That's what I meant about Times Square and a couple of other places, they see and leave or walk by sites. I want to see Times Square with the big sceens and stuff, I am not interested in the shops. The 4-5 places I want to spend the most time and are most important to me and at the top of the prority list is the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Grand Central Station, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Is the oyster bar in Grand Central expensive? Is the UN tour worth it? My revised itenery has gotten buried in the posts. So, here is again:
Day 1- Get on bus at 6 AM. Arrive at 10 AM. Go up in the Empire State building, see Grand Central Station, walk around Broadway and Times Square and other parts of Midtown.

Day 2- Take subway to Lower Manhattan. Take ferry to the Statue of Liberty and go inside the statue. Also, see Ellis Island. Check out Battery Park, the World Trade Center site, Federal Hall, Wall Street, the museum of the American Indian, and the Brooklyn Bridge and walk partway across it. Eat dinner in Chinatown.

Day 3- See the American Museum of Natural History. Stroll Central Park. Maybe do Top of the Rock or St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Day 4- Do either St. Patrick's Cathedral and/or Top of the Rock if I didn't do it the day before. Take a tour of the United Nations Headquarters. Take the bus home no later than 5 PM.
Thanks-

I’d really skip Top of the Rock if you’re doing the ESB. ESB being crowded will not affect your view. Don’t miss St. Patrick’s – it’s spectacular. The best view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the skyline is from the Brooklyn side of the bridge. If you could possibly take the train across and walk back that would be your best option. I see you’re doing it around dinner time which is great. There is nothing like seeing the lights start twinkling on. As cynical and sick of this city as I am, it takes my breath away every time.

I’d get a cheap bite to eat at WoHop and then walk to Greenwich Village – Bleecker Street, Washington Square park, etc. When you go to Battery Park make sure you find the sculpture that used to be on the plaza outside the trade center. It was damaged but survived and is now in the park with an eternal flame. Since you are going to be downtown anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to walk over to the Seaport. It is a disappointing mall, but it looks great from outside and if you aren’t going all the way across the bridge to the Brooklyn side, that spot has a great view of the bridge. You can go along the waterfront from Battery Park to the Seaport and then loop back to the Exchange, etc.

Personally I would skip going to the Statue of Liberty and pass it with the Staten Island Ferry. There is not much to see inside and it will eat up most of your day.

Other places to eat in Chinatown

For Dim Sum
Jing Fong-very Chinese
Golden Unicorn-small concessions to occidental tastes
Meals
Big Wong, yes that's the name-very cheap great spciy chow fun
Joe's Ginger-soup noodles or rice cakes

And wherever you go, finish with store made ice crema at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

I have been considering just doing the statan island ferry instead of going over to the statue. Can I do all the things mentioned in Day 2 if I catch the 8:30 ferry to the statue? What has more to it, Little Italy or Chinatown? Top of the Rock and Empire State are both musts for me even though it may not make sense to some. They are two different building and looking at a map, there is considerable distance separating the two. Is there any day on my itinerary that has too much to do in that amount of time? What about the Cathedral of St. John? I am not really into religious sites, but I am into architecture. I often get St. Patricks and the Cathedral of St. John confused. Also, what would it cost to take a cab across the Brooklyn Bridge instead of the subway from the Manhattan side to the Brooklyn Side and then I would walk back across the bridge?

IMHO neither Little Italy nor Chinatown are worth the bother since you have so little time. DC has a Chinatown and Baltimore has a Little Italy and I don't see much difference between these and those in NY. If you want to see something that is different in the way of an ethnic area than what we have in the DC-Baltimore corrider, and are willing to spend the time on the subway going out there, try Little Russia aka Little Odessa in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach. The trip there and back plus lunch or dinner and some sightseeing will take up a half day. There are ocean view restaurants on the boardwalk there too (not seafood), although the ones on Brighton Beach Avenue a block away are better and cost less. You pay for the ocean view.

Well, you're just going to have to start planning your second trip! Architecturally - both cathedrals are wonderful. St. Patrick's is right across from Rock Center though so it really makes sense for you to not miss that. I've only driven to St. John's so I'm not sure how long it would take you to get up there by train. Hopefully someone else can tell you if you can squeeze it in. It does seem to me that you might be short on time. As far as the Statue of Liberty goes, I just don't think it's the same to ride past it on the SI Ferry as it is to go there. BUT, I haven't been there since they stopped letting people climb it. Standing in it's shadow for me was much better than just seeing it on the way to Staten Island. (that ferry doesn't get as close as going to the island) You have to weigh that feeling against how much time you're willing to give up on your short trip. And again, I haven't taken that ride in a long time so I don't know how long it takes.

A cab to Brooklyn shouldn't be too much. It's a really short ride and there is no surcharge to go to another borough. The driver might not be thrilled, but they've gotten more used to going to Brooklyn now. (I once had a driver try to tell me his brakes weren't good enough to chance going over the Brooklyn Bridge). You would probably tell him to drop you by the River Cafe - there you'll be on the waterfront, almost under the bridge with a view that brings tears to my eyes. Make sure you find out how to get on the Bridge by foot beforehand. I'm not really sure how to get on it from the Brooklyn side. Enjoy the Empire State Building. I know people need to save time by going to Top of The Rock, but it isn't the ESB. I guess I'm just old fashioned!

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There is not a "cosiderable distance" between Rock Center and the Empire State Building. You can certainly walk it -- it will take you about 15 minutes.

That should have read "considerable".

DC's Chinatown is almost a block long.

In the NY Chinatown which now stretches from Catham Square to Delany and on the eastside Allen Street, is where some Chinese live and others from the other boros and the burbs come to shop. It is mostly genuine expecially the food markets. Additionally the food has improved over the last year.

For a number of years the food was better in Flushing and still is. But restaurants start in Queens and then move to Chinatown.

By the way a trip to Brighton Beach will be at least an hour on the subway.

I would NOT go out to Brighton Beach. I'd say go for it if it was a longer trip in good weather. But not just a couple of days in the winter. I also wouldn't go far out of my way for Chinatown (blech) but the OP is going to be right near there after walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. It'll be a great place for a quick, cheap meal.

With the limited time OP has in NY I also would not do Brighton - that is why I said it needs at least 1/2 a day. However, I brought it up because the OP lives in the DC area and NYC is really an easy trip from here and OP seems to be interested in ethnic areas and at some point at least wants to be along the water. If anyone visiting NYC has the time and wants to see something that is different from the ubiquitous Little Italy and Chinatown found in so many cities, Little Russia is the ticket.

The Chinatowns in San Fransisco and NY are true centers of the Chinese community. In LA the successful Chinese have moved the center to the suburbs.

I do agree about the shrinking Little Italy. It is smaller due to Chinatown growing northward and the tragically hip moving southward. John Gotti's "social club" is now a boutique. There is one great reson to go to Little Italy, DiPalo's, a five generation cheese store on Grand Stret.

There are better restaurants all over town.

I understand that the NY Chinatown is on par with the San Francisco one, which I have been to. The one down here in DC is very small, but there are a few good restaurants. But, it is not as culturally alive as some of the other ones. Philly has a nice one also. About the statue of liberty, do you get the distant views also like the Statan Island Ferry approaching the statue of liberty on the statue of liberty ferry? Do any of the cathedral have observation decks? The National one down here in DC is awesome and has an awesome observation deck. But of course NY does it bigger. I thought St. Johns wasn't finished and I understand it had a fire. It might be a little far for me anyways. I might could cut some stuff to make everything smoother. I could probably stay two nights also. At the very least out of each day I want to do:

Day 1- Take Bus (6-10AM) Empire State Building, Top of the Rock or Grand Central or UN or Times Square (interchangeable with Day 3)

Day 2- Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Federal Hall,maybe or maybe not National Museum of the American Indian, take cab to Brooklyn and walk across Brooklyn Bridge. Eat in Chinatown.

Day 3- Top of the Rock or Grand Central or UN or Times Square (interchangeable with Day 1) Take Bus home by 4PM or earlier.

Top of the Rock and Empire State really depend on the weather. This is a bare-bones itinerary. Does Central Park have anything worth seeing? I might skip American Museum of Natural History. I have a great one down here in DC and the sites are more important to me than museums. Museums are something you do if you have a lot of time. And they are not really something specific to New York like the Statue or the ESP or the Brooklyn Bridge.
Thanks-

I really love New York, I would love to spend many nights there, there are lots of things that we can do, beginning from learning the people which came from around the world, learning about the culture (american culture) and also opportunity for business that we can find the new thing that we can use in our country.

What is American culture is a question unto itself. It is complex in that there is a shared culture, regional cultures, business, urban/surburban/rural cultures, ethnic customs, what we borrowed from others, and thousands of fractionalized interest groups. Which has the most influence? Depends on the individual and the circumstances

Since you are doing both buildings see if you can do one of them at night so you get the different views. I think at St. John's you can take a tour where you do end up high in the cathedral but I'm not positive.

I just looked up the cathedrals. St. Johns has a tour that takes you up high, but they discontued them. I decided to skip it. St. Patrick's might be worth a quick peek inside. Do you think I will be alright with day two doing both Brooklyn bridge and statue of liberty/ellis island and a quick stop at Federal Hall and the National Museum of the American Indian? And maybe a short stop at South Street Seaport to see the ships? I have heard the one down here in DC, which is far better, which I have already seen. Is Central Park worth checking out or is it just a big park with nothing much to see? Most of my questions have been answered. The big question that remains is how many things can I fit in each day? I think two nights in enough. That gives me almost 3 full days although two of the day are travel day, but it is only a 4 hour bus ride. I can do 3 nights if need be. I would have to sacrifice the American Museum of Natural History and maybe central park if I do two nights. What do you think of my itinerary, is it too much? I am referring to the Itinerary that I posted on 11/02/07.
Thanks-

Central Park is "just a park" the way St. Patrick's Cathedral is "just a church" or the Golden Gate Bridge is "just a bridge".

The whole thing sounds like too much, but I'm confused about what you are hoping to get out of the trip. All these "quick peek" and "quick stop" mentions make it sound like you are trying to check things off a list instead of really experience your trip. Are you expecting to never go to NYC again so you want to cram as much as possible in?

Even if this is the only time you get there, it seems like too much. Look at your itinerary and pick four or six things you most want to do and concentrate on them. Yes, the Brooklyn Bridge is great but if you are doing it just to check it off your list, then don't do it. Same with the UN and Federal Hall and Grand Central and pretty much everything else.