My husband and I are planning our first trip to NYC for next May. We have hotel reservations (at Hotel Beacon, a Fodor recommendation). We plan to see two shows, and are looking for other recommendations for the highlights given our limited time. I'd appreciate suggestions for the top five must-do sites/neighborhoods, as well as ideas for your favorite mid-price dining experiences -- lunch or dinner, in the $25-$30 per person price range. Any other travel tips would be helpful -- I've read the cab vs. car service thread, but other transportation suggestions would also be good. Thanks for your help!

May is a wonderful month for a visit to NYC. We've been there twice in May and were lucky to have unseasonally warm weather. Highlights of our trips have been the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MOMA, and, especially, the Frick Collection (a mansion with an enormous private collection of art melded into the decor as opposed to a "museum" sort of display). We also enjoyed the tour of Radio City Music Hall. With only four days time, you'll want to peruse a tour guide to determine which neighborhoods would be most appealing to you personally. Or, you could purchase two-day bus/trolley tour passes and ride through the neighborhoods, hopping off in an appealing neighborhood and getting back on later. The commentary is amusing (and fairly accurate) and, in the nice weather, riding in the open air upper deck is a pleasure. We thoroughly enjoyed the "sunset" cruise on Circle Line. In May, the timing is perfect - daylight for the first half - dusk to dark (when all the lights are turned on) on the way way back. In my opinion, best way to see the Statue of Liberty (and, we've done it every which way). Again, the commentary is amusing and informative. As for restaurants, if Cafe Nicholson is open, it's fabulous. Gorgeous and romantic, elegant comfort food, reasonably priced. Our favorite restaurant experience so far. We also enjoyed Rene Pujol. Reasonably priced, comfortable and beautiful ambience, reasonably priced (very classy without being stuffy or ostentatious). Another place you may wish to consider is Sonia Rose. There are lots of websites with reviews and menus. If you'll be there on a Sunday, or desire a particularly romantic dinner, highly recommend Cafe des Artistes for brunch or dinner. As for getting around, you can see all the sights with the two-day tour. If you want to go from here to there, don't even think of driving. It's much more economical to take taxis anyway. No matter how "touristy" anyone tells you it is - a ride to and the views from the top of the Empire State Building are thrilling - best to go at dusk and stay until dark and the lights are turned on all over. Also touristy, but well worth a visit, is South Street Seaport. Great shopping, dining, and fabulous street performers - not to mention a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge. If you have time, take the subway to Brooklyn and walk the Promenade. Stunning views of the skyline, especially at dusk/sunset. Highly recommend that you obtain tickets for the shows you plan to attend NOW - www.playbill.com or www.ticketmaster.com. You could take your chances at the half-price ticket booth when you arrive, but you're not likely to get tickets to the shows on the days you'd prefer or better seats. You could wait and see what the concierge can supply when you arrive (if there is one at the Beacon), but you'll pay premium prices.

Hey, Harriett, we meet again! Take a subway ride down to the Village and walk over to Little Italy. Stroll down the street and pick out a restaurant that suits your fancy. They post their menus, and you'll probably be able to peek at what's being served to others already seated. Competition is stiff to grab diners and each restaurant touts its greatest vanities-- garden seating -- garden seating with lighted fountains -- seafood specialties -- seafood pasta specialties -- etc. I was with a young man who once wanted to hold out for "garden seating with a fountain, seafood pasta AND fireworks"

Dear Harriet, I suggest you buy a copy of ACCESS NEW YORK also ACCESS NEW YORK RESTAURANT GUIDE (although the standard guide has lots of restaurants listed). The ACCESS line of guide books are wonderful because they are laid out in a logical street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood manner. I have always found the ratings on dining to be very reliable. The dining is rated by both quality and price. So we just look in the index list for the restaurants near our hotel with the most stars and the least dollar signs. There are also many lists of "must sees" or special things to do from noted New Yorkers. Take a look at your local bookstore. Hope this helps.

P.S. If you hurry you might still be able to get Lion King tickets for May. A beautiful show.

We visited NYC this August. The first day we did the East side of Central Park. The Frick and Guggenhiem museaum. The Frick was wonderful, both as an art museaum and as an historic remnant of a wealth I can only dream about. Enjoyed the Picassos and Monets, Van Goghs and such at the Guggenheim, but just didn't get much of the rest, but we enjoyed the arhitecture. That funny feeling in my stomache trying to walk up was something different.(take the elevator up, walk down.) Went to the Metropolitan Museaum of Art last time. That is a wonder. The very best in the City. Spend at least a whole morning or afternoon there. Took a short taxi ride through the Park to Tavern on the Green and had their $19. luncheon special. Not the best food in the world, but so beautiful and better than back home. Their desserts were great. Ran down to Times Square, got a half price ticket to Les Miz and had a small meal afterward. What a great day. Have fun. Don't complain about walking most of the day. I didn't gain an oz. in 4 days of eating at least 2 huge meals a day. Good luck!

Where does one begin! Your're going to be here during one of the best times of the year weatherwise. Do a lot of walking.
First, must sees and must dos (not listed in any particular order): Circle Line cruise around Manhattan; the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History are my favorites (tough choice selecting museums, as there are so many good ones in NYC); Ellis Island; the tops of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center; Lincoln Center; the Cloisters; Rockefeller Center/5th Avenue/Central Park area.
Neighborhoods: Greenwich Village, Soho, Little Italy.
Dining: Go to Becco (on West 46th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues) in the theater district on one of the nights you go to the theater. It's wihtin your price range and one of the best bargain in the midtown area. Make reservations in advance (especially on weekend nights). In general, avoid the midtown area and you'll find restaurant prices much lower--you can find many fine restaurants within your price range in Greenwich Village, as well as the Upper East Side and Upper West Side (lots near your hotel and the nearby Lincoln Center area).
Theater advice: Except for "The Lion King," you can wait on getting tickets until, say, the end of the year or early 2000. No other show is really that hot right now, and you'll be able to get tickets then. (Besides, who knows what'll be playing next May?) If you want advice then, repost the question!

Thanks to all of you for the great advice -- I just wish the trip wasn't so far away!

TC -- I've used the Access guides for London & Paris and liked them, so I'll try the NYC one as well.

Howard -- I picked up a copy of the Times yesterday to see what's on stage, and then checked out tickets for some online. The one I most want to see (The Weir, which was sold out when we tried to see it in London last year) doesn't have dates posted past this fall. My question: for shows like that and 'Death of a Salesman,' how far out is the decision made to continue or close? Should I just keep checking the ticket sites on a monthly basis to see when they post the dates I'm interested in?

Thanks for any other advice!

Harriett:
1. "The Weir" will probably not be playing next May. It's not doing that well and is likely to close in the fall.
2. "Death of a Salesman" update: Brian Dennehy will be leaving the NY production in late November, then do it in London for awhile. NOthing's been said about whether he'll be back in the spring. And, they have not announced who, if anyone, will replace him in November. Too bad for your sake, as it is a brilliant, brilliant production. Truly one of the great theatrical experiences of a lifetime.
3. As for anything else, I would suggest you just keep checking, as you suggested. I would urge to go to the Playbill website (playbill.com) and "join" its club. Anyone can join. No fee. And, it is NOT a gimmick. You can get discount tickets for many shows through it. (Ironically, "The Weir" is currently one of the shows available at a discount!) We've done it several times and had good seats at discount rates every time. And, you can luck in with a good price for even the hits sometimes. For example, "Ragtime," "Chicago" and "Cabaret" (three outstanding shows) have some performances at discounts through the Playbill site. So, join it and just keep checking regularly, as its special are usually for a month or two and then are often "renewed."
4. And, finally, the fall season will be getting into swing soon. So, there might be something new that is worthwhile seeing.
If I can be of further help, let me know.

ONe more question -- Does anyone have favorite website suggestions for general tourist info and restaurant recommendations/address/phone #/reservation info for NYC? Thanks again!

www.cuisinenet.com
www.citysearch.com
www.newyork.sidewalk.com

Harlem. Don't forget the legendary Harlem. Take a day trip uptown to 125th street. Go to Sylvia's soul-food restaurant and then head to the Studio Museum of Harlem. A historically fun place to be.

I recently had a very good pre-theatre meal at Le Madeleine
(403 W. 43d St., near 9th Ave., 202-246-2993). Excellent food, and the
prices aren't too bad by New York standards. If you
go, try to get a reservation in the garden room which
is light and airy and filled with plants. I went with
three other people and we all sampled each other's
appetizers, entrees, and desserts so I can speak to
the excellence of quite a few of the dishes! The
standout appetizers were the warm salad of quail
and potatoes, the mussels, and the chilled leek and
potato soup. Entrees we liked included the organic
rosemary chicken with mashed potatoes, the duck
breast with spinach, and the pork with polenta. And
all of the desserts were particularly outstanding so
save room -- we all loved the creme brulee, the
chocolate truffle tart, the chocolate-caramel
mousse, and the tropical fruit soup. Absolutely
delicious. For four of us, for a bottle of wine (around
$20) plus two drinks, 4 appetizers (around $8 each),
4 entrees (around $18 apiece), 4 desserts (around
$7-8 each), and 2 coffees, the total with tax, not
including tip came to about $179, which we thought
was fairly reasonable compared with many other
New York restaurants (and obviously you could eat here for much less if you didn't have an appetizer and dessert). If there was anything
lacking, I would say the service was a little curt --
but at least it was efficient, which is more than you
can say for a lot of places!
Another place I like a lot is Joe Allen (326
W. 46th St., 202-581-6464). It's moderately-priced for dinner, by NYC standards, with entrees around $12-18 I'd say and a good variety of steaks, pastas, etc. Plus I have had celebrity-sightings there which can be kind of fun. I also like Cafe Un
Deux Trois (123 W. 44th St., betw. 6th &
Broadway, 202-354-4148), and for a more casual
bite, John's Pizzeria (260 W. 44th St., whole pies only). Another good one is Osteria del Circo, the more moderately-priced cousin of Le Cirque, at 120 W 55th St.
(Between 6th and 7th Aves)
(212) 265-3636. But it's still pretty pricey to me so I like to go for lunch rather than dinner.

My favorite website for planning trips to New York is newyork.sidewalk.com -- lots of info on restaurants, neighborhoods, plays, shopping, etc.

By the way, in my opinion you aren't missing much by not seeing "The Weir" -- I saw it this summer and had been looking forward to it, but was disappointed. Try to get tickets to "The Lion King" -- it's the best show I've ever seen, by far, and I've seen quite a few.

Top 5 must-dos, other than theatre and restaurants, obviously depend on what you like -- are you a foodie? An art lover? A history buff? These would be mine:
1. A trip to Ellis Island. Yes, the Statue of Liberty is nice to look at from the boat, but don't get off there -- spend all your time at Ellis Island -- a moving experience.
2. Walk around/have a picnic in Central Park (go to Zabar's on the Upper West side for picnic provisions -- a fabulous gourmet food store).
3. Walk around the Village and SoHo -- very fun, especially for shopping and restaurants.
4. Pick a museum -- I would choose either the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art -- and take a guided tour of its collection or take in a special exhibit.
5. Too hard to choose just one more. I loved touring the United Nations, but Chinatown and Little Italy merit a visit as well. And it's fun to go to Rockefeller Center and tour NBC studios too, so it all depends on what you're interested in. Actually, I would recommend one of the bus tours of the city where you can get on and off wherever you want -- the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, etc.

If you like ethnic food, for a totally different and untouristy kind of dining experience, there is a wonderful eastern European diner located on the Lower East Side called Veselka, at 144 2nd Ave
(2nd Ave at 9th St)
-- it's very inexpensive, open 24 hours and they incredible pastries, potato pancakes, kielbasa, borscht, blintzes, stuffed cabbage, etc. Fantastic for breakfast and almost always packed.

Have a terrific time.

Harriet. I totally agree with the review of Le Madeleine restaurant. Its charming. As for shows, I haven't seen Weir, but friends who did refer to it as "Weird". It do believe its closing soon. Death is going on an extensive European tour starting in January of next year. It is my understanding that Mr.Dennehy will not return to the show. For information about furture shows opening on Broadway go to The New York Theater Experience web site at: www.botz.com/nytheatre/ You can also get a pretty good idea of possible show closing by monitoring the Broadway grosses for shows at Playbill On-Line. If its not making money, its not going to stay open. There are lots of interesting new shows in the works, so it won't be hard to find a good one. Good luck.