I think HTTY's suggestion is a good one (except it should say Columbus Circle, not square!). It will give you a little taste of a number of NYC icons, old and new. And if you get take-away food from Whole Foods (lower level of the TW center), you can take it into the park and eat like the locals! ...FWIW, if you prefer to sit in a restaurant for lunch, it will take an hour on average; places with counter service instead of a waitress will be faster...

One of the great things about going to see the view from the Top of the Rock is that it's all by timed ticket (very little standing in a queue): you can buy your tickets in advance either for before the play or after dinner and not have to guess at the timing.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you eating dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe? There are many other places with superior (American) atmosphere and cuisine! Ellen's Stardust Diner is not a bad option - though keep in mind it's very popular with young children - but I wouldn't eat there for lunch if you are committed to Hard Rock for dinner...

How many people in your group?

In the Times Square area, we liked Trattoria Trecolori and Carmine's if you want places to eat. John's had excellent NY pizza, and the the building has some neat architecture since it's built in an old church.

I don't know who's in your party but the ice rink has opened at Rockefeller Center if anyone cares to skate. It's nice to watch anyway. Agree to go to Top of the Rock. Then walk across the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral. You could then walk down (south so street numbers get smaller) Fifth ave. to Bryant Park at 42 st. behind the NY Public Library and have a look there. If you want a nice sit down lunch, Bryant Park Grill is one option. If you want to eat closer to the theater, there are loads of other options like Basilica (Italian) Saju Bistro (French)... but whatever you decide, I would make a reservation. Matinee day, restaurants get very crowded and you don't have time to roam around and wait for a table. If you just want something casual, there's a food court in the basement of Rockefeller Center with lots of options. Opentable.com is a website where you can book a lot of restaurants.

Just so you know, locals consider Hard Rock Cafe a total tourist trap rip off and people wait in endless lines for a table for mediocre overpriced food.

I too was wondering what possible attraction there is to Hard Rock Cafe out of all the wonderful restaurants in the city.

I'm a walker and I loved HappyTrails suggestion, with one small correction. The part about "walk UP Fifth Avenue to Rockefeller Center" should read "walk DOWN". And rather than Whole Foods, I might opt for a hot dog on the street that you can eat while crossing the park!

And the Time Warner building is located at "Columbus Circle."

>>

And so do a lot of tourists!

Hard Rock are definitely tourists traps - awful food, poor service, tacky ambiance. Good lord - why come to NYC to eat at a chain restaurant when there are so many real places with freshly prepared food - not pre-frozen micro-nuked burgers?

Agree Ellen's Stardust can be fun - but again the food is very basic diner food, although the performance by out of work Broadway chorus boys and girls are cute.. Good for kids - I wouldn;t reco for adults. I would definitely go for one of the ethnic places on 9th Ave i fyou want a sit down meal.

Agree about Hard Rock. Not even in the top 100 places to eat in NYC...

Piling on anti-Hard Rock. Lousy food each time I've been to one.

There are scads of fine restaurants in NYC at every price range. Why anyone with working taste buds who hasn't been forced against their will by pushy children or relatives to eat there winds up at places like Olive Garden and Red Lobster and Hard Rock Cafe and McDonald's and Burger King and Pizza Hut and the like in NYC is totally beyond me.

I suggest you spend your time outdoors, eating off a street cart if necessary. If you must go inside to dine, please make it someplace for a quick bite or that you can find only in New York.