My daughter has been to NYC before and covered the main tourist highlights (which she'll be doing again with a friend in a months time) and would like to spend a week experiencing the not-so routine places in NYC. She'll be staying on the lower west side. Any suggestions of places to go and must do experiences would be very welcome..

Have a look here and see if anything interests her (or you):

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...tes-please.cfm

Tell her to check out the events section of the Ne York Magazine web site. It lists hundreds of events by date and by type - and since most are time limited they won;t be something she has seen/done before.

Also, she should look at the dozens of museums in NYC - I very much doubt that she has done the Asia Society, the Museum of Sex - or many others.

Finally, it would help to know her interests - so we can reco special activities. For instance, there are backstage tours at Lincoln Center and you can get free or very low cost tickets to rehearsals of all types there - if you check the web site.

New York is a great walking city. I suggest they get a guide that describes the various neighborhoods in Manhattan and the boroughs and decide what is interestign to them.

There are over 175 languages spoken in Queens. The Bronx has Arthur Avenue and the Botanical Gardens and Brooklyn, over the last 15 years, has become the hipster hamgout.

There is no such area as 'the lower west side". There's Soho, Tribeca and the financial district. Where is she staying?

Exploring the outer boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens is one option. Brooklyn has become a very "hip" place for young people. Williamsburg has a big night life and music scene.

Queens has several varied ethnic areas with good restaurants. The Long Island City/Astoria area has also become popular with young people and houses the newly opened/renovated Museum of the Moving Image http://www.movingimage.us/ as well as PS 1 museum and the Socrates Sculpture Garden.

If she's looking for things downtown, she can map her hotel on maps.google.com and then use the 'search nearby' link for whatever she wants...museums, tourist sites, art galleries. There are dozens and dozens of museums she's never heard of focusing on lots of different subjects. The Museum of Sex, the Museum of Chinese in America and the New Museum of Contemporary Art are a few downtown.
http://www.ny.com/museums/all.museums.html

Irish Hunger Memorial

lower West Side..The Highline is wonderful although now on mnay tourists' lists.

Serendipty and nearby Dylan's Candy Shop, both a must see for the child in all of us! Serendipty is the name of the movie, it is a great to do before you go, so sweet!!!

Spend an afternoon visiting subway art. You can see some samples browsing through this set, starting with A27:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623088372713/

There is a book with an almost full listing (art is constantly being added).

IMHO Serendipity and Dylan's are hghly overrated -either for real kids or adults playing at being kids. Also - they are very standard tourist attractions.

Chelsea Market is wonderful and in that area.

Thanks so much for the great input, I'll pass it on and get back here later to let you know more. Thanks again!

Check out Staten Island. Go to Long Island. Taj Mahal in Atlantic City is giving $35 in slot credits, bus there costs $35 both ways.

Thanks again for the tips!

Visit the art galleries in W.Chelsea, 19th -24th streets,10th avenue area.

I haven't yet been but the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is on my to-see list.