Here's my itinerary for a long weekend in Manhattan. I know it's busy but I'm trying to be very efficient with my time. I'll come back later to see my favorites. We're staying in midtown at the Belvedere. Should I take the airtrain from the airport and then taxi the rest of the way to the hotel. Please comment on my itinerary, food choices, anything I'm missing or not worth it? Thanks!

FRIDAY (Arrive at hotel 7am ish)
Nap???
NY Water Taxi @ South St. Seaport to Grimaldi’s Pizza in Brooklyn, Ice Cream Factory, Walk Bridge
Shop Soho/Village/Canal St.
(Shopping: Betwixt, Soho Market, Pearl
River Mart, Best Canal St. bet.
Mulberry/ Broadway)
(Eats: Dos Caminos (Mexican), Dukes
(American), Paul’s, Tenesee Mountain
House, Balthazar, Cupping Room, Florent,
Mayrose, Pastis, Zoe, Elephant & Castle,
Tartine, Ferraras Pastries)
Taxi by Ground Zero on the way to Ferry
Round trip on Staten Island Ferry to see
Statue of Liberty
MOMA (Free 4:00-8:00) – Concentrate on 5th
Floor exhibits
Go to bed!!!!


SATURDAY
1 hr. bike ride in Central Park
Use restroom at Tavern on the Green
Lunch in Central Park (Boat House?)
Wicked The Musical – 2:00 matinee
See St. Patrick’s Cathedral
See Trump Plaza Hotel
Top of Empire State Bldg (212-736-3100 for
wait time and visibility)
Times Square at night

(Eats: Carmine’s Italian, Blue Fin
Sushi, Patsys, Becco, Cara Mia,
Puttanesca, Marseille,Stardust, outdoor
restaurants on Columbus, Trump Plaza
Food Court, Café 123, Hell’s
Kitchen, John’s Pizzeria, Grand Central
Food Court on lower level, Serendipity)

(Bagels Everywhere: Essa Bagel or Pick A Bagel)


SUNDAY
Do whatever we didn’t get to/more shopping until it’s time to go to airport around 1:00pm

You asked about transportation. What airport? If you're coming into LaGuardia and there are two or more of you (and it sounds like there are) take a taxi the whole way.

Please, everyone visiting NYC, a tentative itinerary is fine, but just relax! It's a walking city, and you can not and will not see everything in one visit.

That being said, Christensen, your plan is unrealistic. Your Friday activities alone could/should take at least two days to enjoy, if not three.

Have a great time, relax & enjoy yourself, and you can come back again!

You would probably do better to stick to downtown things to see on Friday so you aren't spending time in transit.

After the walk across the bridge, head to Chinatown/Canal St/Little Italy then walk over to The World Trade Center site and walk down to take the Ferry over to Staten Island.

There are lots of good places to eat downtown, like Fraunces Tavern, one of the oldest restaurants in the US.

Walk up to Wall St and over to Water St and walk to the South Street Seaport, then head back uptown to the Moma and then off to dinner.

Saturday, I don't think you will have time for a bike ride, lunch and get cleaned up to head to Wicked. I would try some shopping/lunch stop by the hotel to drop off packages and head to the theatre.

You might do a late lunch or snack at Trump Building on 5th Ave and walk 5th Ave to St. Patricks Cathedral and continue down 5th to the Empire State Building.

Sunday am, go find a nice place for breakfast and a little shopping, most of the stores don't open until 11am on Sunday and that's the time you need to start heading back to the airport.

Have a great time while you are here.

Another museum you might think about is the MET it is open until 8 or 9pm on Fri nights. Also there is live music playing on the balcony and you can relax with a nice glass of wine then head into the galleries.

Also you might think about taking the A train all the was to 190th St and go to The Cloisters, walking through Ft. Tryon Park this time of year is really beautiful and you will have no idea you are still in Manhattan.

Have a wonderful time while you are here.

Friday: Arrive at hotel 7AM ish
Nap???

Unfortunately - no....your room won't be ready until 3PM ish.

Great plan but you're right, very ambitious. I agree that you should make one day your "downtown" day and the other uptown/midtown.

You could do the bike ride in Central Park if you get an early start -- you'd really be having a late breakfast, because you will indeed need time to change and get to the theater (you'll want to just walk over there because taking a cab in midtown at matinee time is madness.)

It seems like you have your options all lined up, so I agree with Gekko -- let yourself go with the flow a little bit and see where you wind up. When I am doing the "tour guide" thing for people who are visiting, I've found that you can really only accomplish two major things in a day, and maybe one more at night. Travel time is always longer than you think.

Here are some restaurant comments if you need help knocking things off your list: on Saturday, the Trump food court and the Grand Central food court are really not special enough IMHO when you have such limited time. They're fine -- if you have to be in Grand Central. Serendipity is one of my favorites, but it's all the way east when you will be in midtown west. Ditto for the Columbus Avenue restaurants -- they're nice, sure, but a subway ride away, when you will have so many other options right on your doorstep.

Have a great time -- rest up, you'll need the stamina