P.P.S. Your deal to Niagara Falls sounds good. 50 EU pp RT is an excellent fare, but be aware that Buffalo, where you will land, is a fair distance to the Falls, and cab fare will probably cost around the same as your airline tickets.

When I went a few years ago, cab fare was $75 Can $$ each way. We managed to share a cab with a young couple we met at the airport.

With four weeks, you have plenty of time and I think you should keep Niagara in your itinerary. I'd even spend 2 nights there if you can, so you can take in many of the attractions and not be too rushed. But that's up to you.

Panecott, Ellis Island is closed indefinitely due to storm damage so that isn't an option right now. Only the Statue of Liberty is reopening July 4th, 2013.

Ellis Island will not be open in the near future, so it's not really a place you can visit. The whole issue of security checks makes the Statue of Liberty not worth the trouble, in my opinion. Others would be willing to sacrifice almost a full day of a trip to see it up close; I would not. I've been many times and even gone to the top of the crown, but the crowds and security have really tarnished the allure for me.

Also, it is no longer true that most museums are closed on Mondays. Indeed, both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MOMA recently started opening on both days. Other museums are likely to follow suit.

Finally, I don't find Chinatown particularly huge, but I also don't find it even remotely interesting (Little Italy is even less interesting). It's perhaps 10 square blocks of densely packed streets. There are some great places to eat (BigAlenstein recomended some good places), but I prefer to go for dim sum. But better (to me at least) are some of the Vietnamese restaurants on Bayard Street near the US Federal Courthouse. I don't find the area in the least enchanting as a place to visit, but then I'm a New Yorker and also hate Times Square, so take that with a grain of salt. I go to Chinatown to shop for food and eat dim sum and for little else.

And I'd prefer the Lower East Side or SoHo (both for food choices and for shopping, unless you are looking for schlocky Chinese tourist stuff, though Pearl River Mart on Broadway is a nice one-stop opportunity that is worth a half-hour of your time). If it were me, I'd spend an hour (90 minutes max) walking around Chinatown, preferably in the morning, and then move on.

Unless you really do want Chinese food, perhaps consider lunch at one of the trendy LES restaurants like Meatball Shop or Souvlaki GS (both on Stanton, which is a veritable restaurant row of interesting places to eat, some expensive some not). These are walkable from Chinatown, but then so is SoHo.

In terms of planning, do move Chinatown/Little Italy/SoHo to the same day you plan to visit lower Manhattan, and do all your touring down there at the same time. With the SI ferry, this could easily consume the better part of a day but would consolidate many things and free up time on almost all your other days.

By your current schedule, Day 4 has almost no time-consuming activities except the Staten Island Ferry, which should be moved to another day. Seems to me you have room in your schedule for a couple of other "big" things. If you like gardens, the Bronx Botanical Garden is well worth seeing (and then you could eat somewhere on Arthur Avenue), but if you'd rather spend more time in Brooklyn (and a lot of younger people do these days), consider adding the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanical Garden to your itinerary on Day 4 along with a stop in Williamsburg or downtown Brooklyn for shopping. I think you'd enjoy it more than the Bronx.

FTR, the Met will not start opening on Mondays until July 1, 2013.

http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-m...ws/2013/7-days

nyer, thanks for the info on Ellis Island. For some reason, I thought it had re-opened.

Finally, I don't find Chinatown particularly huge, but I also don't find it even remotely interesting (Little Italy is even less interesting).
__________
This can be cured by a long walk and small bit of imagination.

First I agree that Little Italy is not that interesting, but it never was. It has disappeared from the north by the tragically hip (John Gotti's old "social club" is now an expensive boutique) and eroded from the south and edges by the latest waves of Chinese immigration. But besides Parm and other restaurants by the same guys, there is also one of NY's great Italian provision and cheese stores Di Palo. There is also the old Italianate Police Headquarters where Teddy Roosevelt was Police Commissioner and is now expensive condos.

I am a life-long NY'er and I shop for all sorts of food in those neighborhoods. And many people come from the burbs on weekends to buy foods they can no longer get or the quality they can no longer get.

Chinatown has expanded greatly. It is a jagged edged territory starting on Lafayette between Worth and Canal rextending all the way to Madison Street, just above the courts all the way to Grand Streets. There are hundreds of stores that are dedicated to the lives and needs of the almost 100,000 Chinese-Americans who live there besides the crappy tourist shops and horrible restaurants. But there are also are art galleries, a temple, and for a change of pace the ever-being renovated Eldridge Street Synagouge.

The history of the area is the history of NY and immigration. It has the Five Points (now Columbus Park) where the Gangs of New York existed. On tiny winding Doyers Street where during a pitched battle the Chinese beat the remnants of the Irish Gang. There is a colonial Jewish Cemetery and the nearby the old Negro Burial grounds.

The best Chinese food in NY is in Flushing but the food in the Manhattan Chinatown has improved greatly over the past 10-15 by bringing owners and chefs from Flushing.

One of the cheapest best meals in NY is at Jing Fung for dim sum. Just point at the carts as they go by. Even though it holds 800 people, it is a zoo on weekends and absolutely fabulous during the week.

Uninteresting? I guess for some. But knowing recent and past history, the better stores, and being intrigued by the lives of others helps.

Wow, awesome input! Thank you so much BigAleinstein, panecott and Doug_Stallings. I tried to do some more research, mapping etc. and made some mayor adjustments with your help. I tried to keep all the stuff of one day in managable walking distance. We've been to a lot of European cities, doing a lot of walking around etc., so it shouldn't be too tough on our feet. The only thing that I am unsure about is, whether so much stuff on one day makes us enjoy the trip. Also, day2 seems quite tough. Any suggestions of how to split it, by mixing it into day4 or day5? As always, thanks a lot for your help guys!

D1:
Union Square
Flat Iron
Empire State Building
Bryant Park
Public Library
Grand Central

D2:
Cloisters
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Central Park
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Top Of The Rock
Times Square

D3:
Statan Island Ferry
9/11 Memorial
SoHo
Washington Square Park
Greenwich Village
Chelsea Market
High Line

D4:
Brooklyn Bike Tour
Botanical Garden or the Brooklyn Musem
Williamsburg
Broadway Show

D5:
Free to enjoy ourselves, possibly
5th Ave for an hour or two
Central Park to relax
and maybe something in Harlem/Bronx w/ Arthur Ave to grab food

@panecott: Is there any particular reason why you'd spend two days at the Niagara Falls? If flights were on time, we could be on sight around 1pm. We don't mind going by public transport either, if possible.

@Doug_Stallings: Any suggestions for grabbing food in Brooklyn and maybe something to recommend for Harlem?

BigAleinstein, cool stuff regarding Chinatown and Little Italy. Luckily enough, the bike rental shop is on Grand St., so we'll still have the opportunity to view some of the things in that area by a short walk for sure. I'll have to get into detail on all the little things you pointed out though to see, what opportunities we'll have. Maybe simply doing a walk, getting some food would do the trick.

malo, my personal preference is to not rush through places but rather to enjoy a more leisurely pace.

Also, I happen to love Niagara Falls and I think both the NY side and the Canadian side are worth visiting, altho' you'll want to stay on the Canadian side, b/c that's where all the hotels are. You can walk along the bridge to the NY side. On the NY side you can get very close to the falls and walk along the rapids. It's a lot less crowded than the Canadian side.

There are many attractions - the Cave of the Winds, the Maid of the Mist, and a couple of others whose names I can't remember, but they are all worth seeing - one of them goes under the Horseshoe Falls, and another is a walk along the rapids to the whirlpool (not the same as the rapids above the falls). Not sure if the cable car over the whirlpool still operates. You can buy an all inclusive ticket for all the attractions.

My favorite is the Cave of the Winds, which is on the NY side. There are wooden platforms that virtually go under the falls. It's great fun. The Maid of the Mist is a boat ride that also goes very close to the falls, also a must do.

I just think that since you have enough time and you are spending the money to get there you might as well see and experience as much as you can. But if you just want to see the Falls and maybe one or two attractions, overnight will be sufficient.
It's really a matter of personal preference, but I think it's worth 2 days.

As for your NYC itinerary, you are right about day 2. The two museums will take up most of your day. The Met's backyard is Central Park so you will be right there. The Met has a roof deck with great views of the Park, and there's usually an artistic exhibit up there.

You could probably do St. Patrick's on day 1 b/c it's just 10 short blocks north of the Library and Bryant Park. You can also do Times Square on Day 1, b/c it's just a block or two from Bryant Park. Or you can save it for when you see the B'way show, b/c most of the theaters are rright in the Times Square area.

Rather than Williamsburg, on your Brooklyn Day, I'd recommend Brooklyn Heights and the Promenade, which has great views of Manhattan. Montague St. has lots of restaurants and some nice shops, if you're interested in shopping, and the Heights is a lovely area to stroll around a bit. If you have time, you can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan.

Your days will be very full, but the great thing about NY is that most places are open very late so you'll have time.

Since you're doing both ESB and TOTR, you might want to do one during the day and one at night so you'll get two different perspectives.

The only advantage of going to the Clositers and the Met on the same day is that you will not be asked for two donations. Otherwise those two places will consume your day.

If you do go to The Cloisters be sure to go to downstairs and the Rosary Bead. It is a testament to craft and obsession.

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections...ions/170004324

If you are having dinner in Harlem, then I suggest trying to get a reservation at Red Rooster (they also do brunch on weekends). But reservations are essential, or you face a 2-hour wait for a table on most nights. For lunch, I don't think you can beat Charles Country Style Kitchen, but it's pretty far north (on 145th Street, so fairly distant from the hub of 125th). But his fried chicken can't be beat, especially if it's fresh, but this is a steam table establishment, so things can sit, and realize that there are only a few tables.

I am less up on the Williamsburg scene. There are a lot of new restaurants in Brooklyn (not just in Williamsburg), but I rarely go there, so I don't think I'm the best person to recommend something. Check out Time Out NY, but I have to say that this is a subject that is much-discussed, and you can easily find dozens of articles with a quick web search.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the three of you. It's great getting so much valuable information and feedback. I'll try to sum-up as to how it could go down.

D2: We'll drop the Cloisters and start with the Met. It saves up time travelling and we won't have to rush through either. I'll probably move it to day five and play it by ear depending on weather, mood and how far we were able to cope with the itinerary thus far. Connecting it with some lunch or dinner in the Bronx/Harlem area seems to be a legit option.

As to the Bryant Park / Grand Central / Times Square etc. I'll simply leave it as a valid option for either day. It's all really close to one another.

D4: Acknowledged. I've heard Manhattan is adorable at night from the Brooklyn side and in my original post I couldn't really figure out where to put a night in Brooklyn to be able to see it. Now, that's definately figured out. Cheers!
Also, I'll try to spend some time on Williamsburg and Brooklyn to so what we'd prefer to do.

As to ESB and TOTR: I plan to do the ESB during the day and the TOTR visit starting shortly before sunset. Any comments as to that?

When looking on the new itinerary, I wonder what you guys think about switching D2 and D4. We arrive on a Friday night, will have a late check-in and once we are set, we'll probably take the metro and go someplace close depending on the location of our hotel. I might very well also just take my girlfriend to Times Square on that night simply to show her how big and glooming the place is on a Friday night. That said, D2 is set for a Sunday. I can only imagine the Met and the TOTR being packed with tourists. And switching D2 from Sunday to Tuesday would also have some more effect on the ESB/TOTR matter. If it's done on Saturday and Sunday, it might simply not be that special anymore. I don't know about the opening hours of the shops in Brooklyn, but even missing out on shopping there might be well worth the trade. What do you think?

Arriving Friday night
D1: Saturday w/ Grand Central being full of people I guess, which is what I hope to see. ESB on a Saturday noon/afternoon is something I can cope with.
D2: Sunday: We'd have Brooklyn instead of Met+TOTR, which should be quite a big advantage.
D3: Monday: Statan Island and the 9/11 Memorial should be less packed, having all the weekend travellers out of our way.
D4: Tuesday: The Met, Central Park and TOTR should be just fine. Also this would add balance to ESB/TOTR.
D5: w/e

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion!

BTW, if you want to see Grand Central filled with people Saturday and Sunday are not the days to go. M-F either 8:30-9:30 AM or 4-6 PM.

BigAl,
thanks for the hint. I am not quite sure if we prefer to see people rushing or would rather just try to see Grand Central on an average day. My first thought was it's best when it's crowded but on the other hand it'll take away the pleasure to just watch and take things in.

All of you guys mentioned we should make reservations when it comes to dinner. Is that recommendable for nearly all "good" places in NYC? Also, any recommendations for grabbing something quick around Union Sq. on the night we arrive?

Reservations are a MUST for dinner in Manhattan at any good restaurant that accepts them, and frankly at most local neighborhood restaurants that accept them. (Not all restaurants will take reservations, though.)

Around Union Square, you might try Republic, a pan-Asian restaurant where you sit at long communal tables. Heartland Brewery next door is also pretty good, especially for burgers and beer (though little else).

There's a decent Mediterranean restaurant called Barbounia on Park Avenue South at 19th Street (a relatively short walk from Union Square). You might be able to get in there without a reservation, though it's always hard on a Saturday night.

There's a Five Napkin Burger on the corner of 14th Street/3rd Avenue. It's good and not as busy as the other locations in Manhattan.

There's a good Thai restaurant called Spice on University Place, just south of Union Square, at 13th Street.

Blue Water Grill, right on Union Square West, is a fairly good seafood restaurant, but it's expensive and not really as good as it used to be. And it can be mobbed.

Japonica is a really great Japanese restaurant with excellent, albeit fairly pricy, sushi. It doesn't take reservations and is a local favorite, so it's often mobbed but worth the wait. However, it's always been a bit of a dinosaur with respect to payment, and I think it's still the case that they accept only cash or Amex (no other credit cards). That was true the last time I ate there, which was over a bit over a year ago, but I'm not up on the latest news.

Finally, if you just want a quick bite, Cosi on Broadway at 12th Street is a good choice for sandwiches, and these are all over the city. At night this particular restaurant has table service.

Doug, thanks so much. Asked for one place, got a ton of them, really awesome! I'll try to do some research on all of them and see, which we end up at. Thinking about the flight, it might very well be the burgers.

Whether you eat there or not, a stop at Heartland Brewery for an Indian River Pale Ale is well worth your time. It's a very refreshing, citrusy beer that's good in the summer heat (if you like that kind of thing). And there are other Heartland Brewerys all over Manhattan, including in the Empire State Building and a couple of locations in the theater district.

Acknowledged. I know I've asked a lot from all of you so far and I'll definately spend some time on research myself this week, but if you could recommend a nice place for dinner someplace close to the High Line and maybe a good quick stop for lunch in Brooklyn, I'd really be grateful.

Near the High Line: The Red Cat on Tenth just above 23rd. http://www.theredcat.com/redcat.php
Reservations a must. Use OpenTable.
http://www.opentable.com

Cookshop for a dinner restaurant close to the Highline. For all these places close to the Highline, a reservation is a must if you can make one.

Colicchio and Sons is also nice, but it's pretty expensive.

Around Union Square:

Some of the best pizza with table service in NYC: Motorino
Hip Filipino food: Jeepney
Great Croissants and baked goods (no service, but tables): City Bakery
There are many places on Park South almost all are bad. The worst place on Union Square is called the Coffee Shop.
Tapas-La Boqueria
Mesa Grill-upscale and more expensive
La Pizza Fresca-expensive, sit down pizza
Old Town Bar-great atmosphere, limited menu, fun NYC bar
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants...ar-restaurant/

For a fancy restaurant with a great, great prix fixe lunch
Tocqueville
http://tocquevillerestaurant.com/wp-...fixe-lunch.pdf

That should get you started.