NEW YORK CITY Easter Weekend - Please help me tweak this itinerary:-)
 

Hi There,

I'm back again, and asking you to please help us tweak our first trip to New York City. We will be there Easter Weekend (Thurs-Mon). The first couple of days will be just my 18 yr old daughter and me, so we're hoping to get the shopping out of the way then. It looks like mostly I need help with restaurants. Some we'd like to try, if they're near anything we have planned, are: Shake Shack/Ellen's Stardust Diner/Roberto Passons?
We like are pretty simple eaters, nothing fancy necessary. Would love your ideas!

THURS: Arrive @ LGA at 11 am.
Have car service take us to Renaissance Times Square Hotel.
* LUNCH IDEAS??????
Head over to 5th Avenue and do some window shopping
OR
Macy's? What else is around Macy's as far as shopping?*can we squeeze both Macys and 5th Avenue window shopping in to one afternoon? Are they within walking distance of each other?)

* Dinner @ ???? IDEAS PLEASE!!

* GUYS & DOLLS @ Nederlander Theater


FRIDAY:
I'm still google earthing things, but I assume we can do this via cab or subway?
* KATZ DELI FOR LUNCH
* TENEMENT MUSEUM TOUR
* CHINATOWN
* TOP OF THE ROCK? If we want to see Sunset, how much time should we allow?
* Dinner ideas, please?

SATURDAY:
10 am BIG APPLE TOUR
Dinner Locally


SUNDAY:
8 am Catch Cab to Brooklyn Tabernacle
9 am Easter Service @ Brooklyn Tabernacle
What would you do if you were me? Somehow/Sometime in this day, I'd like to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm thinking we could leave church, head somewhere for brunch/lunch-fancy not necessary (ideas,please?)
Back to hotel for a nap
3 pm WICKED
Trattoria for dinner


3 pm WICKED

After show dinner at Trattoria?

MONDAY: CENTRAL PARK until we catch 4 pm flight

**I appreciate any help!!**

1 comment re shopping: Macy's is at 34 St & the only other
close store is Lord & Taylor on 5th @ 38th which is an easy walk. The "higher-end" dept. stores are further north on
5th from say, 57th (Cartier,Tiffany's, Bergdorf's, etc.) to 48th to Saks (& Rockefeller Ctr. & St. Patrick's are). You might to start north & walk your way down.

You should opt for Roberto Passon Thurs when you have theatre.
Other inexpensive restaurants of his can be found at:
www.www.NYCRG.com & reservations for most of them @ www.opentable.com.

OK, Adding Passon's to Thursday's itinerary. Is that restaurant within walking distance of the theater? (If we get a cab to the restaurant, can we just walk to the Show?)
Thanks!

I just returned from NYC this past weekend. Too bad you'll be in Central Park on a Monday, because the Central Park Conservancy offers free walking tours every day of the week <i>except</i> Mondays. Here's their Calendar and my Central Park walking tour description:
http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/C...d&Day=4,1,2009

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...omment-5524108

Nederlander Theatre is at 208 West 41 between 8th Ave & Broadway

R. Passon is on the corner of 9th Ave & 50th which is very
doable: Walk south to 41 street, hang a left and walk
from 9th to 8th - theatre is between 8th and Broadway.

Add Little Italy to your Chinatown trip, if you haven't done so already. Little Italy borders C'town, (in fact it's being swolled up by it), good restaurants usually will have their Zagat reviews in front window, it's a good go-by.

Oh , you all are awesome! Thanks for all the details and directions! Rhea 58, would you suggest we take a cab from the Renaissance to the restaurant? As you can tell, I'm horrible at judging the walking distances:-)

rockw: That's a great idea. We'll spend the day down there.
Tammy

It's a very short walk from the Renaissance to Roberto Passon. The hotel is at Broadway/7th and 47th, I believe (stayed there a few years ago and doing this from memory). The restaurant is at 9th and 50th. So you walk 2 avenue blocks and 3 short "street" blocks. You'll get there way faster walking than by taxi.

Ok, thank you so much!!!!I'm horrible with directions, but that seems pretty simple:-)

Midtown NYC works on a grid system. the streets - numbered, where your hotel and the theater are is 40's and 50's run east to west. The avenues - main streets - run north and south. The walk from your hotel to Roberto Passon is about 5 minutes unless you dawdle. The walk from the restaurant to the theater is about 10 to 12 minutes 9 about a half a mile).

You can absolutely get to the Tenement Museum and Katz's by subway.

I'd skip Macy's and head to Bloomingdales. Macy's to me is a little junky.

Lots of great shops on Fifth Avenue around Rockefeller Center for teens. H&M, Mexx, Armani Exchange, and Sephora are a few that come to mind.

you can get walking & subway instructions if
you use www.hopstop.com to find your way around.

Fifth avenue is the dividing line between East & West sides
of Manhattan.

Oh thanks so much! Also, is it safe for us to be walking those areas? (Specifically after the show)? I hope that question is non-offensive:-) For that show it will just be my daughter and I.
And just give me an idea, are the streets hustling and bustling non stop? I can't even fathom what we're heading into, but I'm so excited!

NYC is a night town! The areas you will be in with be
overrun w/folks. A little hint: Walk determinedly, head up & briskly a la New Yorkers with pocketbook on strap across
body and you'll do just fine.

I don't know what the budget is but look into the Boathouse Restaurant. It's in Central Park, 5th Avenue and 72 Street. Short walk, stay to the right. It is beautiful and the food is good.

I'd rethink visiting stores. What about the Metropolitan Museum of Art (about 80th St and 5th Avenue)?

I will check into the Boathouse. Thank you for all your help!
I'm still hung up on Easter Sunday. Early church, and then is there a decent not-fancy place over near Brooklyn Tabernacle to grab a bite?

I would suggest picking up a "Red Map" of NYC before your trip. I think I purchased mine from Barnes&Noble or the like. Its a semi-laminated type map that's been put to VERY good use thru one NYC trip and will be put to another next month. It's an excellent guide for walking, includes all the major sites, as well as includes subway routes too!

Brooklyn is full of great restaurants, but it depends on what you want and if you are willing to walk a little bit. The Brooklyn Tabernacle is in downtown Brooklyn and most of the places that are really close are not very nice. That said, Juniors is a Brooklyn legend and about 2 - 3 blocks away. It is famous for its cheesecake, but is continually packed on Sundays with people post church. Everything is over-sized portions, so be prepared. I would think they will be open on Easter Sunday and actually may have a special brunch menu. If you would rather stroll a couple blocks in the other direction (turn left out of the BT) and walk down Smith Street across Atlantic Ave about 2 - 3 blocks there are lots of small restaurants & shops that line the street. Bar Tabac is a classic french bistro with a good brunch ranging from eggs benedict to burgers. It is on the right hand side of the street probably about 7 - 8 blocks from BT.

If you want to roam farther and see a bit of "brownstone brooklyn" you could head up to ft greene. There are lots of good restaurants there. Ici is lovely. General Greene is great. There is a burger place, Burger 67. Lola.... Most are on Dekalb or the intersection of Fulton & Lafayette.

Park Slope has lots of great ones too if you want to subway it.

Try nymag.com for restaurants all over the city and brooklyn.

Jen

Jen,
Thank you SO MUCH!!! I still hadn't found any options- so going to research those now. I don't mind a walk:-) Hoping the weather is good!
Tammy