My sister and I just returned from a wonderful three-day trip with her daughters (ages 16) celebrating their birthday. Thanks to everyone on Talk for the sage wisdom and advice in making our trip a big success. Here's the report for anyone planning a similar adventure:

Hotel: Westin Times Square using Starwood points. Definitely not up to Westin standards at all in terms of service and style. It's way too big and the front desk staff went out of their way to be rude. The guests would actually all laugh about it as we stood in line to ask a question or check in. Should have saved the points and gone online to find a better place and just paid for it. The only thing good about it was the location.

Restaurants: we checked into the hotel and took a cab to Tavern on the Green for a late lunch. Trite, we know, but an amazing way to introduce even the most jaded teens to New York. The food wasn't bad and the service was very good. They made a huge effort to recognize the girls' birthday with balloons and a beautiful personalized cake. It was not inexpensive, but worth every penny for the view, decor, and experience.

That evening we dined at Buddakan, another Fodor's Talk recommendation, and it was everyone's favorite restaurant of the trip. Beautiful decor, fabulous food, and amazing service. Although it's one of the most popular restaurants in the city, every staff person made us feel special and welcome. We liked it so much, that our waiter recommended we try its sister restaurant, Morimoto, the next day for lunch.

We were amazed we got reservations for Morimoto and the experience was just as nice as the evening before. The decor alone--particularly the restrooms--is worth a visit, but the food is great too. We noticed the chef walking by our table and realized he was greeting chef Bobby Flay who was dining there that day. Fun celebrity siting.

That evening, we had an early dinner at ViceVersa, another great Fodor's Talk recommendation, and loved it, then walked down the street to see Wicked.

The next day, we had tea scheduled at Alice's Tea Room, but they screwed up our reservations (and weren't very nice about it!), so we wandered back toward the hotel and happened into a little Italian restaurant (we think it was Bella Luna or something like that) on W 44th just off Broadway. Delicious pizza and the best fried zucchini we've ever had.

Theater: We got all kinds of advice on what to see on Broadway, but the girls were pretty much decided on Wicked. We know it's been out a while and everyone in NYC is already bored, but for folks from DC and Richmond, it was fabulous, so don't let the theater snobs turn you off of it. The girls never took their eyes off the stage except to grin at us. There were two Southern men sitting behind us who were clearly drug against their will there by their spouses, and they grumbled until the curtain came up. But once it started, even they were laughing and applauding and whistling. When it was over they high-fived each other and thanked their wives for not saying "I told you so." It's a winner for any age.

Shopping: Our girls are fashion mavens and huge Runway fans, so we wandered down to the fashion district and saw all kinds of handmade signs for sample sales in showrooms. We trudged up stairs, down dank hallways, into tiny elevators, but were rewarded with very high fashion finds at huge savings. The girls probably loved that best as it was like a scavenger hunt. However, Sis and I loved Conway, which a Fodorite had told us about. We got tons of great tees and cute summer tops for the girls for less than $5 or $10 each. The exact same quality as you'd see at American Eagle or Hollister, and tons of choices and sizes. Century 21 was a big disappointment because it's so crowded and unpleasantly designed. Great quality items and prices, but who needs to stand in line for an hour and be screamed at while you try things on. It's not a fun experience. Maybe if you go very early in the day?

Again, many, many thanks for sharing all the great advice. It's helped us plan several trips now and it's invaluable.

Nice report marysmommy. Thanks for the info. Do you know the address of Conway? We're going in July, and I think my teenagers would love the experience. We, too, are staying at the Westin Times Square, using points. I'm sorry to hear of the poor service.
Thanks for the info.

Thank you for the "thank you" about Conway, and maybe I won't get yelled at anymore for suggesting this store. It is great for kids with good inexpensive jeans, tees, and summer stuff, and to be honest, I get alot of my summer cargo pants and tees there.

Conway has several locations in the 34th St area, on 34th between 7th and 8th and on 7th between 34th and 35th and on Brodway and 35th (the largest selection).

I'm so glad you guys had a great time, and come back soon.

So glad you saw the thank you! We actually said it out loud to you while we were shopping. We went to the one next to Macy's and it was almost overwhelming in size and merchandise. Thanks again!

Elaine123: the bellmen and doormen at the Westin were the nicest and most helpful. Our bellman actually straightened out the mess they made of our rooms (we requested connecting rooms and they gave us "adjoining" which means next door, but not connecting). Go to one of them if you hit any rough patches and have a great time!!!

OMG we probably tripped over each other as I was there are couple of times last weekend. I spent about $40 and got enough pants and tees for the whole summer!!!

Too funny!!!

Ok that does it we need FODORS tee shirts, lol.

HOw about Team Fodors with our site names on the back?

Great review and I love that your mucked up tea turned into a great Italian experience. It's so nice to hear someone who can go with the flow and find something great about every experience, instead of the whiners who complain about every little misstep. Sounds like you all had a lot of fun.

Thanks for the informative report. We will be there next month - my daughter is also a fashion maven. Where is the "Fashion District" - would that be the area on my map referred to as the Garment Center near Times Square? On my map it appears to be roughly between W34th and W 40th and between 9th and 5th ave. Is this correct?

Yes the Garment District is generally in that area, but most of the stores only sell wholesale, which is why you might want to get a copy of New York Magazine for the sample sales.

Also try Daffy's for great stuff at reasonable prices and your Daughter will find lots there.

There's also an H&M across from Macy's at 34th and 6th Ave.

Hmmmm,
I thought I'd replied to this thread...

Great report Marysmommy!
You did such fun things and sounds like a great time of *bonding* with your DD and your sister and niece.
I hope to do a similar trip in a few years.
Thanks for the inspiration and for posting.

I think I may start renting out my C21 skills to the tourist trade

I go there roughtly twice a week, and I can always parse the TRB, velvet, Marc Jacobs, Tracy Reese, FC, CPW, Tahari, and Laundry shipments. 9 times out of 10 I am shopping for work clothes, or happy hour ensembles for the city. You have to be persistent, and not come into you shopping experience w/ any expectations.