First Time in NYC
 

My sister and I are taking my 22 year old daughter to NYC on 1/3/07 - 1/7/07. I know it will be cold but my daughter is in law school and this was the only time it would work for her. This will be the first visit for all of us -- coming from a tiny town in south Texas close to the Mexican border -- we would appreciate any comments or advice! We are staying at the NY Helmsley Hotel. Will the tree in Rockefeller Center still be up and lit? We are true foodies (not just fancy food -- all food, even street vendors).

Make sure you have boots are shoes that have a rubber sole. The rubber sole will keep your feet from absorbing the cold, wet, and slush on the sidewalks.

Make sure you all have hats, gloves, and scarves as well as a good winter coat.

The above are musts or your stay will be quite miserable.

Sorry, boots OR shoes that have a rubber sole. At least an inch thick.

"The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is scheduled for November 28, 2007 from 7:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. Call 212-632-3975 for up to date information.

The tree will be lit through APPROXIMATELY Jan 6, 2008. Hours are daily from 5:30am to 11:30pm"

http://www.nyctourist.com/xmas_rockcenter1.htm
In case you are interested in ice skating – there is ice skating at Rockefeller Center but it usually very crowded. There is also skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

http://www.wollmanskatingrink.com/main_wollman.htm

I hope you love NYC. It is a GREAT city!!!!!!!!!!!!

New York is a moveable feast. There's good stuff to eat EVERYWHERE. That said, some of my favorites are the Cupcake Cafe on 38th and Ninth, Morrell's on the south side of Rockefeller Center, The Cafe at SAK's Fifth Avenue, and Citarella (for prepared take-away and grocery items) in the east 70's. Bring warm clothes too. Not just scarf, hat, and gloves, but heavy sweaters, long underwear, and long-sleeved t-shirts to layer under sweaters. Boots are a must. If it snows even heavy rubber soled shoes are a liability. If you have highs in the 50's and lows in the upper 30's you'll think this advice is silly, but you could have highs in the teens and lows near zero. Of course, you could get the more normal 20's and 30's and it could snow 16 inches. Be prepared, especially since you are coming from a warmer climate. And if it does snow, go into Central Park. Absolutely Magical.

Here are some good websites to peruse

menupages.com for restaurants and reviews
nymag.com is NY Magazine and has info on everything from restaurants to shopping and sightseeing. They even have a guide to all things discount from shopping to free stuff to eating at
nymag.com/cheap

Many of the fanciest restaurants have bargain prix fixe lunches. Some that I think are worth trying include
>Asiate (in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel)
>Bouley in Tribeca
>Gordon Ramsey in the London hotel
Here's a thread on the subject from chowhound (a good foodie forum)
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/441212
and here's some more info from Fodors
http://fodors.com/forums/postreply.j...amp;keyword=95

Sorry, last link should be here
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/002048.cfm

Thanks to all of you for the advice -- I am well on my way to being better prepared!

You need to eat slices of pizza. There are a zillion fine pizzerias all over, but for a quick slice, I like Ray's (there are a bazillion Ray's in NYC) on 6th Avenue and 11th Street. Get the chicken-and-pesto slice.

The Ray's on Sixth and 11 is way past its prime. In fact most per slice places now serve rubbery cheese and diluted tomato sauce. What was once a great NY institution has declined. Fortunately the whole pie places have raised their game. Among our favorites are Lombardi's, Pizza Fresca, and Tontonno's.

The best pizza by the slice is at Joe's on Carmine St. (near 6th av and bleecker st).