I will going to New York with a friend and my 15-year old daughter in mid-April (three ladies on a five day vacation!) and would like some tips on how to see the most in this short time. I've been reading other postings and have a few ideas (like not spending time waiting in line to go to the top of the Statue of Liberty...although we will definitely take the ferry over to the Island). Which museum would my 15-year old appeciate most MOMA or MMA? What about shopping? I've heard that SOHO is great. Is there a lot to see in Chinatown? Also I have great internet rates at four hotels--The Travel Inn, The Ameritania, The Lucerne and The Wolcott. At budget prices we're not looking for a lot of service (especially since we don't plan on being in the room much!)but we are concerned about cleanliness and location. Any suggestions, ideas, or other help would really be appreciated. Thanks!!!

Travel Inn - near the Hudson River on W. 42nd Street. Area will be very quiet with few people about during the evening.
Wolcott - Not very convenient to subway. A commercial area, very quiet at night.
Ameritania - on Broadway around 54th Street and a very short walk to Times Square. Good subway and bus transportatsion. Plenty of people about day and night.
Lucerne - located on the Upper West side at 79th and Amsterdam. One block to Broadway and subway. This is a residential area and there are always people about day and night. Lots of restaurants and retail stores for shopping. You are truly in a NYC neighborhood.
Looking at each from the outside, and without knowing anything about each, I think most people would choose the Lucerne. The one least likely to be chosen would be the Travel Inn. .

I live in New York and the most important thing you can do here is museum hop. Moma and the Met are distinctly different in what they offer. If you only have time for one then you must visit the Met. Many artists consider this the most important museum in the western hemisphere. Some other interesting and distinctly different museums are the Frick (very similar in layout to what you might expect in Europe). The Guggenheim, a Frank Lloyd Wright design is very interesting to look at on the outside. There is also the cloisters uptown which pearch up on a bluff has wonderful vistas of the Hudson and if you are not coming from Europe this a nice copy of a European monastery, many of the rooms have been shipped over.

Soho is a wonderful place to browse with unique furniture & clothing/design shops. You should know that it is a bit on the exclusive side. Don't forget you can also tour the Stock Exchange this may be interesting for the teen, the live version of what she sees on the Television. They also give you a nametag that blackens once you go back outside so that you cannot return. The security is tight.Depending on the time of year, a night cruise on circleline is fun. The boats come close to the statue of liberty. Some boats, there are various companies offer Entertainment, jazz and other. I think a trip to Ellis Island is great too, get there early in the morning to beat the crowds. Although taking the ferry over with many foreigners smoking and speaking in different languages does a lot to recreate thoughts of the original voyages. ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY. This is a great city. But check us out for what we are famous for ART FOOD (pre book and select through Zaget’s) and Entertainment. I would personally avoid Broadway unless you have tickets to the Lion King or something of similar recognition. A lot of Broadway is designed for tourist and I am frequently disappointed but it is certainly a spectacle a night and deserves a stroll. As you see I could go on and on and so should your research.

As others have suggested, I would choose The Lucerne hands down. I live 3 blocks away from the hotel, and it is a great neighborhood, very safe, and recently renovated, so the rooms are clean and nicely decorated.
There are many restaurants in the area to choose from.
Again, as other posters have suggested, THe MET is a must see. From the Lucerne, the MET is 1 busride/3stops away on the other side of Central Park.
For your daughter, don't forget walking around Greenwich Village and SOHO.
A good stoe to check out that isn't in too many cities in the US is H&M.
They are a Swedish chain of high fashion but budget priced clothes, think of Bananna Republic at lower than Old Navey prices. There are several store in Manhattan; Herald Sq., 5th Ave, and SOHO. The stores regularly have mobs of people;that's because they have new stock EVERY day; they only stock limited # of the same items, so there's new & different stuff every day. They have clothes for men, women, girls, boys, and infants

You are a tourist and every tourist should experience Times Square. It is a spectacle to behold. I have lived in NYC all my life (the last 40 years in Manhattan). Tonight I went to a private screening of a movie in Times Square. We were early so we walked from 42nd to 47th on Broadway. It was fun experience - you see all kinds of strange costumes, not being worn by tourists but by some of our wackier New Yorkers. The area is safe, it is crowded to the point of pedestrian gridlock and it is fun to people watch.

Zara is a cool clothing store for teenagers and maybe even for some of the moms. We discovered it in London last year, and there are several in NYC. There is one across the street from Bloomingdales, and a larger one right down the street from Macy's. Reasonable prices and a little different from what you see in Gap or Express back home. Have fun!