Our goals for the day:
Breakfast at John's
Staten Island Ferry (both ways)
Katz Deli for lunch
Meet guide at Yonah Schimmel’s @ 2PM for 2 hour LES Food Tour
Ellen’s Stardust for snacks before show
Broadway Theatre for Sister Act 8PM

Most of my questions this day regard timing. How long does it take to get all the way downtown via the Select bus? How long to allow for the ferry ride? What time should we try to hit Katz's Deli?

BTW, in every conversation Mom refers to Katz's as the When Harry Met Sally Place Someone on the forum suggested sharing a sandwich here. How big are they? Since we're sampling 7-10 items on the food tour immediately after, should all four of us split one meal or should we go 2X2?

The food tour includes walking one mile over 2 hours. We end up at the East Broadway subway station. It looks like it's another good walk to a bus stop from there. I'm thinking taxi back to hotel, correct?

We'll likely be sweaty, or as Mama likes to call it - dewy, so we'll need to freshen up before we head out again. How much time to allow to take a taxi from our hotel to Ellen's Stardust for a close to the theatre snack before the show? Is it likely that there will be a wait to get in? I know that Ellen's isn't for everyone and I understand the food is not stellar. We're going for the singing waiter experience. Having said that, is there something on the menu that's better than the rest?

We'll try to catch a taxi back to the hotel but thanks to ellenm, we have a backup bus plan.

Anything else I need to know about this day?

The subway will be much cooler than a bus and lots cheaper than a taxi. Get a subway map. Keep well hydrated today.

Thanks Tom but we've been warned to stay away from the subway because my mother and her friend have health problems (heart, lung ...) that make stairs and heat difficult. We were told getting to the subway platforms will be hard and that the heat while we wait for trains could be excessive. I appreciate your help though and we'll definitely stay hydrated if it's still this warm when we take our trip tow weeks from now. In the meantime, I'm praying for a break in the weather

P.S. I can't believe I spelled Manhattan wrong - in the title no less. Jeesh!

Subway platforms are much hotter than temps above ground, so use buses or taxis.In this heat, I would take a taxi to avoid standing at bus stops in the heat.
Katz's.. a sandwich is very large and filled with meat..We had two sandwiches for three people recently and struggled to finish them and the plate of pickles. A sign hangs from the ceiling marking the "When Harry met Sally" table. I assume your food tour doesn't visit Katz's.
You will be way beyond dewy if the weather continues like it is now...
Your get a "special daughter award" for all you're doing and planning!

Hi edeevee

Please take this with all the affection and concern possible..

you have mentioned that mom and her friend have difficulty with heat, stairs etc. I am younger than your mom and I have difficulty in the heat as well- and I find in hot, humid weather like in NY or DC, I can't go more than a few blocks without stopping for a cold drink and come A/C. And your day two at least involves a LOT of walking,not even including the tour. Two hours walking around in the heat and humidity even with stops may be too much.

And in response to your other question, I would get a taxi to Ellen's as soon as possible as there may be a wait at the hotel and a wait at ellen's. Getting to ellen's by 6 or 6:30 will not be too early. Don't wait til 7 to get a taxi or you will hit tons of traffic!

That's a lot of food in a short period of time. If you are bent on going to Ellen's, is there another day you can do it?

For others who may want to comment, this trip takes places August 10-16.

I would expect it to take 25-40 minutes to get from 42nd Street to South Ferry on the Select Bus. This does not include the wait for the bus.

The ferry itself takes 20-25 minutes each way. Usually, passengers who want to return immediately can't just wait on the ferry. They have to get off and walk into the terminal and back around to reboard. One must be relatively quick about this since the ferry will head back the other way shortly. If you're not fast enough, you may have to wait another 30 minutes for the next ferry. Considering your situation with your mom and her friend, I would check with the workers on the ferry to see if you can stay on and not have to debark and reboard. The full round trip will be just about an hour if you were able to get back on the same boat. Occasionally a ferry is not making the return trip, so all passengers must debark—listen for announcements about this.

"We end up at the East Broadway subway station. It looks like it's another good walk to a bus stop from there. I'm thinking taxi back to hotel, correct?"
It is a 3-6 minute walk from the East Broadway stop to the M15 bus route. A regular local stop will be closer than the select bus stop. I suspect you can decide if bus or taxi is better based on your group's energy level after the walking tour and the availability of taxis in the neighborhood.

I'm with Mike - I can't imagine you'll even want a snack before the theatre after lunch at Kat' and the food tour. I'd probably grab some fruit and a drink and head back to the hotel for a pre-theatre rest.

Happy: We're leaving the $60 that we are budgeting per day for taxis in the plan just in case this heat wave lasts. Our food tour goes by Katz's but doesn't go inside (I believe). In an earlier version of this trip we were going to do a full day tour that stopped there for lunch. Mom doesn't want to get cheated out of her Harry and Sally moment. I think we'll split our sandwich 4 ways and order some fries. And as far as the special daughter award goes, nah. I'm looking forward to this trip too. It will be very different from my other visits to the city but I'm really looking forward to seeing it for the first time again through my mother's eyes.

Mztery: How could I take your comments as anything other than concerned and affectionate? I have thought that the walking tour may be too much, especially if it's scorching hot outside or muggy. If it is, I'm prepared to leave the tour before it's finished and head back to the hotel early.

Mike and sf307: Even if we split the sandwich 4 ways? I'm worried about eating something before the show because I know there are some meds my mom needs to take with food (but I'll check with her to see if this is the case in the evening) plus, we have to get up _super_ early the next morning so eating after the show is out. Getting fruit and taking it back to the room is a terrific suggestion though. If we don't eat it before the show we can have it after or the nexty morning.

ellen: As usual, your knowledge of the area and particularly our transportation options is invaluable. Thank you for sharing it. I will definitely speak to the ferry workers. I coordinate a volunteer program for a living and I've found that most people are happy to help when there's a real need and you ask them. This forum is a great example of that

We just took the Staten Island Ferry a few weeks ago and had no problem getting off the ferry and getting back on the next one....as a matter of fact we even grabbed something to eat for the ferry ride back.

Good idea to split the sandwich four ways but you'll have to be sure to order it yourselves from the counter.. The three of us struggling with two sandwiches included a teenage boy with a huge appetite and he loved the sandwich...just got filled up. They cost between $15 and $16 per sandwich too.

Absolutely, if you just want a "taste" of Katz' split a sandwich four ways. When you order it at the counter be sure the sandwich guy sees you put $1.00 in his jar (just a dollar, seriously) and you'll get a big fat sandwich, otherwise it may be a little skimpy. Their pastrami is great, I personally pay the extra $1 for a "lean" sandwich, which means they trim off the visible fat, instead of you having to pick it off yourselves!

I think you've gotten most of your answers, but I do want to give you a little warning about heat in mid-August. Even if this heatwave is over (and it probably will be over), it's still likely to be in the upper 80s to mid-90s on a typical mid-August day. And in NYC that's really hot. The buses can be frigid, however, as is the subway.

But someone made the comment above that the subway is always hotter than above ground. That's not true, and it depends on where you are. The Grand Central platforms for the 4/5/6, for example, have evaporative air-conditioning and aren't that bad. I walked through the subway concourse on Friday because it was so hot outside, and it was considerably cooler underground.

I was in Union Square today. The platform and station around the 4/5/6 was hellish, but the further you walked away (toward the N/R platform) the cooler it got, and it was just not that bad there.

I don't know about the East Broadway station. The F-train platforms on the Lower East Side are usually monstrously hot because only the F train runs through them. The Select Bus up 1st Ave. runs along Allen town there, which is about 2 or 3 blocks from the subway stop. I'd probably go there.

My favorite sandwich to get at Katz's is the pastrami on rye. sf7307 and I appear to prefer it a little differently, as I like mine "juicy" (more fat, but for me also more moist and flavorful) rather than "lean" (for me a little drier and less tasty). Brown deli mustard is a good condiment choice, and definitely take the dish of pickles that come with it. It's not only the best pastrami I've ever had, it's the best sandwich I've ever had -- and that's saying a lot.

They also do a good version there of the drink called an "egg cream." It's milk, seltzer, and either vanilla or chocolate flavoring depending on which flavor you like.

>>

I don't think the meat is any different, actually. It's just whether they trim the visible fat or you get it with the fat still on (in which case you eat it, or pick it off yourself).

Love a good egg cream!

As we used to say in the old neighborhood, "If you want lean order turkey." Their pastrami is among the best.

Doug: Thanks for the weather forecast and bus suggestion!

The Rest of Youse Guys: I have actually never tasted pastrami in my life, nor have I tried an egg cream. I am delighted to hear there are no eggs in them. (I'd always imagined them with a raw one dropped in like a Rocky breakfast drink.) So, if I want to lose my pastrami v-card right, I should go with: Juicy with brown deli mustard, take the pickles, a buck in the tip jar, ordered at the counter, split 4 ways and an egg cream to drink?

You've got it

I strongly recommend that you grab a cab back after the walking tour and let everyone cool off and rest for a while. Get ready for the show and then take a cab to the theatre.

After Katz and the LES Food Tour you probably won't be hungry until after the show. I agree with the others to save Ellen's for another day. Eat a snack in the room or near your hotel before you head towards Times Square - or make a reservation on Open Table for dinner if you are going to want to eat in the area before the show. Mom and Gladys are going to be tired and don't need to be standing in lines.