Kiddo

My husband and I along with our teenaged daughter are planning our second trip to NYC. We're staying at the Belvedere Hotel (West 48th Street).

I'm hoping for a little help with our itinerary. Last time around, we toured some the major sights, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Empire State Building etc. We plan to arrive Thurs. midafternoon and leave around noon on Sun. which leaves only 2 full days for sightseeing. We'd like to see 2 shows and one night do the Circle Line Harbour Lights cruise. So far I'm thinking one day: St. John the Divine Cathedral, Museum of Natural History, refreshments at Tavern on the Green and then back to our hotel for a short rest, change for dinner and show. My daughter definitely wants to shop, so I thought we'd spend one day on Canal Street, Soho, etc. and then that evening we'd do the Circle Line Harbour Lights Cruise. She'd also like to visit Serendipity so that might be something to do one night after the theatre. We'd also like to walk the Brooklyn Bridge so that's a possibility for early Sun. morning. Lunch at Katz's deli or similar venue might also be nice.
We don't have any theatre tickets as yet. We saw Chicago and The Producers last time around. This time we're thinking of 42nd Street and Movin' Out or we're open to suggestions. I can order discounted tickets for 42nd Street beforehand but I can't find any online discounts for Movin' Out, so I may just take my chances on those tickets being available through TKTS (the TKTS website shows that there were tickets available last week for Movin' Out). I also haven't made any dinner reservations, but we like Italian and Cascina seems to get good reviews.

Having said all of that, I'd appreciate any comments regarding our itinerary, dinner suggestions etc.

Many thanks in advance,
Lynn

Kiddo

Help Anyone???

HowardR

How about a price range for dinner?
As for your theater plans, I'd get the 42nd Street tickets in advance for a weekend night, saving Movin' Out for Thursday evening, when the chances are better for getting tickets at TKTS. When are you coming? That'll make a difference on theater ticket availability.
Serendipity is a bit far to go for dessert after the theater!

Kiddo

Many thanks for your reply Howard. We're coming Aug 19-22. Our price range for dinner would be approximately $30-40 per person(we're Canadian and that exchange rate is a killer!)

That's a great idea regarding the tickets for Movin' Out. I believe the TKTS booth opens at 3 so hopefully if we arrive early enough in the afternoon, we'll have time to head over to be there before 3.

You're right about Serendipity not being convenient for after theatre, but I wasn't sure how else to work it in to our itinerary as I don't believe it's really close to anything else we had planned, but as our daughter only had 2 requests, shopping and Serendipity, I was trying to accommodate her.

Any other suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Lynn

WendyLee

The best Musical on Broadway right now is Wicked. You'd have to pay full price, but it's worth it! Just saw it on Friday and even my 11 year old son was mesmerized. It was absolutley incredible! I'd save dinner for AFTER the theatre. Eat a snack or late lunch before and go out on 46th Street afterwards. That way, you're not rushed before the theatre and everyone is out and about afterwards. Very fun! I highly recommend Orso on 46th. Great food! We tried to go to Serendipity for lunch on Friday and it was an hour wait at 2:00 pm. Just keep that in mind. Have fun!!

HowardR

I agree that Orso is an excellent restaurant. However, you will pay a lot more than $30-40 per person.
I would recommend Becco. It has an excellent pasta special (all you can eat of 3 pasta dishes) for $21.95. Its prices are along that level; thus youll be able to pay less than $40 per person including tax and tip. Make reservations well in advance. If you go at 6 p.m., you'll have plenty of time for a relaxed dinner before the theater.

Cicerone

Depending on what you order and how many courses you want, Orso might fit your budget. Their website gives prices:

Orso
22 West 46th Street.
(Between 8th and 9th Ave)
Tel: 212- 489-7212
http://www.orsorestaurant.com

Two other great restaurants to consider are:

Rene Pujol
21 West 51st Street (between 8th and 9th Ave).
Tel: 212-246-3023.
www.renepujol.com

French food. They offer prix fixe pre-theatre dinner at $45.

Barbetta
21 West 46th Street
(Between 8th and 9th Ave)
Tel: 212-246-9171
www.barbettarestaurant.com

Italian. Prix fixe pre-theatre dinner at $49. They have a courtyard garden which is lovely in summer, plus several other nice dining rooms.

Finally, one further west but which your daughter might enjoy most is:

Café Un Deux Trois
123 West 44th St
(Between 6th Ave & Broadway)
Tel: 212-354-4148
www.cafeundeuxtrois.biz

A French bistro, with all the noise and bustle.

If you haven?t had tea at the Plaza, I would vote for that over Tavern on the Green which is not the place it used to be.

Kiddo

Thanks for your comments WendyLee, HowardR and Cicerone. I checked out Orso and it looks good. We did consider Becco's, but it seems to get mixed reviews. It sounds as if we may have to increase our budget a little. Amarone also gets good reviews. Does anyone have firsthand experience?

Unfortunately, my husband has his heart set on Tavern on the Green, although I know he'd enjoy tea at the Plaza as well.

Thanks for the suggestion on Café Un Deux Trois. I'll have a look at their website.

As far as shopping is concerned, I'm assuming it would be preferable to shop Fri. and do the cathedral/museum tours on Sat. as it would be less crowded. Are the shops on Canal Street open on Sat?

Thanks again everyone for all your help!

paula1470

Was just looking at New York posts and saw yours. Don't know when your trip is but we stayed at the Belvedere last spring and the hotel was great as was the location.

Don't know if you have gotten Broadway show tickets yet but I wanted to give a couple of suggestions. I will agree with WendyLee that Wicked would be a top choice. Don't think you can get tickets, though, from TKTS. You can check their website. Krisin Chenoweth is no longer with the show but Idina Menzel is still in the cast and she is amazing. Another show your daughter might like is Hairspray. It is just such a fun show and my whole group enjoyed it and we had different age groups. Don't know if you can get discount tickets ahead of time but Hairspray is listed on the TKTS page. Lastly, Mama Mia is a fun show, too. I am jealous thinking about all these shows, need to plan a trip to New York! Enjoy your trip.

tpatricco

Kiddo's trip is over. It was Aug 19th-22.

Hope you had fun in the Big Apple Kiddo!