Four females --- mothers & 20's daughters; first NYC trip; staying at Times Square; need help with moderate restaurants -- Little Italy and theater district; also any other bits of helpful info! Thanks

It might be useful to know a little bit more about your interests/expectations for this trip. The more information you provide the better everyone can assist you.

If you are going to be here for only a couple of days you may want to purchase a subway funpass $4/pp for unlimited subway/bus use for a day. For $17, you can get unlimited use for a week. The subway will take you pretty much everywhere you have to go.

For theater tickets, TKTS is available near your hotel. You don't really have to get in line that early. Also, don't be put off by how long the line is, it moves quickly.

Some restaurants that might appeal to you are Puglia's in Littly Italy. (not great food, but jovial atmosphere). I personally don't think Little Italy is that interesting and Chinatown is pure chaos. Siam Inn (51st and 8thave) is a good Thai restaurant for a pre-theater meal. At night, you might consider taking a walk around the West Village and then head to Magnolia Bakery (great cupcakes!!).

Have Fun!

I went to NYC last April. What a blast. I planned extensively with a list of restaurants loaded into my palm pilot. Wound up ignoring the list entirely and finding cute places as we went along. All the restaurants have menus posted out front. So as you walk, which you should plan on doing a lot of, you will find attractive places along the way. Go in and grab a card so you will remember where you were, and come back later that night. There are just too many choices. Have fun. We did! And tell the girls to stop checking out all those handsome guys!

Ditto the $4 Metro pass - it's great, and gets you unlimited bus and subway rides until 3:00 AM the day after you first use it.
For a great but moderately priced restaurant try Cibo, 767 2nd AV (41st & 2nd) where they offer a great prix fixe dinner for $29.95. online at www.cibonyc.com
The Hourglass Tavern - it's mentioned in John Grisham's novel, "The Firm" - is at 373 W 46th in the theatre district and also offers prix fixe meals, at prices that are ridicuously low for NYC. Review of this and other theatre district places are online at www.musicals101.com/rest1.htm
Restaurant Florent at 69 Gansevoort St (btwn Greenwich and Washington, 2 blocks south of 14th St) has some of the best mussels I've ever eaten; menus online at www.restaurantflorent.com

The girls are interested in shopping and seeing plays. We plan to go the TKTS booth --- do they take credit cards?

If you don't want to wait in line at the TKTS in Time Square and you want to pick up tickets earlier in the day, go to the TKTS near Battery Park, in front of the American Indian Musuem.

Also, if you want to get some good deals on clothes, purses, etc., head over to the two locations of Filene's Basement. Last time I was there, I bought a Jones of N.Y. suit for $35. There are both easily accessible by the subway. Also, if you want to get some yummy food to go, head to Zabar's and pick up some bake goods and deli snacks.

The subway is easy to take. You can get your passes at the Visitor's Center in Union Square. Also, bring your friends e-mail addresses as you can send free e-mail postcards w/ your pictures on them from the Visitor's Center.

TKTS is a cash only operation, no credit cards accepted. More info at www.tdf.org/programs/tkts/

Buy or borrow a Zagat's restaurant guide. That way, as your walking around and see a restaurant you can quick look it up and see if it's any good. (But, if you have your heart set on someplace special, make reservations!) I went with my girlfriends and we had a great time at the Swatch store - we all bought really fun watches!

Gotta go to Canal Street with your daughters...knock-offs of everything available...watch pickpockets and check quality of the stuff you want to buy. Don't bother with the perfumes.

I think the food in NYC is the best in the U.S. Last time we went I purchased an Entertainment Book for restaurant discounts and had great luck with that--especially a place called Lido. We love Carnegie Deli--large helpings, excellent cheesecake (very unhealthy, but figure once and awhile won't hurt). Also, you can get great pizza by the slice in lots of shops all over that's delicious and inexpensive.

Have a great time!

For theatre tickets, I would go to the booth downtown, which is now located at the South St. Seaport, right behind the Prudential Buiding on Water St. The lines in Times Square are much longer and downtown opens earlier in the day so you can get the tickets and make a day of the city and then go to the theatre in the evening.

Also if you want a Matinee, you can buy tickets for a Wed Matinee on Tuesday, you can't do that in Times Square.

I have seen LOTS of shows using TKTS, just go with an open mind or choose several shows that you would like to see and one of them is bound to be available.

BRING CASH, they only take cash and traveler's checks NO CREDIT CARDS.

After getting tickets, you might wander up to Chinatown for lunch and then Little Italy for some desert and shopping of course all over the area.

Have a GREAT time while you are here.

did a mom and daughter trip last october and also stayed in times square. some had not been to nyc and wanted the complete tour. got greyline passes (abt. $45/each) and everybody enjoyed seeing the city from the top of the double decker bus.....even if the city was second home to some. the hop-on, hop-off was great, tho we still did the $4 metropass thing too. check out a fairly new rest. in times sq....blue fin, good food, great night scene....young professional crowd.

TKTS must take Traveler's Checks, right? Same as cash, I beleive, but safer. Anybody know for sure?

46 Street between 8th & 9th is referred to as "restaurant row".
One of my favorites is Le Beaujolais
364 W 46 - 212-974-7464
Lunch: Appetizer, entree, dessert AND coffee/tea: $14
At dinner: $21
very reasonable & very authentic French Bistro.

Shop till you drop! Wear comfy shoes and hit all the major NY stores. Any NYC guide will give you the scoops.

IMHO, seats make all the worlds difference on any broadway show. Buy in advance if you can get a GREAT seat. You CAN get great seats from TKTS, but isn't this a once in a lifetime (or while) thing? Don't settle - unless you want to pack in more shows for your money. (you can pick up twofers coupons across the street from TKTS Duffy if you ask for the binder - not all shows will have those famous rectangular coupons)

have fun..

To get the best restaurant deals try going to Queens. From midtown Manhattan this can be a 15 minute subway ride.

For instance, take the N train to 30th Ave in Astoria. Astoria is the largest Greeek community outside Greece. Right near that stop is the Greek Captain restaurant. You can have an awsome dinner for under $20 / person.

Take the E,V,F, or 7 trains to 74th street in Queens. You will see the best Indian and South American restaurants in the city. It will be rare for you to spend more than $20 / person there.

Take the subway to Coney Island. You absolutely have to have a hot dog from the original Nathan's.

Ignore the message about going to Queens for restaurants unless you have lots of time to travel. There are hundreds of good restaurants around your hotel, so why bother traveling to Queen's? In Little Italy, Paesano's and Il Palazzo are two of my favorites, but most little Italy restaurants or more touristy, and not high quality, but the courtyard in back of Il Palazzo is fun on a nice day. A little north of the thatre district around Columbus circle is Gabriel's, a fine moderately priced Italian restaurant. If you like Chinese or Indian try Chin Chin or Bukhara Grill in Midtown East. A little pricey for Asian but very good. If you like Indian try Curry Row around 6th Street, moderately priced, moderate quality food. Also, one of my favorite NYC restaurants is meskerem. The food is very unique, Ethiopian, very good, especially the vegetarian combo and Chicken Tibs, and very cheap...

I live in NYC- here's my simple advice. Spend as little time possible as possible in Times Square (too many tourists and since you are staying there, you'll see enough of it.) Don't have dinner in the theater district, they are not that great. Try going to restaurants in the East village/ West Village, Upper East/ Upper West sides- that is where the poeple who live here go (downtown is generally more fun, diverse and less expensive.) Buy a zagats or visit there website zagat.com and surf and read. Also, wear confortable shoes- you will do more walking than you are used to.

It's true that most New Yorkers steer clear of the more touristy areas of town (Times Square, Little Italy, etc.), we do go to the theater. And afterwards, many of us have found places in and around the Theater District where we enjoy a good meal. Try Rachel's, on Ninth Ave. between 43rd & 44th Streets. Excellent and inexpensive. Hourglass, mentioned above, is also very good. There are also several excellent Japanese restaurants in the neighborhood -- I'd check Zagats for details. John's Pizzaria on 44th Street between Seventh & Eighth Ave. is another good choice. Brick oven pizza served in a building that was once a church (still has some of the original stained glass windows). Several photos of the original church greet you on the walls as you enter. In either case, this is much better than your average New York pizza. A little higher uptown, Bricco Restaurant 304 West 56th Street, (212) 245-7160, is another excellent choice, and relatively inexpensive.

In Little Italy, Da Nico is really the only one I've found that has halfway passable food. It's on the Mulberry Street Italian restaurant strip on the West side of the street.

And I don't find Chinatown as "chaotic" as some have suggested. You will find some of the best Chinese cooking there. New York Noodletown on Bowery south of Canal Street, Joe's Shanghai on Pell Street for soup dumplings, New Green Bo on Bayard Street for even better soup dumplings, Ping's on Mott just north of Bowery and best of all, Canton on Division Street right by the Manhattan Bridge for some of the best fish in town (just ask them what their fish specials are and ignore the menu -- you won't be dissappointed). If you're in the city on the weekend, consider Dim Sum in Chinatown. Pings on Mott Street just north of Bowery is among the best. Golden Unicorn on East Broadway and Catherine Street is one of the most popular (but get there around 11am or you'll have to wait). Dim Sum Go Go on East Broadway at Chatham Square is also great -- a more contemporary take on Dim Sum.