Need help for a Friday afternoon and evening in July in NYC. We should arrive around noon on Friday and would be interested in some shopping and dinner and will leave early Saturday AM. It will be my 17 year old daughter and myself. I'm sure she is interested in shopping. Any advise for a nice hotel, shopping locations and dinner. I thought maybe Little Italy for dinner but am not so sure based on some reviews I've read. If not Little Italy then maybe a seafood place. I would like the restaurant to be somewhat casual as neither one of us will feel like a wearing a dress. Thanks for the help!
Oh, I'm assuming a hotel would be in the $200 p/nite price range. I am a Hilton member also but am about 6,000 points short of a free night.
Thanks a bunch!

I recommend the Gorham Hotel on West 55th Street. It's a lovely little boutique style hotel with very nice rooms and many amenities. It's also within walking distance of Central Park, 5th Avenue, the theater district, and Rockefeller Center just to name a few. Check out their website for summer rates. H&M on 5th Avenue is a popular shopping destination for young women. I don't know your daughter's preferences but they stock very affordable trendy items. Are you looking for a more unique shopping experience? As for dinner, I think Le Bernardin on West 51st is still considered a good seafood restaurant although it is expensive. Remi on West 53rd is a good choice for Italian and they also have seafood on their menu.

Hi,

You can shop on 5th Ave to hit all the ritzy stores, or go down to Greenwich Village for the hip, trendy stores.

If you are flexible about hotels, I'd try priceline.com. Read up on areas and prices to bid at www.biddingfortravel.com first. You can get some great deals.

Hope this helps a little.

I'd recommend Blue Water Grill in Union Square for reasonable seafood (<$50 pp with apps and desert). The daughter would probably be impressed with the Paramount hotel because of it's trendy stylings but the rooms are tiny.

H&M is good for girls' shopping. If your daughter is a bit style-concious I think she and you would enjoy he following:

1. Elizabeth Street which starts on Houston & goes south -- walk down it until the shop seem to stop & the street gets more Chinese; then

2. turn right one block to Mott Street and walk back to Houston on Mott Street.
Mott Street and Elizabeth Street have really lovely boutiques on them witht hings for both of you I think. I just bought 3 bags at Blue Bags on Elizabeth Street after quite a hunt all over the city for somethng fresh-looking.

3. Head up First Avenue (i.e. turn left on Allen S, it becomes first Ave above Houston St), stay on the et as you walk north, go to 9th Street and walk across Ninth Street to Second Avenue -- that block has a lot of sweet shops too.

4. For dinner, many choices in this area where you'll end up -- you'll be in the East Village. Miracle Grill on 1st Ave btw 6th & 7th has a lovely garden, go before 7. Lanza on Firs Ave about 11th St is not special but fine, and has an old Italian ambiance.

What you wanted in Little Italy you would find at John's on 12th St between 2nd and 1st, just east of 2nd, it's an old NY Italian place. Eat in the back room with the drippy candle (you'll see what I mean). All these are neighborhood places where people don't dress up at all, if it's hot they'll be in their walking-around-the-neighborhood shorts, etc.

Also -- sorry to be negative -- but there is not really much interesting cclothes shopping in Greenwich Village pper se (East Village is a different story), and Le Bernardin is dressy .

An exception in the village, and worth a trip, for unique somewhat dressy or fanciful clothes -- Ibiza on University Place around 9th St.

You are all fantastic!! That's exactly the info I was looking for. I will print this out for her and let her make a decision and do some research on these options. She likes to find clothes that not everyone has, something that people will realize she got elsewhere and are kind of fun.
Once again, thanks for the help, you are all great and keep the advice coming.

This question is sinking too fast and there are other people here who can give you ideas - so I'lm answering it some more.

Hotel -- W Union Square or Gramercy Park Hotel, or Soho Grand, or (I think) something called Thompson (On Thompson St), all well-locted if you'll spend whole visit shopping & dining downtown.
All might be too expensive though. Biggest room probably at Gramercy Park.

Shopping -- smaller budget - 8th St between 6th Avenue and Broadway. Honky-tonkier -- St Marks Place (which = 8th Street east of the Bowery). (The Bowery = Third Avenue south of 8th St.)
(Got it?) - !!