We're going to NYC for 5 days in mid-September. Below is a draft of our itinerary. Can anyone offer any suggestions/advice on our plans? Anything we're missing or should pass up doing? We're planning on getting the City Pass for the museums and other attractions. We're also thinking about getting the subway pass for the week.

Thanks in advance!

Day 1: THURSDAY, Arrive in the morning
Rockefeller Center
MOMA
Grand Central Terminal (is this worth doing?)
Empire State Building (is this worth doing?)
Get in line at TKTS Booth for show that evening.
* Need restaurant recommendations in the above areas for lunch and pre-theater.

Day 2: FRIDAY
Statue of Liberty (not planning to go up) / Ellis Island
Wall Street
NY Stock Exchange
Federal Reserve Bank
World Trade Center
Century 21 for shopping
Seaport (is this worth doing?)
Dinner at Nobu (reserved)

Day 3: SATURDAY
Chinatown
Soho
Tribeca
Nolita
Greenwich Village
* Need restaurant recommendations for lunch (in Chinatown) and dinner.
The Fodors guide has the above neighborhoods as a suggested walk in one day. Is it actually possible to take in all the sites in one day?

Day 4: SUNDAY
Central Park
American Museum of Natural History
Shopping on 5th Ave & 57th Streets
Lion King at 6:30
* Need restaurant recommendations for brunch and dinner

Day 5: MONDAY
Guggenheim
Shopping on Madison Ave and 5th Ave
Maybe head back to Soho area
Need restaurant recommendations for lunch and dinner

Day 6: TUESDAY
Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art
Afternoon flight back

Hi Ann...I was born and raised in New York City so I hope MY OPINIONS will help you. Rockefeller Center is different during the summer than during the winter when the tree is up and lit and people are ice skating. But it is good to see it to know what it looks like. It's right near St. Patrick's Cathedral and Saks Fifth Avenue if you're interested. Houlihan's is a chain restaurant that has a branch in Rockefeller Center. Across the street from MOMA is a an outdoor (or indoor if you prefer) cafe called Melrose. It's a great people watching place if the weather is nice. Grand Central Station is vast and can take time to see. There's shops, restaurants and lots of people. It's an especially good idea if you're interested in architecture. The Empire State Building can be fun, but sometimes the lines are long. When you go the theater you may like to try Sardi's Restaurant...it's the famous place with the sketches of famous show biz people...they do eat there, too and wait for their reviews after opening night. Also in that area is Victor's for Cuban cuisine which is quite good. Frankie and Johnnie's is another theater district restaurant known for its steaks and star gazing. South Street Seaport will allow you to view the Brooklyn Bridge up close. (I think it's still for sale)! Otherwise, unless you're interested in maritime history, it's a place to shop and eat. I think the restaurants there are awful and overpriced. When you're in the village you may want to wander onto Little Italy's Mulberry Street. Although every restaurant has someone outside urging you to try their food, I recommend DaNico's. The New York Yankees and Sopranos cast are known to eat there. I like the food there. By the way, I was told that Howard Stern is a frequent diner at Nobu. Finally, when you're at the Museum of Natural History on Sunday, I recommend Isabella's on Columbus Avenue for brunch. It's right across the street from the museum. It's very popular and good. Mars 2112 on Broadway in the 50's is also a fun "theme" restaurant if you're interested in something like that. The food is good and the ambience is even better. It's right near to Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman is filmed. It's also near the Colony Record Shop which has been there forever. It's a great stop if you like music and memorabilia from every era. You mentioned shopping at Century 21, which is fine, but if you have time you should go in and out of the stores in the area, which are less expensive and give you a better "taste" of New York. Serendipity's on East 60th Street is another fun place to eat. You 'll probably recognize it from a few movies...it has this goofy clock...great for burgers, sandwiches, and awesome ice cream sundaes and other indulgences. Hope some of this helps. Have a happy time!

Having just come back from NYC with family, I have a few suggestions: 1) the Metropolitan is overwhelming -- we spent four hours there and didn't even get though the exhibits on the ground floor! In the future I would plan to go there twice on separate days. 2) Don't plan a day that keeps you walking the entire time, especially if you have dinner and play that night. 3) Good idea on the City pass -- you save money, but more importantly, it allows you to skip the lines. Ditto on the subway pass. But just because you have a subway pass, don't hesitate to take a taxi rather than a complicated subway route. 4) Grand Central Station is worth a visit, esp. if you combine it with lunch. There's a wide range of food there. Also at GCS is a photographic exhibit called M.I.L.K. (I think)that is fascinating. 5) Take a walk across the Brooklyn bridge -- actually take the subway to Brooklyn, walk to the riverfront and have pizza at Grimaldi's and then walk back across the bridge. Have fun.

I don't live in New York, but just returned from a five day trip.
I agree with the previous poster, the Metropolitan Museum is huge. We rented one of those audio tours that show the best of the museum, that way we got to see a little bit of everything. Be sure to check Dendur Temple (the egiptian temple), it is beautiful.
We did the Empire Estate thing in the evening, we didn't have to wait in line and the night view was very nice. I liked the Twin Tower's observatory a bit better, it is a big open space and it's less crowded.
Do walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, you get great views of the city.
For dinner, I would recommend Xuntas, a Spanish tapas bar in the Village. The food was cheap but very good, and it had a live salsa band. I don't know the exact address but I'm sure you can find it at Time Out's website.

1. Restaurant recommendations for theatre district - I like Giambellis. Nice, old-fashioned Italian restaurant.

2. Go up the Statue. You'll regret it if you don't.

3. Not possible to take it all in in one day. Check out Dean & DeLuca's in Soho - the greatest grocery store in the world! Dinner in Soho - try Mercers Kitchen if you can get reservations.

4. Good grief, if you're going to be in Central Park anyway, do the tourist thing and have brunch at Tavern on the Green.

5. No opinion.

6. This is going to be tight. The Met is HUGE. Especially don't miss, as others have noted above, the Egyptian, Greek and Roman exhibit areas.

Have a great time. If you need other show ideas, check out Blue Man Group. I loved it!

A New Yorker's reaction:
Day 1--Good intinerary. I'd save the Rockefeller Center visit for either Sunday or Monday when you in the area anyway for shopping. Go right to MOMA in the morning. Have lunch in the lower level at Grand Central Terminal. (And, yes, it's definitely worth visiting.) The Empire State Building is also worth a visit. However, if it's too crowded and you haven't the time, Macy's is not that far away and can be a good substitute destination. For dinner in the theater district, I'd recommend Becco for Italian (212-397-7597), Chez Josephine for French (212-594-1925) or Pierre au Tunnel (212-575-1220). Call soon for reservations soon. (Theater recommendations: Cabaret, Chicago, Contact, Full Monty, Kiss Me Kate and Proof. Most, if not all, should be available at TKTS.)
Day 2--You may not be able to do it all. If you don't have time for the South Street Seaport, so be it. You should spend at least 2 hours at Ellis Island. I'll disagree with a previous poster: It's not worth the time and effort to go to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
Day 3--This should be a fun day. You might be able to cover it all. If not, go back on Day 5. YOu'lkl have no problem finding decent places for lunch and dinner no matter where you are!
Day 4--Make sure you take in the Planetarium show and the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History.
Day 5--By this time, you'll probably be slowing down. So, this "softer" itinerary is smart.
Day 6--Just be forewarned that you'll barely touch the Metropolitan in 3-4 hours. Make sure you get there by the 9:30 opening.

Thanks everyone for all your great advice, especially about the Met. I originally thought a few hours to breeze through it will do. Are there any other suggestions? Also, does anyone have any recommendations on how to get from JFK to the Time Square area? Would you recommend a cab or a prearranged driver?

JFK-Times Square - Just take a cab

Chinatown - Golden Unicorn for DimSum lunch, they also have good dinners but I'd definitely reccommend going for dimsum. Joe's Shanghai is also good. Also, check out the Chinatown Ice cream factory, you'd be amazed at the flavors they come up with.

Nobu - get the Omakase (chef's tasting menu) Their sushi is great but not all that unique as compared to their other dishes - my favorites are rock shrimp tempura, squid pasta, and miso cod.

Try Carnegie Deli for lunch one day. People may argue that it's too touristy but I grew up in the area and I still like Carnegie.

Empire State Building is great and I think it offers a much better view that the WTC.

Go see a Yankee game if you're at all into sports. Take the 4 train from GCT and it drops you off right at the stadium. Taking the subway to a Yankee game is a true New York experience.

Brookly Bridge walk is agreat suggestion.

I like DaNico's as someone alse suggested, also La Dolce Vita at 6th and Spring St.

Check out the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier museum ("only in NY")

Seaport is nice, maybe you schedule a dinner down there. Great views and a perfect spot if the weather is great which it should be at that time.

Some random thoughts. At Nobu order the chefs special. You tell them what you like and don't like and the chef will prepare a multi course meal around it. It costs between 80-120 per person. For your first time there I would choose the 80 per person. Also try their specialty drinks.

In the theatre district daniel bouley opened a cafe called "DB" on West 44th street. I had the best hamburger in the world there, but it cost something like 25.00. But it is very unique and worth it. Check it out before Zagat's gets ahold of it.

I think you are doing too much walking in Day 3. Don't plan to go to all those places. Also, keep in mind that few people in the village are up and around in the morning. What I would do is go on a walking tour of one of those neighborhoods. If you are up to it, add another. And maybe another. If you do end up starting in the village, first you might want to go to the Union Square Market. They start around 8am and you can sample some interesting foods, flavors and flowers. It is one of those attractions that draws people from all over the neighborhood.

The Met is a great museum, but I don't know if your crew are all museum lovers. Since it is a whirlwind tour you could take it all in in a couple of hours. You may also want to rent a boat on the lake in Central Park. It would be a perfect time of year for that. Try not to be totally restricted to a plan. If the weather is great, spend more time outdoors. If not, check out another museum.

Enjoy.

A couple of problems:
Day 5 : Guggenheim is CLOSED mondays.
Only MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)and Museum of Natural History (among the major museums are open Mondays.
Day 4: Natural History is mobbed on Sundays-- during the summer, kid traffic might be more spread out, but after school starts, everyone goes there weekends only. I would suggest Monday instead.
Speaking of school being out, be aware than NYC public schools are closedSept 18 & 19th for Rosh Hashana and if that overlaps with your trip it may affect your plans.

Re day 3-- there are no specific 'sights' in those areas-- just great buildings, shops, restaurants so it is certainly possible to go to all area . That part of Manhattan is very narrow and compact.
About the schedule in general, I suggest you prioritize the stops on each day since they all seem pretty crowded. One longer than average line waiting to get in somewhere and it will throw everything off.

I stand humbly CORRECTED-- The Guggenheim which used to be closed Mondays is now closed Thursdays instead.
I hope my other suggestions help, though!

If you indicate hotel where you will be staying advice can be offered on the order of your visits as outlined for each day. This will help in maximizing your sightseeing time. On day 1 you indicate a morning arrival. At what time will you be out and about? Tkts booth opens at 3pm. Ticket selection might be limited later in the day but the later you get there the shorter the line. Usually by 5:30 there is no line at all except during peak tourist season and mid-September is not peak season

A previous poster cautioned about going to the Natural History Museum on a Sunday because of the crowds. If you go in the morning, you should be okay. It doesn't get real crowded on Sundays at museums until the afternoon.

Such wonderful advise from everyone! I really appreciate it. We are staying at the Marriot Marquis and will be arriving around 8am. Our departure flight leaves around 5pm. It's our first visit to NYC and I'm hoping to maximize our trip.

You'll have a great time. Just remember that you cannot possibly see it all. The danger is that you try to cram too much into the time you have and end up on a "death march." Be sure to schedule a little relaxation time.