Need ideas for New York City
 

Hi everyone,
I know that there are millions of posts regarding NYC & I have been reading as many as I can, but I would love to get some personalized advice.

My DH & I will be spending 1 night in NYC (Marriott Marquis) a couple of Sundays from now (a surprise for his 34th b-day). I bought him tickets for the Sunday 3 pm showing of The Drowsy Chaperone. This will be our first night alone in over a year (we have 1 & 3 year old kids). We have been to NYC several times (got engaged in Central Park), but it has been a few years since we have been.

Some advice for the following would be great:

1. We will drop the kids off in the AM & then probably take the train in from Trenton. We should be in the city by lunch time...any suggestions for a quick bite before the show?

2. I would love some suggestions for a nice dinner. We love every type of food, but I don't eat red meat or pork (I can usually find something to eat anywhere though). I am thinking that it could really be anywhere, since the show is early & we will have time to go somewhere other than Times Square. If you only had 1 evening in NYC...where would you go?

3. We aren't into clubs or dancing, but I'm sure we would like to walk around somewhere & get some drinks after dinner. Any thoughts?

I know this is kind of vague, but I am just trying to formulate a good plan & was overwhelmed with all of the great info in all of the other posts. Thanks so much!

i know your hotel is where i have gone for a fabulous view at night for drinks.. very convenient considering you can later just slip downstairs!

What do you want to spend?

Sounds like you will have a wonderful time whatever you decide to do!

I am not sure of your budget, but for a pre-theater dinner, I recently ate at Blue Fin which is part of BR Guest Restaurants. The dinner menu was excellent, so I would assume the same of the lunch.

As for dinner, I would suggest going to the Meatpacking Area. The restaurants are all very trendy and there are great places to go for drinks afterwards. I would suggest going to the rooftop of the Gansevoort Hotel after dinner, or to Buddha Bar, as it is a great looking restaurant. Again, not sure of your budget, but I would suggest Vento, Del Posto, Morimoto, Spice Market for dinner... take a look on opentable.com to see what is available for the time you are looking to go.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be a great!

For drinks afterward, go to the Rainbow Grill at the top of Rockefeller Center and watch the sun set.

Or go to the Mandarin Oriental and watch the sun set over Central Park.

I'd have a lite lunch somewhere and splurge on dinner like Daniel, Babbo, or Gramercy Tavern.

Thanks so much! I will look into all of the places mentioned.

I am thinking that we would spend about $150 on dinner with drinks (usually a bottle of wine, like we used to have, before the kids!).

You won't be dining at Babbo, Gramercy Tavern, or Daniel for $150 for two. Do make reservations right away; and rememeber that many restaurants are not open on Sunday night. My favorite Theater-district spot, Vice Versa, is closed on Sunday.

If you wanted to have something really different, you could stroll over to the Cafe (not the restaurant) Aquavit for Scandinavian food; they have an unbeatable prix-fixe with wine pairings that I really enjoy, and the food is light for the summer.

Or you could get reservations at L'Ecole downtown. This is the restaurant of the French Culinary Institute. I'm very fond of that one as well.

Another choice might be Craftbar, but it's not very romantic, though a cheaper alternative to the wonderful Craft. And it's downtown.

I like both of these places because they're not too large, loud, or boistrous. I heartily second the idea of getting out of the Times Square area for dinner.

But to be honest, if I were just going to be in Manhattan for one night, I'd splurge (though you'd have to be prepared to spend double your original budget) to have dinner at one of the restaurants like Daniel, Gramercy Tavern, or even Asiate (in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel). Since it's summer and fairly quiet in the city, you might even be able to get a late dinner reservation at one of these, though you must usually book at least a month in advance. Do try OpenTable. I got a great reservation at Le Bernardin on OpenTable (IMHO the best restaurant in NYC, where you can probably dine for $300 for 2).

To view menus and user reviews, check out menupages.com.

Yikes! I would love to go to a splurge restaurat & spend $300, but I think that my DH would kill me...lol! I am hoping to stay somewhere under $200, if possible:) I will be looking into all of these suggestions, so keep 'em coming! Thanks!

Hi! I have a suggestion for lunch before the show. It is a little area called Restaurant Row ( 46th between 8th&9th Ave). There are several restaurants to choose from and each is unique. They all offer (affordable)prix fixe lunch menus especially for theater patrons. The street is quaint and romantic as well. Some of the restaurants have changed since the last time I was there, but Le Rivage is good French in a cozy atmosphere and Firebird is known for it's vodka and caviar selection. Go to restaurantrownyc.com. I hope that helps!

I'd second the Restaurant Row suggestion for lunch, as that's the neighborhood you'll be in for the show, and the Mandarin Oriental or the Rainbow Room for drinks - got to get the view thing happening.

hi. i live in NYC and while those restaurant suggestions are wonderful, they are crazy expensive and can be a little intimidating, if you can even get in. meatpacking district is great, but really trendy. i do love pastis. not romantic, but fun and if you go off hours. not too bad. sunday late afternoon in summer shouldn't be too bad. new york if full of wonderful restaurants that are much better priced. I would suggest going down to the west village and just walking around and you will find tons of cute places.

marriott marquis is pretty central. can get downtown on a bus or subway (or cab). I do agree with the rainbow room. go at night. expensive drinks, but so beautiful. if you have one or 2 drinks, it's worth it. hope you enjoy yourselves!

Thank you all so much! I remember this board being so helpful in my past life (before kids!) when we used to travel a lot & that has not changed.

I looked at the Restaurant Row site & those places look great! My DH would love the House of Brews...he has a goal of trying as many types of beer as possible:)

I am still looking into the dinner possibilities, but I am feeling totally overwhelmed! I am sure that wherever we go will be great, considering that we haven't even been out to dinner alone in ages, but I really want to choose something special. I have been looking at Open Table, but I don't feel like i know enough about the sections of NYC to figure this out. I have looked at Meatpacking & West Village, as suggested. Are there any specific suggestions for those areas?

Thanks again for all of the help!

Another question....what about the Buddha bar for dinner? It looks kind of funky from their website & we love asian/sushi. And they have availability.

I know it's probably been thought of, but for a special night...I like Tavern on the Green.

Please- do NOT do Tavern on the Green. While the setting is pretty the fod is mediocre at best and the service both poor and supercilious. And the prices are skyhigh for what they give you.

If you want a "tourist - special view" spot the River Cafe is about 3 times as good - excellent (but not the best) food in NYC and incredible views of the city. You might get it done for not to much more than $200 if you're careful with wine.

But - you might want to consider Spice Market - than get a drink on the roof of the Hotel Gansevoort or the Ritz Carlton Battery Park City.