Greetings Fodorites,
I'm back for for your input after a few years of local travel. I've got to be in NYC for a business trip but I have one day to tour in late Feb. I'll be in staying in Midtown. I don't care about shopping just want to really see and enjoy the City. What do you suggest is the most important thing to do, The Met, Soho, Lower Manhattant, etc. Thank you for any advice.
Sincerely,
Cinzia
PS. Don't foget a great spot for lunch!

You know, I grew up just outside of NYC in CT and there is so much I haven't seen.

Last August I did a one day trip to NYC (from Washington, DC) in connection with my son's play in the NYC Fringe Festival. I had only a few hours. What to do?

I had never taken the hop on/hop off bus tour so I did that. The first guide was not too great so I hopped off near Fraunces Tavern and had lunch there. Yes, I know it's touristy, but I was a tourist. Lunch was OK and I went upstairs to see the room where George Washington gave his farewell address.

Then I hopped back on the bus and almost finished the tour before I had to hop off and hustle down to the Village for my son's 5:00pm curtain.

Allow at least 3 hours for the bus tour if you do not hop off (remember there is traffic). Alternative suggestions would be to go up in the Empire State Building or to take the Circle Line cruise. You could also head for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I would just pick one main thing and not spend a lot of time exhausting yourself to pack to much in. NYC will still be there when you come back!

Lauren's right. I won't do day trips to NYC anymore. So many things, so little time. Only you can decide your priorities. When you determine that, I'd suggest going to chowhound.com, and ask for lunch recommendations. Tell 'em where you'll be, and your food preferences. And have a great time!

Definitely take the Gray Line hop on/hop off tour. It's one of the best ways to see The City in a day.

With one day, unless I had been to NYC before or had a very particular set of things in mind that I wanted to do, I would almost have to opt for the bus tours. Otherwise, it would be just too overwhelming. Do give yourself a little foot time though to do some walking at a museum or in a particular section of the city.

Most of my ventures to NYC have only been daytrips. I suggest first off, that if you are able, walk as much as you can rather than taking the subway, only because you see so much more while above ground. Since you haven't been to NYC is quite some time, you should check out Times Square, since it has changed quite a bit (some think for better, some for worse). I also enjoy walking around (and grabbing lunch) in SoHO and Greenwich Village. I've enjoyed the tour cruises that you catch from the seaport also. Lastly, absolutely check out the revitatlized Grand Central. Take a few minutes to stand in the main area and just look up at the ceiling (also a great selection of cheap eats).

Thank you for the input. I will be there for 5 days but working 4 of the 5. I would love to see the Statue of Liberty. Will it be too cold in Feb and is the Empire State Bldg. worth the effort? Also, I just secured tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie. Susan Egan is taking over for Sutton Foster and she taught last year at my son's school.

I would not suggest disembarking from the boat to see the Statue of Liberty since it is closed to visitors. You can get a great view of the Statue as the boat goes by it. I would, however, recommend touring Ellis Island. Statue of Liberty and Ellis ISland are part of the same boat tour. You can buy the ticket at any Grayline ticket office, as well as the ticket for the Empire State Building. I have never been to the Empire State Building, so I cannot comment on whether it will be cold or not. I assume that in February it would be quite cold up there. Depending on when you go to the Empire State Building, the line to get iside can be quite long, especially on the weekends.