We are arriving in NY on Nov. 22 and I would like to surprise my 2 sisters and daughter (an all-girls trip) with a limo at the airport (LGA) to take us to our hotel, Rihga Royal. Any recommendations on limo services? There are so many to choose from. Also, we're going to a broadway show on Tuesday night (either 42nd Street or Movin' Out), which I hope are good choices. Any suggestions on reasonably priced restaurants in the theatre district for dinner at prior to the show? NY is a first for all of us!

Do you really need a limo or just a sedan from a car service? The former can get very expensive. For a sedan I usually use Carmel or Tel Aviv - don't know about their limos. If you decide on the latter be very specific what you want (how big a stretch, what drinks you want available etc) because all these costs add up. Also, be aware you will have to pay for waiting time if the flight is late.

As for dinner - we usualy eat afterwards - otherwise you end up having dinner at 6 in the afternoon. But if you prefer there are quite a few places that can do pre-theater dinners and get you out by 7:30 so you have time to whisk to the theater. If you give more info people can make specific recos. What type cuisine? What budget would you consider reasonable?

There are literally dozens (hundreds?) of restaurants in the theater district to choose from--all within a 15-minute or less walk to either theater. Give us an idea of price and type(s) of food.

I'll take the opposite viewpoint of nytraveler. We always dine beforehand. (We can't wait until 11 to eat dinner!) And, if you get to the restaurant around 5:30-6, you'll have no problem dining in comfort before you show. These restaurants are primed to get you to the show on time.

We ate at Tony's on 44th St. Family style Italian, very good food and service. Check out menupages.com. I found this very informative in trying to plan places to eat for our recent trip. We also ate at Joe Allen's, which I wouldn't try again - it was just okay, and John's Pizzeria which was also good, but Tony's was my favorite!

One car company that I have used for regular sedan service, and which gets frequent recs on this board is Tel Aviv Car Service, give them a call at 1-800-222-9888 or take a look at their website at http://www.telavivlimo.com. As noted above, limos will cost more, but if that is what you want, you should do it.

As for restaurants, some tried and true in the theatre district are below. Most have prix-fixe pre-theatre meals and are very good at getting you served and out the door in time to make the curtain. The websites noted will show menus and prices.

On "restaurant row" (46th Street), two favorites are:

Barbetta
21 West 46th Street
(Between 8th and 9th Ave)
Tel: 212-246-9171
www.barbettarestaurant.com

Italian. Prix fixe pre-theatre dinner at about $55. They have a courtyard garden which is lovely in summer, plus several other nice dining rooms.

Orso
22 West 46th Street.
(Between 8th and 9th Ave)
Tel: 212- 489-7212

Italian, including some nouvelle cuisine. Great and huge desserts

A perennial favorite French bistro in the theatre district is:

Café Un Deux Trois
123 West 44th St
(Between 6th Ave & Broadway)
Tel: 212-354-4148
www.cafeundeuxtrois.biz/pages/831018/index.htm

Rene Pujol
21 West 51st Street (between 8th and 9th Ave).
Tel: 212-246-3023.
www.renepujol.com

French, wonderful food and ambience. They offer prix fixe pre-theatre dinner at about $45.

The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center would be walkable to the theatre district. Menu is primarily seafood. It has great views of skaters on the rink, as the restaurant is adjacent to the rink:

Sea Grill
19 West 49th Street, New York
(at Rockefeller Center)
Tel: (212) 246-9201

For some "Sex and the City" Atmosphere:

Tao
42 East 58th Street
(Between Park and Madison)
Tel: 212-888-2288.
www.taorestaurant.com

Fusion Asian food and good music, great ambience with the giant Buddha overseeing all. Try all their different martinis.

You can usually get discounted tickets for those shows. CHeck out broadwaybox.com, theatermania.com, hitshowclub.com, and playbill.com for discount codes (for advance sale tickets).

For dinner we're looking at about $30-$40 for entrees. Don't want to spend too much. I was thinking about Joe Allen's...they have a discount coupon on their website. We would like steaks, seafood or Italian. We'll probably eat before the show. Don't think our group could wait until 11:00 p.m. (hey, we're from Texas and are used to eating early). Thanks for the suggestions on the sedan. I'll check out the websites you mentioned.

If you're willing to spend $30-40 for entrees, you can do better than Joe Allen's--Chez Josephine, Le Madeleine, Lattanzi to mention just three.

$30-40 is very expensive. Is that what you meant per person? Or did you mean for an entire meal?

I like Joe Allen's but really I think it's better after the theater. Why not start with theater tickets. Go to the websites mentioned, see what's available for your dates, pick a show and then pick a rest. You could also see what's at the tkts booth (go to tdf.org to see what's been available there recently).