We are staying at a friends brownstone in Brooklyn (they are not there) when we go to Ny in May.
Are there places to eat close by the theater and should we take a taxi back to brooklyn? Do all taxis go to Brooklyn?

There are loads of places to eat in the area in and around the theaters. Menupages.com is a good place to look. The theaters are in the west 40's and 50's. Along 8th, 9th, & now 10th ave., the area known as Hell's Kitchen there are loads of small places, many of which are relatively inexpensive. A lot of restaurants do pre theater dinner specials, 3 course for $20-$35/person.

It's very difficult to find a taxi to go ANYWHERE after a show, let alone Brooklyn. Taxis are not legally allowed to turn down any fare within NYC (and Brooklyn is a borough of NYC) BUT many won't want to take you and some may not know the way. I suggest you:

>become familiar with the subway route either by looking on hopstop.com or asking your friend

>get driving directions to the brownstone from maps.google.com print them out and keep them with you

>when you hail a taxi, do not tell the driver where you're going until AFTER you get in the car. If the driver refuses to take you, ask to be driven to the nearest police station.

>ask your friends if they have a car service they regularly use. This might be the best bet for theater nights.

Taxis don't cruise in Brooklyn the way they do in Manhattan so don't expect to be able to hail a cab wherevery you are there.

Taxi riders bill of rights.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/pas...b_rights.shtml

I spent the first 32 years of my life living in Brooklyn and unless things have changed in the last few years, I would NOT count on getting a taxi to Brooklyn. I can write a book about my taxi experiences while working in Manhattan and living in Brooklyn. Get a reliable car service, find out what time the show ends and pick a reasonable location where they should meet you. ONCE, a taxi driver actually got fined for giving me the run around.

The problems with taking a taxi to Brooklyn after the theater are:

everyone is looking for a cab and there aren't enough to go around - so you will have to be fast and smart to get one

once inside and you tell them where you want to go they may well not know hot to get there

If you're not comfortable taking the subway - or it's not handy to your friend's house - I would reserve a car service in advance. That way you know you'll have a car, have a fixed price - and they may know where to go. But still have driving directions handy.

Sorry - as to where to eat before - if you give us a budget and types of food you like people can make specific recos. There are literally hundreds of places to eat nearby.

We like to try most any foods....we will be going first to the Nederlander Theater on a Monday night. The family who is letting us stay at their house in Brooklyn does use a car service so that can be an option after the theater.
What about taking the subway to Manhattan at 5:30 or 6 pm....still an okay time to travel by subway?

I looked at this thread and thought it had good food recommendations when I went to New York in February.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=35099570

Taking a subway is safe most of the time except maybe the wee hours of the morning when few people are riding it. At 6pm, there will be plenty of people, especially if it's a weekday. Even after the theater, around 11pm-ish, there are mabny people on the subway and it's safe.

You do do attempt to catch a cab, walk over to 5th avenue (away from the tehater district). There are much less people there competing for a ride.