My wife and I are celebrating an anniversary and her uuhh... 39th birthday there on Sept. 5-7. Neither has spent much time there, so are more interested in getting a feel for the City as contrasted with sightseeing and walking through museums. Would like to see a show, but haven't yet got tickets. Too late?

What would you include as must sees/dos in our essentially two-day itinerary. Please include dining suggestions. My wife is a foodie, but we're not into seeing and being seen kinds of places; price not an issue. Staying in mid-town (Michelangelo I think). Thanks for suggestions.

You might be lucky in terms of getting tickets, since Rosh Hashana is the 7th. Some people might be heading out of town to visit family.
If price is no issue, go to Tabla and get the full 8 course tasting menu. abour $90 per person, but one of the best meals I have ever had. Absolutely amazing service. Call ASAP, though they will always try to squeeze you in.
Also, try Aquavit for really wonderful seafood. They are one of the few really great midtown rests IMHO.
Have dim sum one of the (late) mornings. My friends and I usually go to Dim Sum Go-go. Then you can get ice cream at the Chinatown Ice Cream factory and watch people play mah jong in the park nearby.
You could try going to a less "Broadway" show and opt for something off, or even off-off. That would certainly be a more realtistic experience of NYC. Phillip Syemour Hoffman is in one in previews right now. Check out New York Magazine for a list of shows.
The day you don't do Dim Sum, head uptown, either side, and have brunch, then take a walk through the park. It would be a shame to miss the Met if you haven't been before, and there are a couple of really wonderful exhibits there right now. Worth it for two hours I think.
Don't take those bus tours--they give you absolutely no feel for what is truly a walking city. Most importantly, get out of Midtown. Wander through the Village, window shop in Soho, pick up some knock-offs on Canal Street. And take the subway--it really is part of the NY way of life!

Walk. Nothing like walking the city to get a feel for it.

Beachbum you are in a perfect location to walk almost anywhere if you decide to stay at The Michaelangelo...I like to walk everywhere when I travel so I can see as much as I can...anyway, if you walk up 6th Avenue to 59th Street you will be in front of Central Park...make a right onto Central Park South and you can walk up to 5th Avenue...if you make a right and continue walking you will pass the stores (Bergdorf, Tiffany's, Cartier, etc.) and St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center...if you continue to 34th Street you can make a right and you'll be at the Empire State Building...if you continue on 34th Street to the Hudson River (turn left) you can walk along the walkway that is there now and that will take you all the way down to the end of the city...along the way you'll pass Chelsea Piers, Battery Park City, and great views from the river to the Palisades in New Jersey...if you backtrack a few blocks north from 34th Street you can view The Intrepid...Remi on West 53rd Street is a very good Italian restaurant and so is Michael's on West 55th Street (since you mentioned price wasn't an issue)...on the other end, there's Yonah Schimmel's Knishes or Katz's Deli on Houston...you can get a variety of ethnic food along 9th Avenue on the westside (30's thru 50's)...Poseidon Bakery (Greek) stuffs flaky pastry with many kinds of fillings...these ideas are one way to get a real feel for the city.

For broadway tickets go to the middle of Times Square and see what's available. It's called "TKTS" and if you don't get there early you'll wait in a very long line. But to get a real feel for the city just walk...West Village, SoHo, East Village, Chelsea, South Street Seaport, Chinatown....

The Michelangelo is a great hotel. Go to TKTS which is a few blocks south and don't be put off by the long line as it moves very quickly. Another good restaurant is Rene Pujol which is on 51st street a short walk from your hotel - they have a very reasonable fix-prix dinner (I think its around $60)

Another suggestion for dinner is One if by Land, Two if by Sea in Greenwich Village. Romantic, quiet, and great food. A bit pricey, but none more than other nice places.

You'll get tons of great suggestions here for a fabulous trip. Have a great time!

Wow! Thanks for all the great suggestions so far. Keep them coming! For TKTS, are you suggesting we show up there the day we hope to go? And what is "early"?

Jess, the one time we visited previously we went to the Met, Guggenheim, top of the Empire State Bldg., and much of the other stuff many tourists do. Fun, but we left feeling we hadn't experienced any of life in the City. I know we can't really do it justice in a couple of days, but we'll give it our best shot.

The Michelangelo is wonderful! My wife and I stayed there in April. That will be our hotel everytime. For restaurants, we recommend Le Perigord if you like classic French that isn't grossly overpriced. Avoid Le Grenouile, unless you want to dish out $450 for 2.

Beachbum-- Make dinner reservations at Le Bernardin---5 star dining-
right near where you will be---

Call now for reservations--

TKTS opens at 10 am for afternoon shows on Wed and Sat - I think it's at 3pm for evening shows. There are 2 lines. The earlier you get there the better chance you'll have of getting what you want to see - the listing of what is offered is posted. You can also check out Playbill.com for discount tickets w/out the wait in a line.