NYC opinions please! 2nt (shows & meals w/1st timer)
 

Would love to have your opinion on a 2 night adventure with my sister. She hasn't visited NYC in a long while, might as well be considered first timer! I've been recently several times recently. So having a hard time deciding between one favorite shows and one something new. And, if we can get Friday matinee.

So just need your opinion, we love to have fun and be happy, so no serious, heavy, sad shows... which you would see again... (going to do half priced tkt booth, so Hamilton is out!)
loved these, which was YOUR favorite:
The Comet
Beautiful
On Your Feet
Chicago
Aladdin
(Don't want to do Wicked or Lion King... seen those... no repeat needed)

What NEW would you see?

open to off broadway too:
seen Shear Madness

AND, what would be your must do eating spot?

Love an opinion! Thanks for sharing yours!

First of all, there are no Friday matinees for Broadway shows.

Second, since there are literally thousands of restaurants to choose from, you'll have to pass along some details, such as types of food and how much you want to spend.

Third, if you are planning to only get discount tickets, then take Aladdin off your list. As for a complete list of your discount options, check out these two websites: broadwaybox.ocm and playbill.com

"Beautiful" would be my choice. You will leave the theater singing! Carole King is a musical genius.
As far as eating, I don't know your likes or dislikes. For theater district, ethnic eateries on 9th Ave would be my choice. Or for Italian on West 46th, Lydia Bastianich's Becco or a modern twist on soul food, B. Smith's, also on West 46th.

Will be in New York this weekend! 1st timer. cannot wait! Will record some video and take some photo!

HowardR, thanks, no matinees,
on restaurants - definitely not high budget, but what one restaurant comes to YOUR mind when you want to take a relative, say that you don't even know well, for a fun/wonderful experience without breaking the bank.
on shows - any thoughts for something not mentioned that is upbeat and fun?
Thanks for your replies!

HappyTrvlr - Thanks for your Beautiful vote! :)
Thanks too for the restaurant choices. I will check them out!

jindotravel - have fun! Post what you have loved and would do again! Thanks!

Still need more info on your restaurant price range. "A fun/wonderful experience without breaking the bank" isn't enough information on how much you want to spend. What might break the bank for you might not for me....or vice versa! Give us some dollar range. And, also, what types of food?

HowardR-
I'd be curious, if money were no object! and them maybe you could do one in the $50-$100 range... then under $50. We are not huge eaters... not having all the courses and pass on the alcohol... so we bring the price down some.
From my limited experience, if someone asked me, I'd say:
Delmonico's for delmonico and baked alaska
21 Club for toys on ceiling and kale salad
Buddahkan for atmosphere and several dishes
Theater convenience:
Junior's for pastrami sandwich & cheesecake
Pizza - John's pizzeria... old church atmosphere
Ellen's - for fun entertainment

Soooo... Let me have your expert ideas! :)

One of my favorite theater district restaurants is Thalia at 50th Street and 8th Avenue. Check it out.

HoawrdR -
Perfect! Will definitely go there. It looks wonderful and has me wanting more of your suggestions! Please?��
Also would you mind offering me a new suggestion on Broadway based on my likes above?
Thank you!

OF the shows you mentioned, you certainly can't go wrong with Chicago. It's a classic. I've seen four times, but that was many years ago, so I can't offer any advice about the current cast. But, it's the second- or third-longest running show in Broadway history, so it's obviously doing something right! And discount tickets are definitely available.

There are some very good new musicals that have opened recently, including Groundhog Day and War Paint. The latter starts Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole. I'm not sure about the availability of discount tickets for either whether tickets are available at TKTS.

I just checked broadwaybox.com, and there are discount tickets available for Groundhog Day through June 10.

We loved both On Your Feet and Beautiful. Can;t go wrong with either one.

I know that on paper it sounds like a total downer but Come From Away is vey uplifting. The music is fun. I walked out of the theater with a huge smile on my face. I definitely recommend it!

I'm not sure how old you and your sister are but you may remember the animated movie Anastasia? It's now on broadway, I am really looking forward to it. There are some clips online and the lead actress absolutely kills it.

Thank you all!
Would love to see Come from Away! and Charlie & Chocolate Factory! and Book of Mormons! and Hamilton!
But we will just deal with TKT discount booth... so know they aren't going to be there! ha!
Will let you all know what we get lucky enough to see!

Try for Cagney

Thanks to everyone! Had a wonderful trip! Used the Lincoln Center TKTS booth and enjoyed 2nd row The Great Comet and 1st row Kinky Boots. We each enjoyed a wonderful salad at the bar of Thalia (didn't have reservations and crowded, but bar was perfect and fast)! Thanks HowardR. We did take advantage of free Friday nts at MOMA. Arrived 530 to no line... yes crowded, but not unbearable. Enjoyed drinks and the skyline and central park view at the bar in the Mandarin Oriental. Enjoyed early dinner at Delmonico's. Steak wonderful... but really heirloom tomato salad and baked Alaska stole the show! Next trip... just those too!
Thanks again for all your help!
(note for budget conscious like we were: finally understanding TKTS booth. All their prices are for the expensive seats. You'll never get discount on the cheap seats. Don't think I've ever understood that.)

If you ever go back you can go to sites like www.broadwaybox.com and www.playbill.com to purchase discounted tickets in advance of your trip. We did that for come from away and had a wonderful time.

Frankly I think Thalia is a tourist trap. Go to 9th Ave for some real restaurants that cater to other than tourists. I will find you some.

Dianedancer, I totally disagree with you about Thalia. Hey, to me, that fact that it has good food at a fairly decent price, automatically removes it from the "tourist trap" category

SueNYC - I agree with "Cagney". It's on 42nd Street off broadway. Incredibly talented cast. Better than some of the derivative, bland, Disney like entertainment now on Bway.


Howadr - It's pretty, I'll give you that. And reasonable.

Try Obao - 647 9th Avenue. Asian fusion. Get a reservation and sit upstairs.