Thanks mclaurie for the restaurant advice. So far, I'm leaning more towards Maria Pia for lunch before seeing Wicked. Do they serve wine by the glass? And do I need a reservation, or is it ok to just show up? Greg

To be on the safe side, register (for free) on
www.opentable.com & make your reserv there.
They do serve wine by the class. Roberto Passon also
serves wine by the glass & is also on Open Table.

Hey aussiedreamer,
This is going to be so much fun!!!!!!

Every restaurant that has an alcohol license will sell wine by the glass (at mostly outrageous prices of $9-10/glass and up).

Hey mazj, are you going to try public transport too? You must be getting excited, you actually go this month hey? I'm still to find a hotel for our one night back in NYC and I'm nearly done. got a couple of Vegas shows to book but pretty much we're ready..........

"I DID IT" just got Millenium Plaza UN for $196USD + tax! Phew. I was about to book the 3* Skyline for $219USD+tax just so we had something booked. So I'm pretty happy with my 4* & its in the same area we will have stayed the first time so we'll be familiar, gets good reviews on tripadvisor.com as well. YaY

One thing I find tourist do and I've been guilty of doing it in other cities is not ask for directions on the subway or streets when they are lost.

I see this often at the Canal St stop on the N and Q which has some of the most confusing signs in the City. So tourists end up in Brooklyn, looking scared and lost but still waver on asking for directions. NYers are hesitant to speak up to offer assistance because like ppl have mentioned in this post we don't want to be perceived as being drunk or demented, so we just watch the scene unfold again and again.

Maybe it is because tourists hear the rule don't talk to strangers on the subway. So here's some advice, if you are not sure of the direction of the train, do what us NYers do, step in quickly and ask if this train is going uptown or downtown someone will like yell yes or no in time for you to either hop on or off the train, if you make a mistake, someone will likely help you out by telling you the best stop to exit for the right train without having to exit the station and tell you the right stop for where you want to go. A "thanks" will suffice and if you don't want a conversation just move to the other end of the train. Usually ppl will keep the conversation to giving directions. Results will vary but NYers generally like to be helpful, unless you are unlucky to encounter the demented and drunk NYers riding the subways.

If that's too much for you, find the conductor spot on the platform, I think there is a sign and ask them for directions, they are usually helpful if you ask nicely.

When asking for directions it is sufficient to either give the cross streets such as "do you know how to get to 23rd and 5th" or the name of the bldg or attraction such as Radio City Music Hall. Asking for directions to "359 23rd St" will be followed by a confused look and a few follow up questions.

As for buses, they take twice as long because of traffic and congestion but are nice to stay above ground.

Google maps now gives you, car, walking and subway/bus directions with estimated times for subway/bus departures and destination arrival times.

You can download google maps to your iphone or blackberry.

Good luck and be safe on the subway.

Thank you

Great info!!! Thank you!

I just booked a weekend in NY today - my travel buddy and I were debating trying to figure out the subway for our short trip, so I told her I'd check Fodors and see what y'all had to say. Now I'm totally confident that we can A - figure it out and B - maybe not scream 'tourist'!!! Thanks!!