--updated 'FINAL' (ish) intinerary for NYC , 8 days with family---
 

the is a 're-up' of my improved itinerary i posted months ago, and with your many suggestions, have refined it to a pretty good plan, but know y'all know more!! any help or ideas is very much appreciated. 'Occasion" is MY 50th birthday and husband, and two teen boys (one turning 15 during trip)!! Kids first time to NYC! and, coming from texas, i think we can handle the heat people keep reminding me of! but, i do expect it to be warm! just trying to see alot, but not run ourselves silly, situate in one area per day and see what is there without running all over the place. Thanks for reading!!

day one 6/28 (monday) arrive late at hotel at 6th and 57th,

day two 6/29 (tuesday) easier day to 'get oriented', explore midtown area, 57/5th type area, maybe do Modern Museum of Art, Rock center, go to grocery (as hotel has kitchen for breakfast essentials..any closeby ideas?) , late lunch or early dinner suggestion in area as Billy Elliot tickets that night. probably eat before as we aren't night owls...(age!!) Bond 45, Becca, Frankie and Johnnies Steakhouse, Gari for sushi, Juniors deli for burgers, BXL, Tony's di Napoli are all dinner ideas in area for probably before show, unless our energy 'poureth over'!!

day three 6/30 (wed) 15 year old birthday! he wants to go to chinatown/canal street area, planning on lunch at joe's shanghai, ESB (got tickets in advance so we can move to front of line), dinner at John's pizza in times square....he says he wants 'the best pizza in town' for dinner, and i know that is a post of it's own, and i have read many and landed on this, seems the atmosphere might suit the occasion a bit better than some other options...comments??) not late night out.

day four 7/1 (thurs) big walking day, i know...assuming the weather is ok, take subway to brooklyn and get to Grimaldi's pizza for lunch, exploring some of the waterfront area for view of manhattan, and walking across the bridge into manhattan. explore WTC area, i do know it is just a construction site, but think the museum there and just 'being there' could be moving. comments???? if we are able, maybe go to battery park area to see SOL from the park. dinner in area or back towards home (57 at 6)

day five 7/2 (fri) MY birthday. metropolitan museum in am, see roof exhibit which sounds neat and i love the view, late lunch at Loeb's boathouse around 2, tickets for Wicked that night, maybe snack in hotel before and do a late dinner after show. dinner ideas are Piano Due, Vice Versa, and Palm. other ideas for aftershow dinner with teen boys appreciated! but, MOM'S birthday, so SHE RULES (for that one day!! hee hee)

day six 7/3 (sat) explore chelsea and highline area, early lunch in chelsea market area (?) and 2pm 'architectural boat cruise' leaving from chelsea pier. returns at six, dinner in area. Landmark Tavern, Sullivan Street Bakery ideas for this and next day dinner.

day seven 7/4 (sun) explore greenwich village/noho/east village (?) lunch ideas welcome!!!...rather do historical or great food than fancy... 6pm to Intrepid for private ($100 a head) but i am sure 'busy' fireworks and explore museum from the Intrepid.
?? on dinner, but need to be in that area 5-6ish, so probably in that area. lunch dinner ideas are Landmark Tavern, Sullivan Street Bakery.

day eight 7/5 (mon) upper west side, AMNH, lunch in area (kefi's?? greek), explore that area of central park, dakota, zabar's...maybe dinner at W 79th street Boathouse for waterview.

day nine 7/6 (tuesday) late flight (6pm) but open and easy day, mayber veiw from Rock center (i am a view0aholic) maybe guggenheim? or whatever we want to explore more of and didn't make the time on another day.

Looks like a very good and realistic plan to me.

A couple small thoughts:

--I liked Grimaldi's pizza very much the time I went and think it's a good choice. And as long as you're going to be there, walk afterward about a half-block towards the river, where you'll find an outpost of the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Their ice cream is a must, to my taste buds at least.

--the Guggenheim Museum has a decent collection and isn't a bad place to take in if you like modern art, though I've always considered the building to be the best part of the experience here. The Guggenheim is right in the thick of what's called "Museum Mile," and there are scads of interesting museums to please most any taste or interest. Feel free to explore the possibilities. A few blocks over and away, there's another very good contemporary art museum, the Whitney, which is also well worth a visit.

There are many interesting restaurants in the East Village.

For Eastern European-Veselka and the Ukranian Home

Indian-East 6th between 1St and Second Ave has about 15 Indian restaurants-the best are Banjara, Haveli (on Second) and Mitali

French Bistro-this is country French such as steak and french fries, mussels and fries, salads, and fish dishes-Lucien, Flea Market, and Casimir

Northern Italian-Supper and I coppi

Romano-Cacio e Pepe

Pizza-Motorino

Another idea or so:

--a good, and free, way to see the Statue of Liberty is to take the Staten Island Ferry, which floats past the statue both on the way out and back in. Taking the ferry back in, enjoy the view of the Manhattan skyline. In Manhattan, it leaves from a terminal not far from the Battery Park area. The round trip takes about an hour.

--not sure if you'll run into more restaurant closures than usual on July 4th, but that's always possible. If you have your heart set on a particular place, it may be wise to call them first.

--Junior's in Brooklyn is noted for their cheesecake. Would assume that's true of the one in Times Square, but I'll have to defer to someone who's actually been to this particular outpost.

For cheesecake you can also try one one of the best Italian pastry shops in the City-Veniero's in the East Village. I prefer the ricotta cheesecake over the NY style but you can;t go wrong with either.

Another place for cheesecake is Eileen's
http://www.eileenscheesecake.com/

You can also pick up a piece of Junior's cheesecake in Grand Central Station.

But the best cheesecake is S & S in the Bronx but they sell to various places throughout the city.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl...49118432188126

MOMA is closed on Tuesday and open late Thursday nights in the summer. Otherwise it looks fine.

A couple of suggestions:

On thursday take the free Staten Island Ferry for better views of the SoL and great views of the Manhattan skyline on the way back. It runs every 15 or 20 minutes 24/7.

The day you're doing Fifth Ave drop into the main branch of the public library. The reading room is incredibly gorgeous (this is a reference,, not lending library) and there are always interesting exhibits. Also visit Bryant Park - right behind the library for some city people viewing and a drink/snack.

Sullivan St. Bakery is just that - a bakery - no real dinner or much of a lunch food. You can buy bread and some pastries and coffee and their version of pizza, which is a kind of delicious foccacia with toppings - but it's really a snack.

During your Chelsea/Chelsea Market time you might like the front room at Colicchio and Sons (very good burgers, if a bit pricy http://www.colicchioandsons.com/) or get great sandwiches from Dicksons in Chelsea Market (http://dicksonsfarmstand.com) and go up on the High Line and picnic. Or Pop Burger or The Diner on 9th Avenue between 14th and 15th St, across the street from the Apple Store.

Before or after the boat ride, you might really love lunch or dinner on The Frying Pan - an old fire boat docked on the Hudson at 26th Street - quite the scene of hipsters, families, joggers and bike riders. Quite fun and the food is surprisingly good. http://www.fryingpan.com/

i love all of these ideas!!

thank you!!

i am wondering what might be good and convenient to our hotel (57/6) to have dinner on the night we get in, something walkable and good and easy.

thanks for all this information, i'm sure it will help polish off what sounds like a great start on the trip.

also, early dinner place around WTC / battery park?? thanks

6th and 57th Street - excellent Chinese food at Szechuan Gourmet - 56th St. between Broadway and 8th; Upscale American food at Brasserie 8 1/2 on 57th St. between 5th and 6th.
Good burgers at the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridian hotel at 57th St. between 6th and 7th; decent pizza at Angelos on 57th bet. 6th and 7th, overpriced diner food, but huge portions at Brooklyn diner on 57th bet. 6th and 7th,

what area is the 'weirdest' these days...i mean, with the people with piercings, foot tall mohawks dyed orange, just the really different types. is that east village?? been so long since ive been there, not that it means 'bad area' but just want to be prepared.

is there any area you would say is NOT SAFE to explore by day?? by night??

thanks, just want to know what we are getting into!! thx

Any place in Manhattan is safe to explore during the day. At night ( and I mean from midnight on, not dark) I would not hang around the docks, dark alleys or anyplace really deserted (which won;t be many).

Sorry, I haven;t noticed a lot of foot high purple mohawks lately - except drunken fans at football games.

hmmm, i appreciate that. altho we have those areas in dallas, thought ny still did!! :)

Dining-
near your hotel:
Pazza Notte, good quality food, moderate Italian, kids will enjoy it.
Chelsea: dinner,10th Ave.: The Red Cat, Cookshop, Moran's, Tia Pol,9th Ave: Omai(Vietnamese), Bombay Talkie.

what area is the 'weirdest' these days...i mean, with the people with piercings, foot tall mohawks dyed orange, just the really different types. is that east village??
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As someone who lives in the East Village, those who look like that these days are strictly from the burbs. You see more tats on business people these days than musicians. Thus they have lost their cache.

It is a great diversified neighborhood but light years away from the dangerous neighborhood it once was.

I would be more afraid of them touists in mid-town with those upside down guide books and that lost look in their eyes. You just never know when they will ask for directions.

Aduchamp! i chuckle!! i will do my BEST to not be one of them, altho there is no chance in heck i could pass for a local! but i'll keep the hawaiian shirt and black sock and cargo shorts and fanny belt/pack at home!!

thanks all!

The Carnagie and the Stage delis are right near your hotel. One cannot go to NYC without trying a real NY pastrami on rye.