PS I posted with bad title first time (Booked Tics) so sorry re double post

I just booked tickets for 5 (wife and 3 daughters-ages 13, 10, 8) for New York March 16-21 (Friday nite 3/16 to Wed. 3/21). My wife won an election as Judge in November and this was our campaign promise to kids if we won.

I have not been to Manhattan with children before--not been with wife in 5 years. I booked hotel--got flight tickets. Any suggestions welcome but comments re:

3/17 St Patricks Day Parade--should be fun-where do you watch?--and have a pub brew on tap

3/18 Wife and 2 will buy some TKTS tics--middle daughter and I are going to Pirates of Penzance at Lincoln Center--always wanted to see something there.

3/20 Last nite--we have not bought tics--guess we should ahead of time? but looks like Mary Poppins is on tap(i do have 3 daughters)

Wife is a great dresser--13 year a HUGE clothes gal--wife liked Century 21 5 years ago--liked Daffneys(sp)too--we are in Alabama so we don't have much off beaten path/rec. re good shopping areas not crazy expensive?

Any tips welcome!
af

There are many great threads here on shopping in NYC -if you put "new york shopping" and "nyc shopping" etc in the title, as well as "nyc trip reports" and also "Nyc with teens" that type of thing, you will see numerous posts with great info - here are a few -

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34909568

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34890780

I would buy any tickets to shows you really want to see ahead of time - a good web site for an into to many theater ticket sites, and for discounts, is
http://home.nyc.rr.com/frugaltheatergoe/

I think adults and kids alike enjoy a day in Soho/Nolo area with so many great shops to stroll in and out of with jewelry, clothing, etc and great places to eat and shop -

Union Square is a fun place, with Filene's Basement (which is not in a basement, but floors of shopping and from the top floor a great view of Union Sq through the glass windows - and other stores, as well as great chocolate stores like Chocolate by the Bald Man for the dessert fix !

If you head down to the lower east side , check out the one hour tours offered at the Tenement Museum (tenement.org) we recently did the Confino Living History tour and it was wonderful and there were children from 8-16 on our tour and it was an amazingly interesting and historical tour for them especially - can only imagine how it will transfer to all their studies in school - from there you can wander a bit down Orchard/Ludlow in and out of a few stores and it's an easy walk from there to Soho. The tour 'actress' we had who was in character as a 16 yr old immigrant was amazing and the young and old on our tour (small groups of 10) were all mesmerized. Just in case you want to add a bit of history w/out spending an entire day doing it.

Have fun !

another thought: you can also use opentable.com and see restaurant menus, prices, etc and book a reservation for dinners, brunches, etc for free and without having to play dialing for dollars.

Lots of shopping in the 34th St area, including a Daffy's so your wife will certainly find something fun.

There is a new "mall" at 59th and Columbus Circle (8th AVe), the Time Warner Building, lots of nicer shops there.

She also might like the 6th Ave and 18th to 23rd St area, there's a Filene's, Bed Bath and Beyond, TJMaxx and up a couple of blocks is Burlington Coat Factory.

For your daughters there's a GAP,H&M, Old Navy and Conway (think inexpensive jeans and tee shirts at Conway).

If you are going to the Parade, you might want to walk up 5th AVe to see the Central Park Zoo, the kids will love that, and there maybe skating still at Wolman Ice Skating Rink, or Rock Center.

You also might consider Beauty and the Beast for Broadway Tickets or The Lion King.

Have a great time while you are here.

www.menupages.com is probably the most comprehensive listing of menus on the internet, and 99% of the restaurants have prices on the menus. You can use it to cross-reference w/ opentable.com, although there will be restaurants on menupages that won't pop up on opentable.

You can see the parade anywhere on Fifth Avenue. I watched it around Trump Tower once. I would get there an hour or two early. Sometimes you can find a sympathetic person who will let the kids in front. I also recommend Kennedy's for St. Patrick's Day. They have Irish singers and great food. As fair warning (and I'm sure you know) any Irish bar will be a mob scene. Go early in the day, as later it will get pretty bad.

Do you already have the Mary Poppins tickets? Don't mean to be a downer but I checked last week and there was nothing available till May....However you could try a broker at an outrageous cost.

The girls might like American Girl however if you haven't already started it, for sanity purposes I might keep them away

Got 3 to The Drowsy Chapherone (Broadway Box discount code) and 2 to Pirates of Penzance (1st ring side-ouch) so our family of 5 has entertainment for our Sunday in city--(I tossed Mary P idea)--I'll get something for our last nite Tuesday on a code (Hairspray, Spelling Bee--)WE are there Friday nite to Wed. am

Thinking of having us all meet after Sunday matinnees at the Carmine's on 91 to eat? Different area--

Also my 5th grader loves pickles--I gotta find the pickle barrel place lower east side--wanted to do Katz for lunch one day anyways--

later af

ALso Loehman's (7th Av @ 17th St) has discount designer clothes. My daughter frequently finds good deals there. Another new store that very reasonable and trendy (much moreso than old navy or conway) is Uniqlo in Soho on Broadway. Also in Soho, Pearl River, an Asian department store with some reasonable accessories and other interesting items.

Guss' Pickles - Lower East Side,85 Orchard Street, may be the one?