Please critique our NYC itinerary! Four days in june...
 

Hello! We’re two sisters in our mid-twenties headed to NYC for a long weekend in June. I’ve been twice before on short trips, and it’s my younger sister’s first time. Below is our working itinerary - any and all suggestions, improvements, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Especially ideas for AFFORDABLE places to eat based on our locations! We definitely want to try a good pizza place, a deli, and an Asian place.

Friday
Flight gets in at 2:30 PM (LaGuardia)
Check in at Radio City Apartments (49th between 6th and 7th)
Eat late lunch/early dinner somewhere in the area – need suggestions!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Rockefeller Center
Top of the Rock
Times Square at night

Saturday
Breakfast in our room
Staten Island Ferry – take in views of Statue of Liberty
Financial District – Wall Street – New York Stock Exchange
World Trade Center site - Winter Garden – St. Paul’s Chapel
Lunch somewhere in this area
Subway to Brooklyn, walk across Brooklyn Bridge coming back
(and I’ve done Grimaldi’s before, we might do the ice cream place though)
Visit Chinatown and Little Italy, dinner in Chinatown?
We would also like to go to a bar/club this night – any suggestions? Something fun, but not overly trendy or too expensive.

Sunday
Breakfast in our room
Explore Central Park – possibly do rowboats
Eat at Central Park Boathouse Express Café for lunch?
Visit Soho, Greenwhich Village, Washington Squre
Possibly eat an early dinner in this area?
See Rent at 7 PM (already have tix)
Need something fun to do after Rent? Maybe a late dinner?

Monday
Check out of Radio City Apartments at 11 AM
Flight leaves LaGuardia at 4:15 PM – what to do before flight leaves?
Possibly Grand Central Station or 5th Avenue shopping?
Thanks for your help! I know we don't have any museums on the schedule - my sister doesn't seem too interested for some reason. Next time!

This looks good. While in the Financial district check out Federal Hall National Memorial (very near NYSE).

For dining near your hotel, search here for pre-theater dinners. There have been several posts with infor on restaurants in that are.

For good pizza near your hotel, try John's. There are also some recent 'best pizza in NYC' threads here. For a good Deli, Katz's (lower east side).

You might want to consider a late lunch at Serendipity3, 225 East 60th St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves). They are famous for their frozen hot chocolate, but they serve food as well. It's a great place for a "girl's" lunch. Very fun! It would be fairly close to your hotel - a fun walk by all the stores. Not expensive at all. Sometimes there is a long line - but usually okay in the middle of the afternoon.

Cheeck out the web sites of the Village Voice and New York Magazine. They each had an article on the best inexpensive ($25 or less) places to eat in NYC in the last year. (Not sure what you mean by Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Malaysian or some sort of Pan-Asian.)

For a particular area or cuisine you can also look at menupages.com which has customer reviews and actual menus.

You are right around the corner from Rays pizza ,and a small corner cafe that was really convenient to grab something to go, and head to the room when we were too exhausted to go out to eat. We ate alot of Rays pizza- cheap and quick and delicious.

If you like BBQ, Virgil's on 44th is close to your hotel. They have fabulously unhealthy food. I have dreams about their pork nachos.

Looks great!

But what about the Museum of Natural History or the Met?

Or at least have a take out lunch on their steps! :)

I'm not sure NYSE and wall street will be very busy on a saturday...
Perhaps keep it for monday...
Near Brooklyn bridge a good adress is the Bridge cafe at water street, not so far from Southstreet seaport.
An appetizer and an entree are sufficient or an entree and a dessert...
The italian restaurant of the Flatotel
named Moda is good and no so expensive
it's on the 52nd street between 7th and 6th.
Near Central Park on Upper west side you can find some good restaurants(Isabellas on Columbus/77th, Ocean Grill just on the other side of the street, Café des artistes or Vince and Eddies are other good ones).
Erik.

If you want to go out Saturday night, and you want to be within walking distance of your hotel (and save $ on cabs), just head west on 49th to 9th Avenue, there are tons of bars (Coppersmith's is good, on 9th and 53rd and also the Irish Rogue on 44th between 8th and 9th) and you can just pick one that you think looks good. These are mostly neighborhood-type bars, not as crowded as the upper east side bars in my experience. I don't know much about the club scene anymore but I am about your age and I was out in Hell's Kitchen for my birthday and there were lots of people my age. I'd say pick a neighborhood (like the meatpacking district - really trendy and really expensive, or the village, etc.) and go on Citysearch or some other site and find bars that sound like the type of scene you are looking for.

I willl second Virgil's BBQ, a great place.

For really soaking in lower Manhattan I don't think you have enough time.
Try to cut back on Brooklyn and Wall Street and spend more Time in Cinatown and Soho/Village.

I like the idea of Grand Central, you can have a long meal there and walk around and then go to Bryant Park and sit outside for a cold drink, also on 42nd Street, and then catch your flight.

There's a free tour of the downtown/financial area on Saturdays at noon. That might fit in with your plans. We are thinking of going on it on our upcoming trip but I've not heard any reviews on it.

www.downtownny.com

Had dessert at Joe Alan's in the theatre district after a show.We just walked in but I rec a reservation for dinner.Atmosphere is old NY and fun and the food looked great.We loved our dessert.There was a real NY vibe here.
loved it