Sharron

I'm taking my husband to New York City for his birthday October 17-20th. I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions on our planned itinerary.
Arriving Thursday around 3:00 PM at the Excelsior Hotel in the Upper West Side.
Get cleaned up and head out to dinner at 6:00 at the Firebird. Theatre at 8:00 (The Producers)Then somewhere for drinks. Suggestions for romantic, piano music etc?
Friday, breakfast at Norma's or Sarabeth's, not too early.
Subway to Staten Island Ferry for trip around Statue of Liberty. Come back, head up to the World Trade Center Memorial and then over the Brooklyn Bridge and lunch in Brooklyn, maybe The Diner? and a little walking around. Then back to the hotel to rest and clean up. To the Flatiron and Grammercy park area for a walk and on to Dinner at Fleur de Sel at 20th and 5th. After dinner, taxi to the Empire State building for the late night view. Drinks?
Saturday we have Gray Line tour tickets, planning on stops at Rockefeller Center area, Chrysler Building,Greenwich Village and Chinatown for lunch. Back to the hotel for a rest and clean up. Taxi to the 9th street area for casual dinner and somewhere for a comedy show. Suggestions?
Sunday, breakfast, then for a walk through Central Park to the Metropolitan. Leaving the city late Sunday afternoon. Is this too ambitious?

Merilee

Sharron, I think you should try and arrive at the restaurant by 6:00PM. The hotel is on 81st and the restaurant is on 46th, which is not very far, but you can't always predict rush hour traffic. I would guess that you would like to have a nice relaxing dinner without rushing. It's only 2 blocks from the restaurant to the theater, but again, you want to enjoy it all. The restaurant is lovely and you'll want to take the time to experience the ambience and the meal. If you're going over the Brooklyn Bridge I suggest eating at Grimaldi's and then going to the Ice Cream Factory for dessert. If you're going to be in the vicinity of 9th Street for dinner a comedy club I recommend that is not too far away is Comedy Cellar on MacDougal. Other comedy clubs in the city, but not near 9th Street are Caroline's in Times Sqaure and Comic Strip Live on 2nd Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets. Comedy Cellar is great, though. I think a wonderful place for drinks is at the Cibar Lounge which is in the Inn at Irving Place, where you can also have wonderful desserts and cordials in their Lady Mendl's (after dark) Tea Salon. It's not near the theater district, but it is so very nice I thought it worth mentioning.

Tori

Lady Mendl's After Dark and the Cibari Lounge have a very sexy and romantic atmosphere. Not near where you'll be, but worth the trip. That's what is great about the city. You can just grab a cab and be anywhere in no time at all.

Sharron

Thanks for the suggestions. I've heard some great things about the Inn at Irving Place so I'll be putting the Cibari Lounge on our list.

suzanne

Sharon-
I live on the Brooklyn side of the bridge...there is definitely no restaurant around here called "The Diner". In fact, the only diner around here (Clark Street) is closed for repairs. Too bad, because they had great blueberry pancakes!

Grimaldi's Pizza is the place to have lunch around here...definitely! It's a NY classic. Someone also mentioned the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory...it's on the pier right past Grimaldi's. I recommend the strawberry ice cream there...and the fantastic city views!!

Sharron

Suzanne,
According to the Fodor's restarant guide, Diner is a restarant on Broadway in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn but it appears to be new. Not being familiar with Brooklyn, it may not be anywhere near the bridge.

Flynn

Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Diner) can be reached by walking over the Williamsburg Bridge from Delancy Street or taking the L train to Bedford Avenue. It's a trendy area to explore. If you're in Brooklyn already, there's probably a way to get there by bus/train.