My wife and I will be spending part of two days (Tuesday & Wednesday) between Christmas and New Years in NYC. We will be taking the train into GC and have about 6 hours each day for siteseeing. We'd like to casually walk and experience the city i.e. sites, sounds, a good deli, but we're not interested in museums etc.

We're open to any suggestions.

Spend one day midtown and one downtown - assuming you get good walking weather.

On the midtown day tour Grand Central _ gorgeous - walk across 42 St to eh main branch of the public Library and tour that have a look at the exhibits and then check out Bryant Park behind. Look at some of the store windows on Fifth Ave (start with L& T at 39th St and head north, stopping at Saks, Rock Center for the tree, view the skating, ascend Top of the rock, visit St Pats and then head up looking at store windows over and across through Bloomies. If the weather is bad you could drop into MoMA. If not you could walk west across 57th St and then back down Broadway and check out the are around Times Square. there will be a million casuale places for lunch - based on your favorite cuisines. If you want something fun go to Ellen;s Stardust which is basic diner fare but has great performances by broadway chorus boys and girls.

The second day head downtown and explore a variety of places there - and have ome real Deli at Katz's. You might want to start with a trip on the Staten Island ferry, then tour china town and parts of SoHo and Chelsea - ther are a host of cute boutiques and galleries.

Look into nycbyfoot and see if they have any tours that fit into you schedule. I took their lower Manhattan tour last month and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

There is a free walking tour of Grand Central on Weds and Fridays: http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/...storictour.cfm

The Central Park Conservancy also offers free walking tours of Central Park. Go to their website and see if any is offered during your time there.

Great suggestions--if you get to Katz's, go to the Tenement museum as well--unforgettable--youll need reservations.or just showup and see if you can get in if youre not sure when youll get there.Katz's is a little quirky about the rules for ordering,sitting etc--if you need info, repost.Some think Im weird about Katz's, but i always get the pastrami on rye, potatoe pancakes, a beer and an eggcream for dessert just me i guess--have fun, BTW go into the Chrysler building as well and check out their lobby,its gorgeous, with an obvious auto theme. And i love eatting in GC at one of the nice restaurants overlooking the main floor on the West end--ask for a table overlooking the floor

Since bigbomoho mentioned it, here's a description I posted some time back of how to order at Katz':

The Katz' "system" is extremely confusing, so here goes. First of all the table service is against the left wall -- the rest of the main room and the back room (I think) are for self-service customers. You definitely want to do self-serve, table service is for those who can't serve themselves (disabled, old, etc.).

When you enter, each person in your party gets a little ticket like an old-fashioned movie ticket. Then you go to the sandwich counter (on your right) and pick a line. Each server has his own line (none of the red rope, bank-teller type line here). You order from the server. Tell him what you want and he'll give you a taste of everything (even tuna in my daughter's case). Put $1.00 in his tip bowl, and make sure he sees you doing it -- it'll make the difference between a skinny sandwich and one that can feed two or three people LOL! If you want soup, he'll get that for you, too. Then he marks on the little ticket everything you ordered. BUT NOTE, drinks and french fries (which are excellent) are at a different line, so split up --- one person to get sandwiches and soup, one to get french fries and drinks and one to scout out a table!

When you're done, you head for the cashier where you turn in all your little tickets, even those that are blank, and they figure out what you owe (sort of little deli-dim sum).

Hope that helps. The food is worth it. Oh, one more thing - if you order pastrami or corned beef, ask for extra-lean. I think its $1.00 extra, but it's worth it.

I like nytraveler's suggestions, and adding the Chrysler
Building lobby to your time near Grand Central Terminal. If you don't want or have time for a big sit-down meal there, check out the options on the Dining Concourse: tiny outposts of NYC establishments. I would also add a "detour" into the southern edge of Central Park - when you're on 57th Street, walk up 2 blocks and then into the park...

If you want to do an organized walking tour, Big Onion is another really good outfit.

Oh, and one thing to keep in mind: that week gets really busy and crowded in Manhattan, especially in midtown at popular spots like the Rockefeller Center tree and along 5th Ave!

My posting was never posted but it agreed with almost everyone.

2nd Ave Deli is on the corner of 33rd and 3rd. It is better than good especially their side dishes. The problem is that neighborhood is not particularly interesting. And as others noted, the area around Katz's is of greater interest. If you go there be sure go to the corner of Ludlow and Houston and get some Il Laboratorio de Gelato in their expanded location. And Economy candy, Kossar's bialy's and arguable the best donuts in town at Donut Plant.

Also when you are in the main waiting of Grand Central Station be sure to look at the ceiling. You will be another victim of beaux arts as the stars are out during the day. There is usually a light show this time of year as well.

i followed sf7307 suggestions to a the tee,and they helped--we did a sit down table service to just have a more relaxed meal rather than stand in a seemingly very chaotic line--thanks for reposting