Will be in New York Nov. 20th-26th. Staying at the Mayflower on Central Park West. Is this a good hotel? Close to any subway stations? Looking for a nice place to eat Thanksgiving dinner, we'll be attending the Rockettes xmas show at 8 30 pm, so a resturant in the area before the show would be great. Also if need to make reservations when is a good time a month , two weeks? We (7 of us) would like to see the broadway show 42nd street and the off broadway blue man group any chance of getting tickets at the tkts booth or should we purchase in advance? Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

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COOL! T-Day in NYC. You can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, live & in-person. Always wanted to be there @ that time of year.

The Mayflower Hotel is in a very nice location, right across from Central Park. At 59th Street you can catch the following subway lines: A,C,B,D,1,9 which pretty much covers New York's West side.

There are many wonderful restaurants in the Radio City neighborhood and when you decide on one I would call about 3 weeks ahead just to make sure you have a spot. Of course the closest to Radio City is The Rainbow Room on the 65th floor at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Not sure what price range you are looking for but some of the more upscale restaurants in that area are The Four Seasons, Le Cirque 2000, La Grenouille, La Cote Basque & 21 Club. You might want to call in mid-October to verify if they are serving on Thanksgiving Day. Also, the majority of the hotels put on a Thanksgiving Dinner: the Plaza, Waldorf Astoria, etc.

I would suggest if you definitely want to see the shows that you have listed, that you buy tickets ahead of time. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest in NYC, many tourists come into town that weekend to see the Macy's Parade and kick off the Christmas season. I also think that the tkts booth limits each customer to 4 tickets.

Forgot one other thing. If you are interested, they blow up the balloons for the Macy's Parade in Central Park the night before Thanksgiving, usually between 8-11 pm is a good time to go. Check the magazine Time Out for specific locations.

Philip's suggestion about looking into some of the hotel restaurants is a good. There's a good chance that a lot of NYC restaurants will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, including those good ones mentioned by Philip. The restaurant in the Mayflower used to serve a traditional roast beef dinner on Christmas Day (maybe they still do), so perhaps they also serve a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner! I'd check it out.
As for theater, definitely get tickets in advance for both the shows you want to see. Both are not likely to be available at the half-price booth that weekend.

PS: I believe the restaurant in the Mayflower is called the Symphony Cafe.

Howard: I believe the restaurant at the Mayflower Hotel is the Conservatory Cafe. The Symphony Cafe was on 56th and 8th Avenue, but alas has since closed.

Diane: You might want to consider Tavern on the Green,(ask for the Crystal Room) right across from your hotel. It's touristy but you're a tourist and it is something to see. If you don't have dinner, stop by for a drink sometime during your stay, it's beautifully decorated for the holidays.

The Restaurants that surround the Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center, the Sea Grill and Rock Center Cafe, are festive places to be during the holidays.

The Judson Grill is a big classy bistro in the West 50's and is great for a special event meal.

Make a reservation for Thanksgiving soon after Labor Day, you would be amazed how far in advance some of these places get booked.

Enjoy, and make sure you get a good place out in front of your hotel to view the Macy's Parade, you picked the perfect location for your hotel.

YOu're right, Frank. It is the Conservatory Cafe. Do you know if its quality level is the same as it was? WE haven't been there in a few years.