We are heading to NYC next Friday after the children take exams at school. Staying at the Westin. Have tickets for Lion King Friday night but no other plans. Heading back home on Sunday afternoon around 3PM. We'd like to get the most "bang for our buck" in that time frame. I know there are "must do's" - Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, 5th Ave, Central Park to name a few. Anybody that knows the area, do you have a suggested itinerary so that we can see the most sites without doubling our effort to get from place to place. Thanks so much!!!

go to Serendipity. It was shown on Oprah as having the best frozen hot chocolate. i even ordered some on line and made it. It was really good. Kids would love it.

pam it's a bit much to ask people for an itinerary. If you go up to the top of this page and choose destinations, Fodors has a 3 day itinerary I believe.

A lot of people like to take the hop on/off Grayline bus tours where you get to see a lot from the bus, but I think next weekend is going to be very crowded in the city and not sure sitting in traffic is the best idea.

There's a lot of info already on this board. Try a text search for 3 day NYC itinerary also and see what comes up. Are you interested in going to the theater at all?

Overall, I would spend one day midtown and the other day downtown (Soho, Village, Chinatown etc.)

hi Pam,
In February I took my 16-old son to NY for the first time.
Empire State Building, do this one as early in the morning as possible (must be nice weather) to avoid crowds.
We had pretty bad weather, so went to the "Sony Wonder Lab" on 56th and Madison. He really liked that one too.
try and find it on : www.sonywondertechlab.com

Definately go to FAO Swartz - the huge toy store, near Central Park.

Also, further up, stop by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Hello Pam
I would head over to the Empire State Building early, especially if it is clear skies. Order your tickets online ahead of time at:
www. esbny.com to avoid the ticket purchasing line.

I would then walk to Rockefelller Center, it is about a 10-15 minute walk from ESB. If the weather is bad, grab a cab, it should be a reasonable price for that distance. After you are done there, I would head north to Central Park and figure what you want to see there. It is very big so choose a couple of key sights you want to see.

Also, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a good idea, it is located on the east side of Central Park. Just keep in mind that it is HUGE and you will need to choose a couple of specific exhibits to see there rather than trying to cover it all.

Of course there are many other options for you but if your interests are ESB, Rockefeller and Central Park, that is how I would plan to see them.

Have fun!