Am planning a two night, three day trip to NY for next weekend. I have three children ages 7, 9, and 12. I would love feedback on my itinerary and have several questions.......

Sat. 1/13 Arrive JFK 10:15am
Limo pick up Arranged
What estimated time would we get into Manhatten? We will have to go to baggage claim.

Drop bags at Affina 50 hotel at 50th St. and 3rd Ave.
Would love deli suggestions near the hotel for lunch.....Sarge's???
Sony Lab 1:30pm
5th Ave. Shopping
Waldorf Hotel for Tea 4:30pm

Back to Hotel to check in.

Rockefeller Center Ice Skating and late dinner at Rock Center Cafe 8:30pm
I would love feedback on this restaurant.
How late is the Nintendo Store open?
TOTR 10:00pm Reserved Time

Sun. 1/14
Breakfast Early-Bagel from Ess-A-Bagel
Ferry to Ellis Island.....Need advice! We want to reserve for first ferry out. What time do we need to get there? Can we get the tickets ahead so we don't have to wait at will call? How long do you think this trip will be. We do not plan on going to SOL a float by on the ferry will be enough.

Ground Zero/St. Patricks if time and kids are interested???

Lunch at Ellen's Stardust 1:00/1:30??? (Is this reasonable timewise?)
Can I make a reservation?
Walk around times square a little bit??

Theater tickets for Wicked 3:00pm Show

Dinnner 6:30pm
Where?? We would love to go somewhere fun for the kids, but am hesitant about theme restaurants. We thought about Mars, but read such bad reviews. We want to be able to make a reservation and also want time to go to Toys-R-Us after dinner which closes at 9pm.

Mon. 1/15
Pack and leave bags with bellman
Breakfast early and quick......Suggestions???
Central Park Zoo/ Penquins, Sea Lions, and Polar Bears
Serendipity Lunch 12:30pm Reservation
Quick Trip through MOMA on way back to hotel.
Leave 3:00pm for flight out of JFK at 5:20pm
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Did you mean St. Patrick’s Cathedral? It’s not near the Trade Center but you should definitely see it. It’s spectacular. You have a lot of things already planned for the kids – tell them to get in the mood!

Two suggestions:

1) Sunday's dinner -- I'd suggest Virgil's BBQ (on 43rd or 44th, can't remember which),. It's not a theme restaurant per se, but it's decorated very "Western" and it's a fun place. Plus, unlike Mars, the food is awesome, as long as you like barbeque.

2) You may want to allow an extra half hour on the last day to get to the airport. The bridges and tunnels can get REALLY hairy even at 4:00, and the NYC airports are busy, so you won't want to call it too close. Also, since you're trying to see a lot of Central Park before going to Serendipity, maybe just grab breakfast from Starbucks or somewhere like that to save yourself time.

Have fun!

A note or two:

I'm sure you'll be at your hotel in Midtown ManhattAn by noon-- maybe even 11:30 if baggage claim is on the ball.

Sarge's is between 36th and 37th in Murray Hill-- so you'd be heading downtown for lunch then back uptown (past Affinia 50) to get to Sony Lab. There are delis all over Midtown, so I'd get a recommendation at the hotel for one nearby (I recall one on Lexington near Citigroup Center that was pretty good).

Post-theatre dinner on Sunday: It's quick, it's quintessential New York yet exotic-- Ollie's Noodle Shop & Grill, 44th near Broadway in Times Square. Always fun.

As far as the WTC site: You mean St. Paul's Chapel, which is right across from the site. Still worthy of the visit.

<<Quick Trip through MOMA on way back to hotel.>>
MOMA is on 53rd bet 5th and 6th--not really on the way back to your hotel. I suspect that, with a 12:30pm lunch and a 3:00pm departure time, you won;'t really have muuch time at all for this.

I think your Sunday morning plan may be a bit ambitious, especailly if you plan to take the boat that actually goes to Ellis Island to visit the exhibits, rather than the much quicker float-by ride on the Staten Island Ferry. (These are two different boats.)

Ollie's, Carmines, Virgil's, or Becco (on 46th Street).

If you go to Carmine's note that the portions are truly gargantuan. Probably one portion would be enough for all 3 kids - and everybody shares things. (Important since if you order for everyone the bill can be VERY high - and much more food than you could begin to eat.)

A lot of kids also enjoy Elen's Stardust Diner - which has basic diner fare - but waitstaff are all Broadway wannabes and their performances during dinner can be interesting and even quite good.

KFT, did you go? How was it, and which activities did your children like the most?