Daffy's is discount, similar to Century 21 but not as good selection for clothes IMO. And I agree that C21 is better for accessories, if only because of the "digging" factor... However, there are a number of Daffy's around town, so if you see one you might as well pop in!

H&M also has a number of locations. There are two stores adjacent to each other across from Macy's and Penn Station - but I don't think they're very good. The 5th Ave one is the biggest/best, but as missypie said, very crowded! My favorite one in the city is the SoHo location, on Broadway below Prince Street. (There's a Daffy's down the street there, too.) While/if you're in the area, check out the SoHo Bloomingdale's just for the beauty of it - and the great bathroom on the lower level! And take your granddaughter to Pearl River Mart, also on Broadway closer to Canal Street. It's a great Chinese import store with lots of fun Asian-inspired clothes and accessories; pottery; teas, etc. Really cheap stuff in the basement! Then walk west down Broome Street to Marie Belle for a splurge on gourmet chocolate, either take-away or in their tea room.

If you are in Union Square, there is a large building with a DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse), Filene's Basement, and Forever 21 and Strawberry right next door. (Watch your wallet: Diesel is right around the corner!) Whole Foods is in the ground level of the Filene's building. And more chocolate around the corner here, too, at Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man on Broadway between 13th and 14th Streets.

If you haven't totally died by that point, you can head north up 5th Ave; from 14th to 23rd Streets there are every kind of clothing store: Anthropologie, J Crew, Banana Republic, Esprit, Express, Gap and more... Even a brand new H&M (I haven't been in yet). It's like a mall, only not! LOL. If you end up at 23rd Street, go to Shake Shack in Madison Square Park there (seasonal, not open in the winter).

As for restaurants, here is a list of some of the options in Hell's Kitchen (area just west of TS) that I wrote on another thread, copied here:

For eats at any hour, there's a range from the basic NY diner (<b>Olympic Diner</b> on 8th Ave between 48 &amp; 49th Streets) to <b>Pigalle</b>, a 24-hour French bistro-style restaurant in the corner of the Hilton Garden Inn on 8th Ave and 48th Street: surprisingly good bistro food and dessert.

Personally I'm not a fan of Delta Grill - but I only ate there once. Other good options in the area are:
- Thai: <b>Pongsri</b> on 48th just east of 8th Ave; or <b>Pam's Real Thai</b>, a hole-in-the-wall on 49th just west of 9th Ave.
- <b>Vynl Diner</b> is good for asian-fusion diner food (wha??), either brunch or dinner; it's on the east side of 9th Ave at 51st Street.
- <b>Rice &amp; Beans</b>, another hole-in-the-wall, this time Brazilian; best at lunch; also the east side of 9th Ave between 50 and 51st Streets.
- <b>Island Burgers &amp; Shakes</b> (IBNS): great, massive burgers or grilled chicken sandwiches with *tons* of options (no fries, though!); also east side of 9th Ave at 51st Street.
- For a take-away breakfast, you can't beat the items at <b>Amy's Bread</b> (good coffee, too); east side of 9th Ave(!) between 46 and 47th Streets.
- You can also count on <b>Pax Wholesome Foods</b>, a local chain of take-away breakfast items, salads, premade sandwiches, etc. There's one on 7th Ave and 49th Street in TS.
- Go to menupages.com for menus and reviews!

This was from this thread:
&quot;NYC Hotel Advice&quot;; my post on restaurants was on 8/14/07, 3:02pm
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35048195

Other TS recommendations (almost an oxymoron!) are <b>Carmine's</b> for large portions of family-style Italian home cooking, and <b>Virgil's</b> for good bbq. (Certainly no need to eat at Olive Garden or Applebee's!!)

Enjoy!

Century 21 is warrior shopping for sure, and unpredictable, but my out of town friends who love shopping and designer clothes go crazy over it. True shopping addicts just love the sense of promise there, even if it's not fulfilled.

If granddaughter is a serious urban shopper, she might have a good time.

Thanks to all for your ideas... helpful suggestions. I am looking forward to a great time with my GD! Thanks again

Hi
My wife and I went to NYC for the first time a couple of years back and here is my trip report with pictures, links and maps: http://gardkarlsen.com/new_york_city_trip_report.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there to start with :d Get in touch if you have any questions.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures