>>And BTW, if I were in Kauai, I would indeed seek out the local art museums!>>

LOL, that makes two of us - coming from someone who went to Las Vegas, spent $20 gambling, but went to several different art galleries/exhibits (and yes, they do exist in LV).

For the OP, I would seek out one of NYC's wonderful green spaces, many of which were mentioned above. My favorite way to relax on crazy-busy trips is with a glass of fill-in-the-blank (wine for me) at an outdoor spot. You get to sit, people-watch, and take it all in. Also love ggreen's movie idea if it's really hot outside.

Enjoy your trip!

To clarify an error. Central Park DOES have a pool at its northern end. It is city pool and is probably not the idea you have of lounging around a pool.

http://www.centralpark.com/guide/att...pool-rink.html

Perhaps you would enjoy an afternoon at Great Jones Spa to take advantage of its water lounge.

http://gjspa.com/14-58-how%20to%20spa

For a different kind of break why not get On the water! Take a Circle Line Cruise from the Seaport in lower Manhattan. The views are iconic and it's a very relaxing trip.

ggreen, we are planning on normal sites...911, ESB, Ellis Island, etc. We have tickets to Lion King on Tuesday...evening show....any idea what time to arrive for the show?

Thank you everyone...great ideas!

ilovemaui: What time is curtain? 7:00 or 8:00?

Try the Lucerne Hotel on the UWS. Great neighborhood for restaurants, walking, subway, and close proximity to the park. We've stayed there many times.

No matter the curtain time, Broadway theaters tend to open their doors to ticket holders about 30 minutes before curtain time.

Thompson LES (Lower East Side) hotel in NYC has a nice outdoor rooftop pool w/great lounging area, with loungers to sunbathe. Nice hotel, nice area also.

Also, the Hotel Gavensevoort in the Meatpacking District of NYC has a fantastic outdoor rooftop pool. Probably the best as far as the actual pool goes. It is a large heated pol, and it has underwater music, a very cool thing.

The Holiday Inn on W. 57th also has a very large outdoor pool w/ great area and loungers for sunning.

9/11 Site & Ellis Island
- I'm sure you know that you want to be on line to go to Ellis Island as early as possible, get pre-timed tix, etc. (It gets more and more zooey as the day goes on!)
- You might also be interested in taking the free ferry to Governor's Island. They have bike rentals, a little beach, and a lot of events all summer long that my 20-something friends attend, including the Jazz Age Lawn Party (June 16-17 this year) - google it for pics. :)
http://www.govisland.com/html/home/home.shtml
- From the 9/11 site, head across the West Side Highway. There are eateries and restrooms in the Winter Garden; continuing outside, you'll be at the boat marina. Walking either south or north from there will put you in that riverside park I mentioned. You could always stop for a drink at the (very casual) Frying Pan, though at West 26th Street, that might be a bit of a walk for you (or not!).
http://nymag.com/listings/bar/frying_pan/

ESB
- For something exotic, walk the block of 32nd Street between 5th Ave and Broadway - the heart of Koreatown. Lots of restaurants and bakeries, plus Pinkberry and Red Mango.
- From here, walk south on either 5th Ave or Broadway to newly renovated Madison Square Park. (Neither ave is particularly scenic here. Broadway on this stretch is an interesting mix of numerous small ethnic import/export type shops being supplanted by new luxury hotels and restaurants like the NoMad on 28th. Stop into the lovely Ace Hotel on B'way and 29th for something cool and fancy to drink, or the excellent iced coffee at Birch Coffee in the funky Gershwin Hotel on 27th between 5th and Madison.
- At Madison Square Park, the original Shake Shack still operates inside the park, and Eatery is on the west side of the park. Or make reservations at 11 Madison Park. Three extremes of dining to choose from!
- On the south side of 23rd Street, you could pop into the Origins store in the Flatiron Building for a cooling facial. :) Continuing south along Fifth Avenue, there are loads of shops. To name but a very few: J Crew, Zara, Sephora, Anthropologie, Club Monaco, Esprit... It's virtually a "mall" of options! (If you look at a google map and zoom in, you should see them all.)
- It's only another 1/2 mile and one block east to the north end of Union Square.

We stayed at The Gotham hotel and loved it! There were three of us and one did have to sleep on a rollaway....the room had a sitting aRea and a great big balcony! We would come in, put our feet up, have a glass of wine and relax. I can't say enough about how nice the service was. Pretty good food at Ten Penny as well. Have fun!

Check your tix for the correct curtain time; don't assume it's at 8:00. Get there at least a half hour before curtain.

I must admit I have never understood the concept of a heated pool. IMHO a large part of the purpose of a pool is to cool off - and I want the water to be - not icy - but cool. But then I grew up on Long Island and the north atlantic isn't noticeably warm. (I found water in Miami unpleasantly warm - couldn;t stand it.)