Try to take NJ Transit into Penn Station, NYC. It's cheap and good. You could spend a day seeing Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island and see a night Brdwy show. But not see much else. It's a day trip for Chinatown & Little Italy w/a little of midtown or a day for midtown 34St to Central Park. Brdwy tickts can easily be bought online or get @ TKTS in Times Square, which works like TKTS in Vegas. Good websites are nycvisit.com and theatermania.com and mta.info for subway routes.

Hi Christie - we just did one full day in the city. Now in our rental house in Lake George.

We had advanced tickets for the Statue tour on Ellis island but over slept (sort of on purpose - we were late getting in the city and I knew my girls would be really tired) so I knew about the Staten Island Ferry (and btw, it is free) and it goes right past the Statue and you get a nice boat ride. Go on the right side of the boat on the way from Manhattan to Staten Island. The ride is pretty fast - maybe 10 minutes? Not exactly sure (just did it yesterday but do not recall) you do have to get off the ferry and walk through the station and wait for the next ferry (you cannot stay on it and just go 'back" to Manhattan). All in all it took about an hour or so total. Maybe less.

Got some great photos and my dd's enjoyed it.

It was packed with tourists who obviously all read the same book or get the same advice. Last time I was on it was maybe in 1999 or so and it was decemeber so not crowded at all :-)

We will DEFINITELY take a train into NYC from NJ. No way I'd risk driving the rental car there!

No big deal if I can't get my Pilgrim Sandwich in NYC. Maybe it's just a New England thing? ;-)

I ate at the Stage Deli in Vegas and really enjoyed it. The portions were HUGE!

If the Ellis Island Museum doesn't take as long as a visit to the Statue, but I still get to float by and see it, then that sounds like a good plan.

I love the idea of a tour bus! I'd imagine we'd either have time to do that OR the carriage ride in Central Park. I will let my friend decide which she'd prefer.

This is going to be a really fun day! Thanks for the advice thus far!!

we were planning on doing the carriage ride but it started to POUR yesterday just as we were getting there - enjoy :-)

There is definitely no such thing as a Pilgrim Sandwich in NYC. Have never heard of one at all.

neither have I nytraveler.

Christie, NY delis are known for
BIG sandwiches of corned beef or
pastrami among other offerings if you wish to go this route.

An update on planning our NY trip:

We've bought tickets to the 2:00 matinee of Chicago. My friend is coming from California, and she said an 8:00 PM start would be way too late for her!

In the morning, we're planning to take the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty, and do a carriage ride in Central Park. Someone suggested getting sandwches to go from Carnegie Deli and eating in the carriage...is this do-able?

Then at 2:00, we'll go see our show! Afterwards, we'll eat dinner somewhere (SUGGESTIONS?) and head back to our hotel in New Jersey.

Thanks SO much for the advice we've already gotten!!

I would not eat in the carriage, especially not a Carnegie Deli sandwich--the sandwich will be huge and fall apart all over you. And the carriage ride will only take about 20 minutes. You could settle somewhere in the park and enjoy your sandwich there, but it would still be very messy.

By the way, with only one day in NYC, a carriage ride in Central Park would be low on the list since you're headed to a matinee. Better to spend some time after the ferry walking Fifth Ave or lunch in Greenwich Village.

UPDATE: We have bought our half-price tickets to the 2:30 matinee of Chicago through Broadway Box.com. We're 10 rows back in center orchestra. We also added a third friend to our group for the day!

Friends have suggested lunch at Carnegie Deli. Agree/Disagree? I'd still love to do the carriage ride in Central Park if we have time before the show. (Again, shopping is not a priority since all 3 of us are from major cities.)

We're also looking for a place for dinner that evening. Suggstions? Two of us love Japanese, and we all like Italian. Since two of us are from Texas, no steakhouses, please.

We're going to try and do the round trip on the Staten Island ferry to see Lady Liberty. I wish we'd have time for Ellis Island, but I seriously doubt it.

Any other suggestions??