Hal-a-lew-yah, I finally logged in succesfully after ALOT of AOL issues.....Anyway, my husband and I will be arriving Thurs Jan 8-11 staying at the Belvedere. I've got a few questions, and would like some last minute planning help. I've been a professional LURKER for the last month and now must come out and make myself known.
We have some plans but are leaving time to just take it all in. Here's a quick run-down.
Arrive at noon on Thurs. Check in at the Belvedere (hopefully early). We have tickets for David Letterman Thursday nite and have to check in there at 4:30 then report back for the 7pm taping. Dinner after the show would be nice as it is also my 40th birthday and I've been collecting names of restaurants. If you'd like to contribute to that idea, we love Italian and our budget would be approx $100 total. Any area reasonably close would be fine.
Fri morning I'm hauling my husband out of a warm bed to stand outside the Today Show, then shopping through Soho and GV. We have tickets to Chicago Fri night. Sat morning, meet brother in law at Grand Central at 8:45 and get him checked into his hotel. We would all like to see Statue of Liberty on Sat and the Empire State Building. Maybe the ESPN Zone for the guys on Sat (yuck). Saturday night maybe the Rivew View Cafe, which sounds lovely. I know some say the foods over rated, does this mean it sucks, or just didn't live up to it's potential?
Now, here's a question...the weather. It's looking like it may be pretty cold while we're there. Any suggestions for what to do on a really cold day would be helpful. A trip to the Metropolitan Muesum is possible.
We'd like to see Central Park.
I find myself obsessing about the restaurant choices and getting too worried about "where are we going to eat?", but don't want to miss out. Some suggestions have been: Patsy's, Gnocco, I Coppi, Peasant, Chelsea Bistro, Cafe Des Artiste.
No seafood rec. please, I'm allergic. Do all of these places require reservations? If so, I need to get on the phone!
Thanks for any help.

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is closed -- you can go to the island, and the gift shop, but not inside hte statue itself.

You might want to go to the Today Show wthout DH -- she who travels alone, travels fastest -- and to the front easier. Likewise, you can find something else to do while the guys hit ESPN. The Metropolitan Museum is one of the greatest in the world, and you can see Central Park at the same time.

Bundle up, keep your head warm and your feet dry, and you'll be OK.

for the kind of restaurants you mentioned you will definitely need reservations on a Fri or Sat night and will be safer with them the rest of the time. For more moderate choices - and exploring some interesting ethnic options try the upper west side. There are a ton of neighborhood places with fresh, delicious food for really reasonable prices. Right across the park from the Met - and near the Natural History museum if you have any interest in that.

It's supposed to be VERY cold this weekend! Last I checked it was highs in the 20's and lows in the 8-15 degree zone. All I can tell you is bundle up! The wind always makes it feel colder than that!

As for other things to do, if you want to check out Central Park, you can go to Wollman Rink and watch the ice skaters go by (or even do some yourself!) and for restaurants you can also check Gramercy Tavern.

Also bear in mind that ESPN Zone is in Times Square, so if you don't want to go with the guys there, there are plenty of other options in the area. (I find the guys sometimes also like to check the WWE restaurant there which is good to go to when wrestling is on and the food is actually pretty decent!)

You are probably already too late to get weekend reservations at some, if not all, of your restaurant choices.
However, you should have no problem after the Letterman taping. Suggestions:
Lattanzi on West 46th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
Orso (same street as above)
Remi on West 53rd Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues).
All three are excellent Italian restaurants.
The weather predictions are for cold weather during your stay.
The Metropolitan Museum is a great indoor choice for cold weather.

bttt