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ILONA ANDREWS

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author

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  2. on a clear day, the top of the Empire State building is still the best view; it’s at 34th & 5th

  3. Wheeeeeeee! The 16th is only a week away! I’m sure we’re all going to be on the edge of our seats till then.
    Have a marvelous trip!

  4. Food! 🙂 All of our friends live in New York so I’ll come back to it suggestions down in the reply. There’s one fantastic pizza place I think called Lombardi’s? Amazing but not sure about it vs your location.

    -A broadway musical!
    -The High Mile? High line? It’s a good break in the day to stroll on the converted tracks.

    Also I hope things are getting better! I’ve been thinking of you and your project awesome request. This STUNNING project is my suggestion! There’s also a crochet version but I think the knit is better.

    https://www.knitpicks.com/cfPatterns/Pattern_Display.cfm?ID=41112220&media=RAV&utm_source=media&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=RAV

    • I have heard such great things about this! …need to go. (Need to make time in town for fun things…)

      • This is a great tour, it makes you appreciate your apartment. Living conditions for immigrants were shocking.

    • I will second, or third, or fourth… the Tenement Museum. The tours are about 1hour and all the ones I have been on (over 5) have been lead by very informed and informative guides. Quick caveat however, if you are not a fan of small cramped spaces this may not be the best choice.

      If you do go to the Tenement museum there is a patisserie just down the street with to die for eclairs, Ceci Cela, 14 Delancey St.

      Have fun

      • I recommend the Tenement Museum (103 Orchard St) – you have to book a tour. They don’t just let you wander around. Their website is great – tenement.org – it lists the available tours and allows you to book online.

        I also recommend the Merchant’s House (29 East 4th) – to see how the upper middle class was living (it’s the only nineteenth-century family home in New York City preserved intact). Their hours are Thursday, 12 to 8 p.m.; Friday to Monday, 12 to 5 p.m. Website is merchantshouse.org

  6. Go to a restaurant called Little Poland in Manhattan and eat your heart out with amazing Polish food.

  8. NY botanical garden has their orchid show right now – April 22nd
    Brooklyn botanic garden – cherry blossoms ( they have a digital map on there site for peak blooming)
    Central Park
    HighLine
    Brooklyn bridge
    Broadway show
    Met Opera at lincoln center
    MoMa – museum of modern art
    Eat all the food

    • Forgot to mention, if youre more of a history buff Financial District has some great stuff.

      Trinity Church- Alexander Hamilton’s resting place

      Fraunces Tavern – George Washington came here!

      South st. Seaport – cobble stones seaport area

      Battery park/west side highway – really nice park with view of jersey and can walk up to the freedom tower

      Ferry from financial district to staten island- free and passes right by statue of liberty!

    • Ooh, yes, the highline was cool! There’s a zoo in central park, if you like that sorta thing, and you’ll be near the start of the park.

    • Bronx Zoo – There is an express bus to zoo from midtown, but costs 6.50 per person each way. Trains #2 & #5 also go there.
      Aquarium in Coney Island
      9/11 memorial and one World Trade
      Ellis Island where immigrants were processed.
      Holocaust museum
      Intrepid museum
      There are circumManhattan cruises.

      If you are sport fan, check whether your favorite team is playing here and get ticket.
      If you hold meet and greet, I will likely come.

      Whatever you do, get train and bus maps and unlimited transit passes for a week. There are several public transit apps. Check mta.info for specifics.
      Express buses not covered under regular unlimited passes.

      NYC is brutal on feet, but best way to tourist.

      Food is New York sport. Participate often and shamelessly.

  9. I bet there’s a yarn store in NYC that you should visit 😛 (Ok, I don’t know of any, but I feel that it is something that you should do!)

    • Yes. Purl Soho, habu textiles [in the West 30’s]. Knitty city [w79th] for fabric: mood fabrics, w 30’s.

  10. Find a ‘quiet’ spot and just sit and watch the world’s people go by. There’s no better place for people watching than NY. Have fun!

    • Sorry, but people watching in Paris is great too! ;op
      (or in Cannes during the Film Festival, that’s crazy-> hence the “famous” panthere women)

  11. Food! 🙂 All of our friends live in New York so I’ll come back to it suggestions down in the reply.

    -Lombardi’s pizza! Although I’d have to check where it’s is versus your location
    -A broadway musical!
    -The High line. It’s a good break in the day to stroll on the converted tracks.

    Also I hope things are getting better! I’ve been thinking of you and your project awesome request. This STUNNING project is my suggestion! There’s also a crochet version but I think the knit is better.

    https://www.knitpicks.com/cfPatterns/Pattern_Display.cfm?ID=41112220&media=RAV&utm_source=media&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=RAV

  12. Food! 🙂 All of our friends live in New York so I’ll come back to it suggestions down in the reply.

    -Lombardi’s pizza! Although I’d have to check where it’s is versus your location
    -A broadway musical!
    -The High line. It’s a good break in the day to stroll on the converted tracks.

    Also I hope things are getting better! I’ve been thinking of you and your project awesome request. This STUNNING project is my suggestion! There’s also a crochet version but I think the knit is better.

    Hmm… my comments are not showing at all! I’ve tried posting so many times!

  13. Continuation of comment above! It’s showing now.

    It was blocking the link to the knitting pattern website.

    knitpicks DOT COM /cfPatterns/Pattern_Display.cfm?ID=41112220&media=RAV&utm_source=media&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=RAV

  14. Continuation of comment above! It’s showing now. It was blocking the link to the website of the amazing knit pattern.

    Not sure how to post it but here’s the picture.

    • This is gorgeous! After some google sleuthing I found it on knit picks as the “Hue Shift Afghan Pattern” for $4.99. Maybe we should start a knit-along 😀

      • Fantastic sleuthing!!!
        Yes that is it! It’s GORGEOUS. I had come across it during crocheting pattern brainstorming and found this amazing piece! Finally found something worthy of suggesting 😀

        I would love to see this knit-along happen!!

  15. High Line is fantastic.

    If you’re willing to travel then the Orchid Show at the NY Botanical Gardens is great, plus there’s Arthur Avenue nearby (historically Italian neighborhood in the Bronx that has delicious food).

    If you want a broad cross-section of NYC just walk down Broadway.

    Or, just wander the West Village, I’ve wanted to hit up “Three Lives & Co” (bookstore) for a while, and they have a Jacques Torres (chocolate) there.

    In terms of where you’re staying, foodwise:
    – Limani, Greek restaurant near Rockefeller center
    – Bouchon Bakery

    I would highly recommend NY Magazine cheap eats edition for new and interesting stuff.

  16. Food!

    I highly recommend a Moroccan restaurant by the name of the Mogador Cafe (101 Saint Mark’s Pl) for dinner–great chicken tagines. If you don’t like Moroccan and are in the mood for Chinese food, specifically Peking duck, try the Pecking Duck House on Mott street, really quite good.

    For lunch or snacks, if you’re a fan of Indian food, try the kati rolls from the Kati Roll Company at 99 Macdougall street in Greenwich Village. As far as I can tell, this company has locations in NY and London and nowhere else. I just got back there for a wedding and the kati rolls (chicken tikka roll with mind spice) are still sinfully delicious!

    Have fun!

  17. I’ve always wanted to go to The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. It’s supposed to have a fantastic collection of medieval architecture, sculpture and decorative arts, including the tapestry series of The Hunt of the Unicorn. I’ve never been able to get there but you could go for me!

  18. Aww, phooey; my job has an office nearby your hotel, but I was part of a larger group that moved way downtown 2 years ago.

    I echo the Metropolitan Museum of Art if you’re an art buff or want to see lots of nifty armor and weapons. I am not a big Guggenheim, Whitney, or MOMA fan, but many people are. My favorite museum is the American Museum of Natural History. (Science nerds unite!)

    The NY Botanical Garden’s orchid show is great, but it’s a bit out of the way and crowded, takes a few hours just for the orchid show, and the garden itself is huge. Wear comfortable shoes.

    Central Park is near your hotel. If you haven’t tried them before, there are a number of informative, interesting guided walking tours through the park. Definitely wear comfortable shoes. https://www.centralpark.com/tours/walking

    The 9-11 Memorial and Museum are downtown. They have guided tours you can reserve online. https://www.911memorial.org/museum

    Cosmic Diner on 52nd and 8th recently underwent major renovations. I believe it’s now reopened. They’re open 24 hours, the food is standard diner food but reasonably priced for the location, and the service is fine (nonobstrusive, friendly). If you go, ask for Tony’s section.

    The Palm has a restaurant on 50th St, off 8th Ave, directly opposite where Wicked is playing. It is a typical midlevel steak restaurant that also serves seafood and Italian fare. As expected, it’s also much pricier than Cosmic Diner. If you go, ask for Jill’s section. She’s awesome.

    Wishing you a safe trip to and from NYC, good luck with your business affairs, and hope that you enjoy any leisure time you have.

    If you have specific questions, let me know and I’ll try my best to answer.

    • Rachael, someone on the Facebook fan page noticed there was a novella on the Amazon site listed as coming out this fall – no actual cover. We all went crazy and ordered it anyway. It “appears” to be an Innkeeper novella. Maybe this is what the tease is about. Waiting…. Waiting… Waiting…

    • On Amazon there is an “Untitled Hidden Legacy Novella.” But, shhh, we’re not supposted to talk about it 🙂

      • Thanks! And hit the pre-order button! I know it’s going to be great. Whatever “it” is.

    • Also worth noting that this as yet unnamed and unannounced stealth novella is already ranked at #170 on Amazon for fantasy romance. Perhaps Harper Collins will get a clue and there will be more Hidden Legacy novels forthcoming!

      • Just ordered it; it’s already up to #150 on Amazon in Books > Romance > Fantasy and #179 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Fantasy. 🙂

    • Lots of people mentioned the Hidden Legacy novella already up on Amazon, but the Author Lords already mentioned it in a previous blog post…. Maybe it is a reference to the Hugh book, but then again I think that is a novel, not a novella. So finally, it could be, as someone suggested, a reference to the publication date of the new Inn Keeper. Lol , who cares, as soon as it is up, we’re all going to pre-order it, yes? ?

      • The Hugh book is Kate Daniels universe, not Hidden Legacy. So it’s something new!!!

      • I pre-ordered when someone on another post spilled the beans about it. Ilona told everyone “shh!” ? So I “quietly” said I ordered the novella.

  20. Skyscraper “One World”. Obviouisly, for the unparalled view, but also, because the elevator ride up and down are phenomenal. Can’t describe without spoiling. Highest recommendation.

  21. THE mET MUSEUM OF ART. GRAND CENTRAL FOR THE VASTNESS AND FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND SHOPS.
    tRY THE SUBWAY, CHECK IT AT GRAND CENTRAL CENTRAL PARK (AFTER THE MET MUSEUM, TRY VERY EARLY, IT’S LOVELY TO WATCH THE DOGS AND OWNERS ROMP. EAST 27 STREET HAS SOME FUN iNDIAN RESTAURANTS AND SPICE SHOPS.
    i LOVE THE sTRAND BOOKSTORE ON 12TH STREET. LOADS OF BOOKS AND WOODEN FLOORS, IT’S ONE OF NYC OLDEST AND HAS HISTORY IN THE WALLS.
    THE GARMENT CENTER SHOULD HAVE SOME YARN STORES( 36-38 STREET AND 7TH AVE.)

    hAVE FUN TRY GREEN MARKET AT UNION SQUARE i THINK IT’S OPEN ON THE 16TH. FOOD,PLANTS, PEOPLE ,

  22. In April, it’s got to the Brooklyn Botanical garden (cherry blossoms). There are a bunch of food trucks not far from the entrance.

  23. A person can preorder the theoretical novella. And has.

    The cloisters. It’s far but a straight shot on the A and amazing. Also, Veselka for Ukrainian food down in the east village – 9th st and 2nd ave. Always the Met although the new pricing model for non-NYers is complete and total BS. You could go to purl soho for yarn – the store’s gorgeous and the people so nice and helpful.

  24. Top of the Rock – you get a much better view than the Empire State Building, it is faster to get up and you can have your photo with the ESB in the background. I take all visitors here and they love it.
    49th St & 6th Ave
    https://www.topoftherocknyc.com/buy-tickets/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI39ndsZmw2gIVgqDsCh0JGASuEAAYASAAEgKyUvD_BwE

    Top of the Rock is right by Rockefeller Plaza where you can see the famous “skating rink” and walk a bit farther to the east and you have St. Patrick’s cathedral.
    https://saintpatrickscathedral.org/

    Depending on what time you have free – if you like any of the morning shows (ABC, NBC etc) all of their studios are around the midtown area. The Today show is at Rockefeller Plaza, ABC is in Times Square (44th & Broadway),
    http://visit.today.com/
    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/part-times-square-audience/story?id=12883468

    Of course 55th is right by Central Park. You can have something to eat at the Boat House (a bit pricey) – if the weather is nice you can rent a boat and take a little row out on the lake. Check that they’re open first. http://www.thecentralparkboathouse.com/boats.php

    Speaking of Central Park – did you know that the exposed boulders at the South West entrance to Central Park are some of the oldest exposed rock in the world?
    http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centralpark_map.svg

    Food! A million different restaurants for every budget and taste. Restaurant Row is on 46th St between 8th & 9th Ave but there are actually better, cheaper restaurants on 9th Avenue between 42nd and 55th Streets. Greek, Turkish, Afghanistan, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Diners, Indian and more all in a few blocks. This is my neighborhood I eat here all the time and recommend the following (they all have websites):. All on 9th Ave: Pizza: Georgio’s (54th St). Thai Esnation (51st St), Mexican: El Azteca (52nd St), Italian: Cara Mia (2 locations – 44th St & 45th St), Tukish: Turkish Cuisine (45th St), Afghan: Ariana (52nd St)

    If you like jazz Dizzy’s Coca Cola Club is one of the nicest jazz venues in the city but not that expensive for NYC. Every seat is a good one and it has a beautiful view of the south end of central park, which is behind the band when they play.
    http://www.jazz.org/dizzys/ There are other venues as well – Iridium and Birdland are both in midtown and Blue Note is down in the Village. Blue Note is the most famous but the way the stage is set up not very many people get a great view.

    Theatre – lots of it. You probably won’t score tickets to the hot selling shows (Hamilton etc) but there is a TKTS half price booth in the middle of Times Square that sells unsold seats at approx 3pm each day. My husband and I went to see “A Play That Goes Wrong” If you like slapstick comedy you will enjoy this. I laughed from start to finish. Tickets start at $30 for this one. There are also lots of off Broadway shows.
    http://broadwaygoeswrong.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-72lw56w2gIVS5R-Ch0ZbgoUEAAYASAAEgJCAvD_BwE
    https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-booths
    https://broadwaydirect.com/

    Ellis Island / Statue of LIberty Tour. You can take a tour but need to buy tickets in advance. I really liked the history of Ellis Island.
    You can also take the FREE ferry to Staten Island which goes past the Statue of Liberty and it is a really nice view approaching the city from the south on the way back so ensure you have a camera. Just get on, stay on and do a round trip. Nothing really on the other end to see without getting on a bus / car. Leaves from Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan http://www.siferry.com/terminals.html Note – there are scammers that try to hang out around the terminal and tell you that you have to buy a ticket. Ignore them.

    Also in the south end of the city is the 9/11 memorial and museum https://www.911memorial.org/

    Otherwise there are other boat tours as well – Circle Line that does a half island cruise around the south end of Manhattan and back – takes 1.5 hrs in total. Leaves from the West side of the city and returns back to the same dock. They also have one all around the whole island but it is 3 hrs and unless you want a lazy day I suggest the shorter one. https://www.circleline.com/cruises-and-schedules/landmark-cruise/

    If you are taking the boat cruise you might want to stop at the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum which is very close by. My brother and father loved it. https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/

    Shopping – 5th Avenue is famous with all the fancy stores with price tags to match. No more than window shopping for me. Macy’s is one of the largest departments stores – on 34th Street between 7th ave & broadway. There are also several of discounter TJ Maxx one is nearby on 57th & 9th Ave https://tjmaxx.tjx.com/store/index.jsp Century 21 is also very famous – biggest one is in the south part of the city https://www.c21stores.com/ I don’t do botique shopping but there is lots of it here https://www.nycgo.com/itineraries/essential-soho-shopping-guide

    Museums: crappy weather that day? – lots of museums. Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), Natural History, The Morgan Library Museum
    http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/current
    Here’s some of the midtown museums https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&q=Intrepid+Sea,+Air+%26+Space+Museum&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAG2SP4_TMBjG8QC6c1vplOoEihhON7EljlMnGY4FsQAVEtyIFFE7f5o4SYl9SRyJL8GHYIIR8RnIisTIwIDExMpIWzlhYXsf_57n_SP55PblqVVYtqNEFzvL4kZEN4W4KLZMVm15USo6gJODIU2zfABH7wp7RafrRHmu0vWxh64DkXWrASysxEIo7pta7NrVyLho3wxgdmCSZQLFRBOac0XGFGOKOX4qBgAPDBdpiZ1DbC8Q9ovW240LoS4PtI24JWrE2I93NZ4mdUGB0ADmx-4dDZzebXTKIcSuU80cYq9CWZealS4NYjwyzhmKw-m0DQnrxM2bUVPUZIrLdOItx3WQ5-MSiSdU0E8q7MKdredk7T7aa7ERPiNMi5S4jTuSIMlsX4xn0Jh6uaCauTbpJdbHe_6urkcfTnDYyOAH-AxmZ7_-fF-aH8G7D1–gfcAnj2rKhFx9SLir2XErivDhXcel3IrlXEfLsxjNyTsevPgljmD_6Q5v4SLt5-e3Du_-v3zq_EKzl5G8rpaV2wbK2NtPIWn66jYRLV4HhsPIXxUcR5Rua1Kw4Z3zaVFpwdL_7z9hHP4PzD_C8PcaieqAgAA&npsic=0&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjqoeuDp7DaAhUGBnwKHS2VDZEQ-BYILg

    Grand Central Terminal – if you’re nearby then go in and take a gander at GCT and look up – they renovated a few years ago and restored the ceiling. It also has shopping and a food fair https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/ 42nd & Park Avenue

    Getting around notes: Midtown where you will be is fairly simple – everything is numbered.
    Streets – an increase in the street numbers means you are going north. A decrease in the avenue numbers means you are going East. Walking – 20 streets = 1 mile, 1 avenue = 3 streets

    Taxis: Fare for stepping inside is $2.50 plus there are extra fees for prime time etc. Not bad for going south / north but going east / west (cross town) during busy hours you are sitting in a traffic jam and subway is faster.

    Subway: Uptown means going North, Downtown means going south. $2.75 per ride per person (no zones). Be careful going into stations. Some entrances are Uptown Only or Downtown Only. You will see this on a sign above the stairs when you descend down. This means if you make a mistake you need to either ride the subway to a main station where you can cross over or you lose your fare and have to go outside to the correct entrance. If you intend to take the subway several times in one day you can buy a day pass and it will be cheaper. (one person per pass)

    OK – I’ll stop now. Hope you have a great time. I’ve lived here 20+ years now. Always something to do 🙂

  25. I don’t know if they have these there but the Big Red Buses are wonderful we used one in Washington D.C.
    You pay they give you a bracelet and you ride all over they have over lapping areas and a tour guide to tell you about interesting things and the best part is you can get on and off all over town and when you are through you just catch another and go somewhere else. I loved it

    • Good idea! I’ve not done the NYC Big Red Bus tour, but we’ve done several in other cities. It’s a great way to cram in sight seeing and resting your feet. Just watch out for the open air tops, not always a good choice depending on weather.

  27. Oooooo, Would LOVE to know if/When you’re in NY! That’s 7.5 hours from me, but only 3.5 from my dad, and he enjoys taking trips there every so often, so I could TOTALLY take a long weekend and visit him…Y’all are so far away I always miss your tours; it would be wonderful to be able to catch you at some point!

    • It just occurred to me I read the post too hastily; I thought you were looking for places to do a meet and greet or something, Oops!

      The Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space museum is pretty fun; they have a fighter jet simulator that was really cool!

  28. Is this your first time visiting NYC? If so, i recommend doing all the touristy stuff, if for no other reason, then for when you watch movies later on, you’ll have first hand memories of the experience. I do recommend the empire state building, the world trade center memorial, central park, and times square. Visit TKTS for discount Broadway and off Broadway tickets. Eat breakfast in front of Tiffany’s and get the photo =)

  30. Ellis Island? If you’ve not seen it, both the exhibit on the Peopling of America 1550-1890, and the overall picture of the immigrant experience 100 years ago, when America was literally importing new citizens by the boatload, is all pretty fascinating history. Plus it’s a nice boat ride and view of Manhattan, if the weather’s any good. Buy tickets in advance via the NPS website for the Statue of Liberty – which we found much less impressive than EI up close, but you get access to that as well.

    Try to reserve for as early in the day as you can, as the security line gets scary-long as the day passes…

    • Speaking of security, it’s like getting on a plane. We went just before the damage from Hurricane Sandy closed Ellis Island, and my husband’s pocket knife was confiscated. We went late in the day, so we didn’t get off at the Statue of Liberty, but we had a great view.

  32. The behind the scenes “Hard Hat” tour at Ellis Island is awesome.

    The 911 Memorial is totally worth it and the exhibit is so well done.

    My mom and I spent an afternoon walking through Central Park from about 91 St. (at the Cooper Hewitt Museum – also cool) all the way down to Columbus Circle. We stopped at the Boat House for an early dinner (fantastic and worth the money) and one of the best Gin and Tonics I have ever had (totally tipsy after three sips).

    People have already mentioned the Cloisters and the NY botanical gardens – worth the trip up there.

  33. So many great suggestions already!
    If you’re hoping for some of the iconic sites:
    -The Staten Island Ferry is a great free way to see the Statue of Liberty.
    -Walking through Central Park is enjoyable
    -Empire State Building has great views
    -the 9/11 Museum is pretty powerful
    -Walk through Times Square
    -The museums are impressive, but wouldn’t be my first choice if you only have a day to explore.

    To catch a broadway show, if you’re flexible with what you want to see, the TKTS booth in Times Square is great! The windows open in late morning for same day matinee and later for evening shows with prices up to half off. Go to the security guards near the window and ask about the line for military (Gordon will have to show his ID). I was floored the first time they showed us where to line up!

    There’s also a bunch of comedy clubs, which can be fun to check out.

    Great burgers and unbelievable shakes: Black Top (multiple locations).

    Have a wonderful time!

  34. Free stuff that’s very fun….walk from NYC to Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge in the afternoon. The view of NYC is beautiful from Brooklyn. Also, the Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall terminal (not too far from W 55th) is a 1 hour free boat ride in the harbor, right past Ellis Island, if you don’t have time to do the tour but want to see it. It’s hard to go wrong restaurant wise, lots of good food there. You might find more Russian food there than in the Hill Country. 🙂 I love the MOMA, but that’s because I love Tiffany, and think the temple of Dendur is a great place to hang out and rest when the weather is miserable. You pay what you want to enter (they have a suggested price, but really it’s just donate something) and those are my go to spots when I need to just hang for a while. If it’s nice, just wandering around the park is fun. Cloisters is amazing, but a loooong way uptown. There’s a fabulous tour of Rockefeller center (not free) if you’re into art and architecture. High Line is getting cooler every year. I also like to do the halfprice tickets in Times Square for Broadway tickets. It’s kind of a catchall of shows, but the seats are usually very good. If you like piano bars, Don’t Tell Mama is right off Times Square and is a hoot! I love the energy in NYC…so much fun. Enjoy!

    • I believe the Temple of Dendor is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, not MOMA. If you don’t like modern art, forget MOMA.

  36. If you are lucky and catch a nice sunny day in NYC, walking around to get a feel of the City…Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall past Manhattan Municipal Building (1 Center St ) towards Battery Park and 9/11 memorial.
    Check out Empty Sky Memorial, NJ across Hudson to see NYC skyline during the day. To see NYC skyline In the evening – from Cadman Plaza/Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn…
    Brighton Beach, Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk, Brooklyn … people watching…

    Or you can visit Neue Galerie at 86 St and 5th Ave. to see famous “Lady in Gold” painting (and others) by G.Klimt and afterwards have a nice tea party at The Pierre, Taj hotel, 61st St and 5th Ave, NYC – check out Groupon discount :
    https://www.groupon.com/deals/two-e-bar-lounge-at-the-pierre-1?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=deal_ita

    Have a wonderful time in NY!

  37. Do you have anything on your bucket list that you can check off? Like a carriage ride, or checking out Central Park? Seeing a Broadway Musical? (Btw, those are on my own bucket list, lol)

  38. If you go to the Empire State Building, go at night. There isn’t a view like it in the world! I think they have timed tickets, but I’m not sure. Check out their website.

  39. Grand Central Station
    Museum of Metropolitan Art
    Broadway Show – just walking through Times Square is a show all by its ownsom.

    Wear comfortable shoes! Manhattan is surprisingly compact and taxis are easily obtained.

    Enjoy!

  40. Walk the High Line: http://www.thehighline.org/
    It’s free and you will see amazing architecture, art installations, plantings and people.
    April 21st is the annual festival so it will be packed.
    If you want to avoid the crowds, first thing in the morning is best.
    The new location of the Whitney Museum is a the southern end of the High Line, which makes for a nice destination.

    If you only have a day, one thing to avoid, IMHO, is the 911 Memorial museum. It is absolutely horrific, as it should be, and brought back terrible memories. After visiting, I was emotionally spent for the rest of the day.

    • I second the highline. It was one of the highlights of my one visit to NYC. Visiting (NYC & the High Line) again is on my bucket list.

  41. Mind you it’s just food because they are a little more practical in my mind as places to see especially if you’ll be visiting for a shorter period of time.
    Sugar Sweet Sunshine (cupcakes, scones and bread pudding are awesome) is one of the best bakeries in the world *in my humble opinion* and is a must see!
    Milk and Cookies is great for most types of cookies and NYC Bakery has amazing general items as well as chocolate chip cookies.
    If you’re on the wild side and like Rice Pudding there is a place called Rice to Riches – which is also bumper sticker and quote heaven, they couldn’t give Kate a run for her money but she would chuckle.
    They also have amazing authentic Japanese food at a restaurant called *Kyo Ya* which is highly priced but highly worth it.

  42. I would go to katz deli in nyc at
    205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002.

    Good food and history.

  43. If you have a chance, my favorite is the Frick Museum. Frick was a robber baron. The museum is small and located in his mansion. It’s fantastic to see all the art, furniture, furnishing, etc. as they would have been used in a completely decorated living space, rather than as single displayed items in a normal museum. Here’s a link to the museum: https://www.frick.org/.

    Hope you have a great time.

  45. I used to go to NYC a couple of times a year just to catch the musicals on Broadway. We’d fly in on Friday, catch a musical that night, two on Saturday, two on Sunday, and fly out again on Monday. Now I’m jonesing to go again! If you can fit it in, Come from Away is supposed to be great. It is the story of a little town in Newfoundland that was overrun with some 7000 visitors when the planes were grounded immediately after the 911 terrorist attacks.

    If you’ve never seen Phantom of the Opera, it’s a classic. Wicked is wonderful fun. Go here: https://www.broadway.com/shows/tickets/?category=musical for information about all of the current musicals. I am so envious . . .

    Have a wonderful, wonderful time!

  46. By the way, if you decide to see a Broadway musical, you can often get spectacular seats at the box office shortly before showtime. Usually about 1:00 – 2:00 or so, box offices start to sell tickets that are available first to cast members for their friends and families. Lots of these go unsold and they are generally first-fourth rows, center. After my first few visits I never bought tickets any other way, and the furthest back I ever sat was 11th row.

  47. If you don’t have time to do MoMA, just visit the gift shop. It’s filled with incredibly cool stuff.

  48. If you consider yourselves foodies, I would highly recommend the Famous Fat Dave food tour. It is pretty expensive but you basically get a private tour of several parts of New York with stops along the way at amazing local eats. Dave is very knowledgeable about the city: its communities, cultures, peoples and food.

    I did all the touristy stuff: Central Park including carriage ride and carousel; Staten Island ferry / Statue of Liberty; Empire State Building; afternoon tea at the Russian Tea Room and several shows. I loved it all but the highlight for me was Famous Fat Dave, followed by the Highline. I traveled with 8 other women, so we did some things separately. I didn’t see it, but the Tenement museum that someone previously mentioned was the highlight for several of my friends.

    http://www.famousfatdave.com

    Whatever you do, have fun!

  50. Another fun gem – The Museum of Sex (5th Ave and 27th Street). It was really cool, though getting a phone call with a job offer in the Animal Sex room was awkward… lol.

    Last time I was in NYC, I went to Tanner Smith’s for brunch. (204 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019) They describe themselves as a “watering hole with a Prohibition theme serving craft cocktails, beer, wine & bar bites.” I describe them as “the place that made amazing cocktails in teacups!” Really really good.

    If you did want to do a meet up of your East Coast fans, we sure would love to meet you! But either way, enjoy your trip to NY! 🙂

  54. Make sure to get pizza and bagels they really do taste better up there. I heard it’s something about the water mineral content, but I just know that those carbs are fantastic.

  55. If you like chocolate, the best place is called Max Brenner. They have everything you wish made from chocolate, even beer. They have regular food too(Yummy) but chocolate stuff is amezballs ?. The place is on 14 street Union Square, also great place to see. There is a huge clothing store constantly on sale also on union square. But if you really want to have fun you should visit me and my cat and dog ?. Have a great time in my city !!

  56. I’ve never been to the States (first trip is in July), though if I was getting to NY, I’d go to the costume part of the Met Museum.

  57. OMG!! Im in college in NY!!! Wish I could meet y’all! Anyway, the MoMA has Starry Night by Van Gogh right now, and Waterlillies and Agapanthas by Monet. It’s pretty cool. Central Park should be nice too, everything is just starting to bloom.

    If you like dim sum, specifically pork buns(although all the food is great), check out Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street, right near Little Italy. It is the best in the city, although be warned, it is cash only, so make sure you come prepared. 100% worth it. Have fun!!! 🙂

    • + 1 on MoMA.

      I suggest starting at MoMA (ahead of the crowds …) then walk north through Central Park toward the Frick Collection.

      Then, after the Frick, walk on through Central park to the Met.

  58. Metropolitan Museum of Art- really cool exhibits and now they have a ridiculously huge room of random art and artifacts that they don’t have room to put on display; costume exhibit is cool but I think it’s closed
    Frick collection- small museum of art but nice historical pieces
    Museum of Natural History

  59. your not far from he CBS Broadcast Center if you want to see a show taping. If you are there midweek Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is not to much of a pain to get tickets too.

    • I was just writing about the Cloisters! So gorgeous – hopefully the weather’s good!

    • I went to summer camp at the closisters while the unicorn tapestries were still at the Met. It was phenomenal.

    • Love the Cloisters and would definitely recommend to anyone – the atmosphere is great, you feel like you in a monastery … in a good way as you only visiting ? but ashe you only have 1 day in NY I’d save the Cloisters for a longer trip.
      You need to split your day between mid-town where you’re staying: 5th Ave. shop gazing, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rockafellow Center, Times Square, Central Park (all free) and lots of Museums and Art to choose from including NYC Library, plus Endeavour Battleship.
      You should probably start your day Downtown (take the subway) and work your way back uptown as a lot of places I’ve mentioned above are open to walk through all day and late evening.
      Downtown: 9/11 Memorial, Trinity Church + Wall Street, Staten Island Ferry will take you passed Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty (frequent + no lines + free I think?), Native American Museum, South Street Seaport …
      So much to see – so pick 1 each and then fit in a few other places nearby.
      You can eat each evening at Little Italy or Chinatown and lunch in Diners so that’ll help tick those boxes without losing time.

      Enjoy + tell those agents/publishers that we’ll pay for Maud books (you + they’ll make more money than from Novella!!) – just look at your analytics + huge increase in comments for Maud installments ?

        • Oh Enterprise Space Shuttle is there too so I’m not as crazy as I thought ?
          You can get boat tours from here too but probably cold + windy yet …

  61. Depending on when you’re going and where you’re staying, the cherry blossoms should still be blooming in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and if the weather’s good The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park are magic in the Bronx.

    If that’s a bit too far, the Lower East Side has the Tenement Museum encapsulating New York history from an immigrant perspective that I think is fascinating. Add in a walk along the High Line, a poke through Forbidden Planet and The Strand, and some noms at Chelsea Market or Eataly and you have a good, slightly off-the-beaten-path touristy day. Hope it’s a good trip!

  62. I’ve only been once myself. (My son was singing in his university chorus – at Carnegie Hall. That’s a once in a lifetime event. I was going to be there.)
    I don’t think you can go wrong with anything that takes your fancy. We did Carnegie Hall (of course), Ellis Island / Statue of Liberty, MOMA and gift shop, a wander down Broadway, and dinner at a deli after the performance (across the street from CH). Mostly we just people watched, though I dragged my poor husband to a well known fine craft store for a bit of “busman’s holiday”. The weather was rainy and cold to us thin-blooded Texans, but off we went each morning and dried things out each night, so we could go again the next morning.
    Have a great time and let us know what you enjoyed.

    • I, too, sang in Carnegie Hall with my college choir (long, long ago) when I lived in Missouri. I apologize to all the NYC BDH in advance for what I’m about to say. I wasn’t impressed with New York City. The best thing was going to see a Broadway show. Also, listening to other choir mates who had a very good view of an apartment building across from our hotel. ? Let’s just say they got an eyeful of the occupants in one apartment. ?

  63. Make sure you bring warm clothes. Still very brisk up here though it should be up in the 60s on Saturday then back to the 40s. Gets windy sometimes so a hat might be a good idea if you are out and about.

  64. My favorite places are the Hayden Planetarium and taking in the oasis that is Central Park. Have a wonderful trip and let us all know what you end up doing!

  65. If you like upscale food court, go to Chelsea Market at 9th Ave. They have all kinds of food and cuisine.

    • Tickets are sky high and you will need to get your concierge to pull some strings for you as it can be booked for weeks. But really worth it.

  68. No suggestions, just a request. Take some pics, please? We haven’t been able to travel much lately, and really enjoy seeing what’s going on everywhere else.

  69. I was in New York last week and went on an immersive theatre scavenger hunt adventure in Manhattan – https://www.accomplicetheshow.com/

    You’re given some background, and explore New York using clues provided along the way. I was in a group of 5 – 2 friends and 2 strangers – and we had a fabulous time.

  70. Mood fabric Store, Statue of Liberty ( which needs some advanced ticket planing), Times Square, Macy’s Flag Ship store, the Natural History Museum ( of Night at the Museum fame). It is so different that you will have a hard time choosing.

  72. Save the museums for if the weather sucks. Instead go to a rooftop in the evening (a super New York thing to do) to get a drink and get a great view of the city. During the day go to the Highline and Chelsea Market for eats.
    Walking distance from your hotel walk around Bryant Park which is also close to the main branch of the NYPL which has fun exhibits sometimes.
    Around 55th you can go to the plaza food hall. And if you want a great view go up to the top floor of the mandarin hotel I’m Columbus circle. You can look out from the restaurant (without having to order).

    • Forgot to mention to check out the Strand bookstore. It’s near NYU and is a mile long bookstore so pretty cool.

  73. Go to the American Museum of Natural History. A day isn’t really enough, but you’ll be so glad you did. From West 55th, hop the B or C to 81st Street.

    • +1 on this! Best place in the whole city! But definitely bring a jacket/sweater as we seasaw between summer and winter! We are getting a big 2 day warm up Friday and Saturday but come sunday we are epically dropping back to winter ❄️

  74. The Museum of Moving Images. A fun, interactive museum devoted to the technical side of movie making. There is also a gallery of video games through the years that you can use tokens to play. I went years ago but we had a blast and it’s still there.

  75. Well since my comment didn’t appear I’ll try once more without the links

    55th Street is in Midtown. Central Park is nearby. If it is a lovely day you might be able to rent a boat at the BoatHouse and paddle around the lake. The exposed boulders in the South West corner of the park are some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world.

    Views: I think the Top of The Rock at Rockefeller Center is the best view. It is better than the Empire State Building which has a small viewing platform surrounded by chain link fencing and takes a long time to get up there. Top of The Rock has 3 levels of platforms with no fencing in the way and you can have your picture taken facing South with the Empire State Building in the background or North with Central Park in the background.

    Also right at Rockefeller Center is the famous skating rink and the Today show films their morning show there. ABC films theirs in Times Square. Also right by Rockefeller is Saks Fifth Avenue, St Patricks Cathedral and the Atlas with the world on his shoulder statue.

    Shopping on 5th Ave is all the high end stores with window shopping. There is a a discounter TJ Maxx on 57th and 8th Avenue, Macys on 34th St & 7th Ave. Lots of boutique shopping too if you like in the Village and Soho.

    If you like Jazz – Dizzys Coca Cola Club is the nicest one in the city and reasonable prices. It is on the 5th Floor of Lincoln Center and it’s windows overlook the south end of central park. There are also the Iridium and Birdland in Midtown. Blue Note is in the Village and is well known but expensive and the way the stage is set up not may people get a good view.

    Sightseeing: Circle Line Tours on 42nd and West Side – they do 1.5 hr boat tour around the south end of Manhattan and back. A lot of people like this one. There is a three hour tour all the way around Manhattan but unless you want a lazy day I don’t recommend this one.

    Right near where the Circle Line Tours is there is also the Intrepid Air Space and Sea Museum. My Dad and Brother LOVED this one.

    South end of manhattan there is the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Also boat trips to Ellis Island (history was very interesting) and Statue of Liberty. Can be hard to get tickets sometimes. You can also ride the ferry to Staten Island for FREE and this goes past the Statue of Liberty. Just take it, don’t get off and just return right away. Nothing to see on Staten Island unless you take a public bus or have a car. Note: There are scammers who try to trick tourists into paying for the Staten Island Ferry – don’t listen to them.

    There are double decker bus tours (hop on hop off). The guides are hit and miss. I’ve been on them with friends and laugh at some of their made up facts. However my father loved riding on the top and just getting a sense of how many high rises there were in the city. Once you are around Times Square there are LOTS of uniformed folks selling tickets. Their offices are on 9th Ave around 47th St. There are walking tours, segway tours, just about any subject you can think of has a tour.

    Museums: Midtown ones: The Morgan Library Musem (check out this website you might like it). the usual Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Natural History Museum. There is a museum for everything here – Sex museum, subway museum, Madam Tussauds Wax Museum.

    Restaurants: Pick a type and there are a thousand of them. Restaurant Row is on 46th St between 8th & 9th Ave but go instead to 9th Ave (between 42nd and 55th Streets) and there are TONS of restaurants at reasonable prices. Turkish, Diners, Greek, Mexican, Afghanistan, Indian, Italian, Thai etc. Georgio’s on 54th and 9th is the best pizza in the universe

    Theater – do we have theater! On Broadway, off Broadway. You won’t get tickets to the hot shows like Hamilton. If you like slapstick humor The Play that Goes Wrong is hilariously funny. I laughed from start to finish. Tickets start at $30. You can get 20 to 50% off tickets prices at the TKTS booth in Times Square – unsold seats for the day. Broadway Direct is also a good website.

    Getting around: When street numbers increase 48 to 49 you are heading NORTH. When Avenue numbers increase 5th Ave to 6th Ave you are heading WEST. Distance: 20 streets (55th to 35th St) is 1 mile. 1 Avenue block is long and is the same distance as 3 streets so 3 avenues is about 9 blocks or approx 1/2 mile

    Subway is $2.75 per person per ride (no zones). Check the subway entrance before you swipe your fare card. UPTOWN is going NORTH. Downtown is going SOUTH. It will be on a sign above the stairs before you head down.

    Times Square has lots of blinking lights but no really good restaurants – lots of chains. I worked in an office bldg near Times Square for years – only tourists ate there.

    If you are near Grand Central Station (42nd and Park Ave) go in and take a look. They renovated a few years ago and it is really nice. There is also shopping and food fair in there.

    I hope you have a great trip to NYC. Enjoy your day off

    I hope you enjoy your stay in NYC.

      • Damn! I gotta try and print this out. Great info and cool facts. Your “Getting around:” is great. Had no idea…

    • Thanks Simone, I’ve not yet visited New York (I’m in Sydney, Australia), but I’ve saved your suggestions for when I do!

      • I love Sydney! – I was there for 3 months many moons ago when I was 25 and again a couple times for work since. Great place 🙂

    • Like others I’ve saved this reply for future visits.

      I love New York with a passion that I don’t have for London or Paris. It’s my default for whenever my husband asks where do you want to go this year. It doesn’t always work but it does often enough.

      May I add a walk along the High Line just because it’s a nice, people watching walk, but only if it’s a nice day because it can get a bit windy up there.

      • Yes, the High Line is really nice! It’s a 1.5 mile long park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Midtown entrance is 34th Street and 11th Avenue http://www.thehighline.org/visit

        Some others have suggested the Cloisters museum, NY Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanical Garden – also all really nice but they take time to get there so I don’t recommend them if you only have 1 day to spend in the city.

    • I second the recommendation of The Play that Goes Wrong. My husband laughed so hard that the people near us changed seats. Lol.

      • I third the Play that Goes Wrong. I’ve seen that three times and loved it every time. It’s just so so funny. And very British.

    • I lived in NYC for decades and when I saw this post, I was racking my brain for how to best sum up all the great things to see and do in the city. Then I saw your comment, Simone. What a fantastic and thorough guide for someone who wants to make the most out of their visit to NYC – brava! You hit so many points I would’ve mentioned too, and several that had slipped my memory. And bonus points for the directional tips for the streets and the subways! Unless you’re down in the warrens of lower Manhattan, the city is pretty easy to navigate just by watching the street/avenue numbers go up or down.

      I’m sure the authors will thrilled with your guide, as will be many others I’m sure ? Just wanted to give you kudos for the brilliant job! ??????

      • Thanks – I’ve lived here for 20+ years now and have been a “tour guide” many times for my visitors.

        Distances are farther than they seem on the maps. I live in Hell’s Kitchen which is just west of Times Square so I am always helping lost tourists find their way. Two lovely ladies wanted to walk from 48th Street to the south end of Manhattan. I told them what to do but warned them it would be over 6 miles (10 km). They were shocked. I then gave them directions via the subway 🙂

        Also I forgot to mention that the Guggenheim museum is near the Met too.

  76. You should check out the chocolate museum! Just look into getting tickets ahead of time, since they sometimes sell out. If your free day is a weekend, check out Smorgasburg in Brooklyn!

  77. It has been more than 30 years so I could be out of date, but I did enjoy the kosher deli Zabar’s and the MoMA

  79. Must see the 911 museum. And hop on a fairy to have a close up view of Lady Liberty. Eat a hot dog from a cart in the park.

  80. Also, take at least two days. It’s so worth it. Do visit the top of the Empire State Bldg.

  81. I hope you have a good time. Purl Soho seems like a good store, i’ve ordered great stuff from them before.

  82. I second or third or however many the suggestion to take in the Cloisters. Amazing place. New York has a bunch of cool museums, can’t go wrong at any of them really. I love to browse the fabrics and stuff in the fabric/fashion district. (OK, and buy too.) The High Line is neat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line If you decide to do the Empire State Building, do it at night, the city lights are amazing.

  83. My second trip, just about a year ago, I stayed with a friend who lives in Hell’s Kitchen, and wandered all over the city doing very few tourist things. We went to the art museum in Brooklyn, which was cool, they have a lot of like model rooms and houses from different places and time periods. My friend is an architect so she totally geeks out over that. While she was at work one day, I eventually figured out the subway station and eventually reached the AMNH, which is amazing. I had my moment to geek out over the textiles displayed for different indigenous cultures. Beautiful weaving, knotwork, even textiles similar to knitting. And I didn’t come even close to seeing it all! Highly recommend.

    My first trip was with my high school band in 2003 or 2004, and we did a lot more touristy stuff… The Empire State Building (We went up at night, which was cool… usually to me, tall buildings are just tall buildings and not really worth the admission, but the city lights were beautiful), statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (I liked Ellis Island better), Broadway, Times Square. We visited Ground Zero which has changed a lot since then. Broadway is always fun, but I hadn’t brought a pair of nice pants so I had to go on an epic quest in Times Square to find pants that fit both my butt and my budget. Unless you LOVE shopping and crowds, don’t go shopping in Times Square, lol.

  84. MoMa if you can. Go on the Food network site for the top 25 cheaper/great eats in NYC. Many great bakeries…Dominique Ansel Bakery…cronuts…flowering hot chocolate..Go on their IG account. I also always check on Guy fieri’s DDD when I travel to a new city. Sometimes some great places…Just walking around Broadway, the Disney store, m and m’s in every color at their store…so much to do, so little time. Twofers for a show if you want. Enjoy! High tea at one of the hotels near you, I think(Google it). Central park if it is warm.

  85. Metropolitan museum of art- specifically the Temple of Dendur, the Japanese tea garden, and the Costume Institute. And Strand bookstore! Have a great time!

  87. If it’s a Friday or Saturday night, go see “Too Much Light Makes a Baby go Blind”
    http://www.nyneofuturists.org/shows/
    The performs try to do 30 plays in 60 minutes and it is amazing. They’re always changing their line up so no two performances are alike.

    Note: Some skits include audience participation.

  88. The Highline is really nice, you can walk above the street level and enjoy great views and from there go to Chelsea Market for food. And on the way the Intrepid is really cool, aircraft carrier based museum with planes and the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
    Enjoy your stay!

  89. Temple of Dendur – yes! Any Shake Shack has good greasy burgers and shakes. Cake Boss has a site in NYC. Forbidden Planet (comics, fantasy, sci fi) may be too far (14th street) but is fun. Agree Rockefeller Center is best and easiest. This is also where the LEGO store is located (fun to look). I’m sure you’ve both been to NYC but if not at least walk thru Times Square. Two years ago we saw seven shows in eight days. My favorites were: Lion King, Wicked, Lord of the Dance, Stomp, Kinky Boots.

    And yes, the wind does whistle down those streets!

  90. Someone said it in the comments before, but do take photos if it is not too mich to ask, or tell us about it when you come back, I’m not from that part of the world (lol) so going to NY is kind of impossible right now, I’d like to know what you thought of it 🙂 (that and I love when you tell us things, the way you write, even about stuff that happend to you is unique and funny haha)

  91. I am going to New York around 15th of May, when are you going? And is there a chance for a short meetup maybe? Would love to meet the authors of my favorite books! Never got the opportunity before since I am from The Netherlands. Have fun in NYC!

  93. If you are into walking tours the Big Onion Walking Tours are awesome, especially the one on the Lower East Side with food sampling from local shops & markets is great. Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful time!

  94. Splurge and go on stub hub and get tickets for Hamilton. You will not be sorry. Will be worth every penny.

    • I agree about Hamilton. I said the same below but I forgot to mention that I didn’t get to see the original cast cause I’m a moron but the cast that is on Broadway right now is the best that I’ve seen. It’s such a wonderful ensemble. You will really get the sense of the show no matter where you see it but the Broadway cast right now just rocks.

  98. I do not have any recommendations that have not already been made. I can however, wish you a very enjoyable and safe trip. I hope that the business you are conducting goes smoothly and successfully. I also hope that you are able to take at the very least a day (maybe two or three?) to just relax and decompress. ?

  99. Since you’re on W 55th, you should definitely see a broadway show. Also, I highly recommend Marea as a restaurant, soooo yummy! Also, maybe see your very lovable east coast fans? 😉

  100. I haven’t been there in forever, but it would seem like a good yarn store should be in the mix for you. I don’t knit but maybe someone can suggest one for you. Have fun, stay safe

  101. The Metrololitan Museum of Art is the best. Given your occupation, spend some time with the armor. There is both Europeans and Asian. The Strand Bookstore near NYU if you are down that way.

    If you like good cheap eats Little Korea near Macy’s is good. Old School steakhouse is Donehue’’s

    Have Fun.

  102. If you have the energy, and I only mean that you’re on a short busy trip and this would be emotionally draining, I would suggest the 9/11 Museum.

    And for something much more relaxing I would suggest afternoon tea at The Russian Tea Room.

  103. Still want to see the 9/11 Memorial — it’s looks amazing from the photos. And dim sum at, I believe it’s called, the Silver Palace in Chinatown. Yummy!! Central Park/Strawberry Fields for the tribute to John Lennon and the Egyptian temple in MOMA.

    Whatever yo do, have a GREAT time!!!

  104. NYC born and raised but good idea is take a tour bus around city it highlights a lot of interesting places so you can pick where you’d like to go. I’m a fan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art rather then MOMA but thats individual taste.

  106. NYC native here. I vote for often overlooked treasures: The Frick Collection, New York Historical Society, or even the Museum at Eldridge Street. Weather permitting, I would suggest walking along the elevated High Line.

    • I second all of these, and add the Rubin Museum of Art. Wonderful collection of Himalayan and Indian art

    • These are great suggestions! I definitely second the high line. It’s a great way to wind around the city with some wonderful scenery. Depending on when you come, cherry blossom season is happening around now and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden has a wide variety of them. The Orchid show at New York Botanical Garden is pretty amazing as well! I would also suggest visiting some of the boroughs for amazing ethnic foods and sites. Have fun!

      • Me too, i can’t believe I haven’t been yet. Maybe we should have a meetup of New Yorker fans of Ilona Andrews there when the weather finally decided to stay nice fort mite than 2 days.

        • I’d be in for this, I’m in Philly so never get to her events and I’ve been dying to visit nyc esp high line n the market!

    • Consider a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to MoMA. Two of the great museums of the world. As writers and readers – the Morgan Library. Spectacular space. Even more spectacular collection and superb literary based exhibitions. Eat dinner at one of the many great restaurants in the West or East Village. (Pick a cuisine and look for New York Times or timeout reviews). Follow that with a comedy club for great standup. Comedy Cellar in the Village. Walk through Central Park – strawberry fields and the lake areas – spring bulbs and flowering trees are blooming. Consider a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge if the weather is fair – iconic bridge and great city views – with Juliana’s as the destination on the Brooklyn side in DUMBO. Best pizza in the city. Visit the 9-11 infinity pools in Wallstreet. A walk on the HighLine, but the experience is dampened now by tourist throngs.

  107. If you have never been to NYC just walk around , eat some really good food go to a deli, get a real bagel not a roll with a hole in it lol and of course the pizza I am from the east coast and now live in NV If i could afford it I would open a deli and italian restaurant. I haven’t had chinese food since i left 4 years ago ugh food is so different on this coast. Go to the village, Soho, take in a matinee try to experience as much as you can

  109. I live in rockaway bch. work in nyc. go whale watching. go to coney island. immigrant museum on lower east side. the morgan library with the illuminated mss. carnegie research library at 42nd street. any info you need, i can get, let me know. and last but not least, the metropolitan museum of art…my favorite after the morgan.

  110. Radiance Tea House is on W55th, and they have great tea & dumplings. I had a really good, gooey, earl grey chocolate chip cookie thing there.

    And, The Cloisters or the Met are fun museums. The Cloisters is mostly medieval religious art, the Met has more variety.

    • Would second the Cloisters as an awesome half day! The Rockerfellers dismantled four french cloisters and rebuilt them in Manhattan. It’s run by the Met and is just a metro ride away.

      • The Cloisters branch of the Met is a great destination but with only one city free day, save this for another trip. It is a distance to get there, and will not leave much time for other sights. The founder and collector of the bulk of the collection was George Grey Barnard – a great collector of Medieval art who was a long time head curator of the Metropolitan Museums Medieval Collections. The Rockefellers contributed the funds to the Met to purchase Barnards collection, and for creation of Fort Tyron park and the present Cloisters building. They also contributed the spectacular Unicorn Tapestries.

  111. I haven’t been to NYC in many years, but some great suggestions posted here. Most important – have fun!

  113. I guess I’ll save my comment until you officially announce, for how excited I am to get more Hidden Legacy ????

  114. The Met! You might be inspired.. Or, the Cloisters..Inspiration could happen there, also.

  115. American Museum of Natural History and the New York Historical Society Museum (they are right next to each other). Frick Collection and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (they are close to each other). The Cloisters (especially if it’s a nice day). Go to Theater Mania or TodayTkts and get tickets for a show. Both offer discounts for tickets in advance. Have a drink at the Oscar Wilde Pub at 45 West 27th Street- overpriced but so beautiful.

  116. I did the UN tour 8 times one summer (once for each week of camp). It is fabulous, and still offers hope for peace in our world.

  118. 7th Avenue Armory – Park Avenue + 66th/67th Streets.

    69th Regiment Armory – 68 East Lexington Avenue + 25th/26th Streets (Rise Hill).

    Fort Washington Avenue Armory – 216 Fort Washington Avenue + 168th/168th Streets (Washington Heights) – probably too far if you only have 1 free day.

    Metropolitan Museum for actual armour and armory – why am I assuming you’re so into weapons and warfare ?

  119. Oh I live in NYC so I have a lot of suggestions. If you’re on West 55th you’ll be near Central Park. I suggest taking a walk through it and try to make it at least to the Reservoir. I used to live on the Upper West Side and the Reservoir was one of my favorite places in NYC. Also there is Riverside Park which lets you walk along the Hudson River and less crowded than Central Park but that’s a bit more out of the way.

    Other places I love: the Highline, Frick Collection, Tenement Museum (on the Lower East Side but you need to make a reservation for a tour beforehand), Brooklyn Bridge, the Whitney Museum (which is conveniently located at the end of the Highline and the painting American Gothic is currently on display), the Cloisters (which is a hike but surrounding Fort Tryon Park is super beautiful with great views of the Hudson River)….

    The Intrepid is cool if you are into ships and planes and like big aircraft carrier ships.

    And this is completely random but I really think you’d both like Alice’s Tea Cup. It’s an Alice in Wonderland themed cafe with to die for tea selection and the food is really good. It IS pricy but people of all ages go in there–little girls to older women. If Gordon can put up with the kitschy decor, he will enjoy the food. Here is the website: https://alicesteacup.com/ There are two on the Upper East Side and one on the Upper West Side.

    • I love Alice’s teacup! Ummm tea and scones. But for some reason the west side location doesn’t serve fries, my friends and I find this offensive and don’t go to that one anymore.

  120. East River Boardwalk is nice relaxing walk – it’s colder and windy by the water so wearly a jacket, gloves + hat …
    Gracie Mansion, home of NYC Mayor is nearby.

    Great photos from South Street Seaport of Brooklyn Bridge and it’s all ‘old historic’ NYC down that area – not far from 9/11 Memorial. You can walk over Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn – but maybe that’s for a longer visit.

    Our first Christmas in NYC (late 1980s) I gave my husband a choice between the full Christmas turkey dinner or pizza in our local small family-owned pizzeria – pizza won ??? (amazing but yes they were open Christmas Day – and their pizza was absolutely amazing ❤ and pizzas not my favourite food!)

    • I was going to cook the Christmas dinner but I didn’t really want to spend my 1 day-off cleaning + cooking + cleaning up again – at least in Ireland + England 25th AND 26th December are Bank Holidays so you can relax on 26th after all that cooking on 25th.

      You American ladies are cray-cray! At least the Canadians have their Thanksgiving in October but you Americans have November Thanksgiving (1 day off work to do the crazy turkey family dinner and then collapse from stress) and you’ve only just recovered and you do it all again for Christmas dinner (1 day off work to do the whole crazy turkey family dinner and then collapse from stress again). ?

      Maybe you should move your Thanksgiving to May (sacrilege ?) and make it a 2-day holiday and make Christmas/Yule/Hanaka/Kwanza etc. a 2-day holiday too … enjoyment NOT stress ?

      After over 25 years of cooking Christmas dinners, my friends and I are all thinking about spending Christmas around the Mediterranean (warmer weather) and leaving someone else cook our family Christmas dinner ???

  121. The Frick! the Met! We like to wander & just pick small restaurants we haven’t tried before. Have fun, I love that city. Also, novella? What? squee!

  122. Nice! I live in NYC and have been a tour guide for about 12 years.

    There’s a lot of great suggestions in here! Especially if you’ve never been before. A couple other things to ponder:

    The ferry to the statue (or even the Staten Island ferry to just look at the statue), and the Empire State Building are sizable time commitments, so if you only have 1 free day they may not be the most bang for your buck.

    Hamilton has a lottery, and it’s an app! If you download the app you play the lotto 2 days BEFORE the performance you want to attend. It’s handy though, because you know a day ahead of time if you won :). Today tix is another great app for last minute shows.

    If you’re into architecture, I can’t recommend the Cathedral of St John the Divine enough. It’s one of the largest gothic cathedrals in the world and it’s right in Manhattan. Upper west side, 112 and Amsterdam. They have a vertical tour on Mondays at 10am, weds, fri and sat at noon, and sat at 2pm (check the website before you go). If it’s a nice day you get to go out on the roof for a beautiful view, but even if not you climb up these amazing spiral staircases and get to see the area above the ceiling and below the roof which is extremely cool and unusual. There’s a Hungarian bakery across the street and you’re right at the top of Central Park.

    On the east side of Central Park there’s a little area with the only sculpted gardens in Central Park, the French garden, the English garden, and the secret garden. Across the street is the museum of the city of New York, in case you’ve done the typical museums already. If not, go to The Met hands down.

    If you’re at the public library on 5th ave (behind Bryant Park) pop into the map room if you like maps. It’s amazing. While you’re there go down into the children’s wing- the original stuffed animals that inspired Winnie the Pooh are on display.

    Walking the high line is lovely, and Chelsea market has good food. Friedman’s Lunch is my favorite, they do a BANGING lamb burger and accommodate dietary restrictions very well.

    Milk bar has awesome and funky desserts. Like cereal milk soft serve, crack pie, birthday cake milkshakes, etc. Locations all over the city, including one on 56th between 5th-6th ave.

    You might want to hit yelp and search ‘knitting cafe’ :). I’m not in the club but I have friends that are obsessed.

    There’s oodles more, of course. I do custom tours for people all the time, you’re welcome to drop me a line with any specific interests and I’ll send you itineraries I’ve put together before for you to follow (or deviate from!) on your own :).

    Enjoy!!

  123. As a native New Yorker who has worked in the City for over 50 years, I have to admit that all of the above suggestions are great. Just plan where to go ahead of time and be aware that travel times between places can eat up your day.

    If you were allotting more than just one day for being a tourist, then I would have one more recommendation for you. For those of the BDH who are planning a trip to NYC in the upcoming months and who are fans of Downton Abbey, there is an exhibit of their sets and costumes on 57th Street until September. A friend of mine just visited it and she will be going back with me later this month. They have a website with information, if you’re interested.

  124. I highly I highly recommend the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Library. Honestly you can get anywhere in New York very quickly on the subway so don’t limit yourself to just a neighborhood where you’ll be staying. There are so many good concerts going on in Bryant Park you should see if there’s going to be anything going on while you’re there. When my friends came to visit from California we spent the whole day checking out Manhattan going from one end of it to the other from one side to the other. It was a lot of walking and a lot of buses and Subways but it was so worth it.

  125. Your #1 old man fan no longer lives in NY- but would give you this advice. All of the suggestions are great, well thought out with plenty of interesting spots all over Manhattan and NYC. ONE DAY? Stay focused- whether you are on the East side or West, 55st is mid town- Central park is a few blocks up- If you really want to ‘taste’ NY stay local, walk up fifth Ave, or Madison- walk along Central Park South. Hit Columbus Circle, especially if you get a glorious NYC spring day, nothing will give you New York better than walking leisurely. Maybe walk up to the Museum of Nat. History, you’ll see The Dakota, where John Lennon lived (and died). walk into the park, the Sheep Meadow, lunch at Tavern on the Green, or walk over to Broadway and pick any restaurant. try a sidewalk café. If all you have is one day, or a day and a half, you won’t see everything, but if you stay local and leisurely, you will get a taste that will stay with you.

  126. One of our favorite things to do is walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan so that we arrive at Julianas in Brooklyn, which is vaguely at the foot of the bridge, at least 15 minutes before 11:30 when they open (you could also take the subway). We then eat what I think is the best pizza in the New York area and have egg creams. My husband prefers plain but I like them chocolate. My other favorite cheap eat in New York is Los Tacos number one which is in Chelsea market, a food and shopping mecca near the Highline, or on 43rd.

    Stub hub has offered fairly near term tickets to some great sold out shows at not much more than face value but you have to get them at least a few days in advance so you can actually get them in your hands. I’ve seen Hamilton four times and I would see it 40 more if I could pay for that. It’s astonishing. But Dear Evan Hansen (sad) and Come From Away are both also so worth the time. On Wednesdays there are two shows and every time we are in New York we see two on Wednesdays because we love the shows the best.

    We were just there three weeks ago and now I want to go back!!! Enjoy!!!

  127. I highly recommend the River Cafe. It is under the Brooklyn Bridge. It has a great view and excellent food. And don’t miss out on eating at the Tavern on the Green. This was the restaurant in the first Ghostbusters movie. This is where Rick Moranis tried to get in and escape the dog of Zuul.

  128. As a New Yorker I second all the lovely suggestions you’ve received. What I would add is this: if you do Central Park or anything going up towards upper west side check out or make reservations for White Gold. It’s a restaurant/deli/meat market. I’ve meat the owners and they are fantastic- they source mostly locally grown meat and veggies and are geniuses in the kitchen as well as carving up some delicious cuts of meat.

  129. I’d get a guide book to Central Park. If the weather is nice, walking through the park is a delight – lots of hidden treasures. This is the book I have – Barnes & Noble Complete Illustrated Map and Guidebook to Central Park.

  131. Brooklyn native here. All of the above are great activities. I had a friend come down from Boston this past weekend and we saw a performance of Dada Masilo’s take on Giselle at the Joyce Theater. They feature dance performances from local, national and international companies and their tickets are reasonably priced- https://joyce.org/springsummer-18-season-sale. Enjoy your stay!

  132. I noticed a lot of people were commenting about what to do during the day. I highly recommend seeing Lion King. The costumes are incredible. By far one of the best plays I have seen

  133. NYC native!

    Even if you don’t have a free day, but a free hour or two, check out Alice’s Tea shop for High Tea. There’s one 20 blocks away from you, which is a pleasant walk when it’s nice out or a quick subway trip when it’s not (because of NYC weather.) https://alicesteacup.com/

    If you like tea, eccentric decorations, and want a true hole-in-the-wall NYC experience, it’s the best place you can visit. Even if you don’t have the time, the scones are well worth the trek.

    Enjoy our beautiful bustling city!

  134. Couldn’t you have found somewhere sunny with palm trees and beaches for business? Guess not… enjoy the frigid NY weather while we wait for Spring to show up. Go shopping, maybe hit Ripley’s believe it or not for some weird inspiration.
    Novella!! Thank you, can’t wait.

  135. This is a fabulous tea shop totally worth the time:
    Te – Tea shop
    163 West 10th Street
    New York, NY 10014

  136. Greetings Ilona, I’m a fan. Wish you a pleasant NY visit.

    In the meantime, can you advance the publication of any one of your books. Acute withdrawal symptom here.

  137. +1 Take bus down to Battery Park and watch the city along the way. Then walk over to Whitehall Terminal and ride the State Island Ferry (free) which will take you by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (25 min trip each way). At Staten Island Terminal, disembark and then get on the ferry back to NYC. The ferry trip is serene and provides a different perspective of NYC, NJ, Brooklyn and Staten Island from Hudson Bay. Recommend doing during non-rush hours.

    +1 Walk and lunch/dinner in Chinatown. Chinatown is crowded & bustling but very vibrant in terms of diversity of people, merchandise, street vendors, etc. Great place to buy kitschy souvenirs.

    * Covet yarns and patterns at Purl Soho or Downtown Yarn

    * Visit Kinokuniya for all things Japanese (stationery, pens, anime, toys, bakery, etc.). So much cuteness.

  138. Speaking strictly as a former tourist, I second the armor collection at the MET. Very nice. Plus, the Gugenheim is across the street, only a few blocks away. You don’t necessarily need to tour it, just go inside and look up. And Central park is right next to them both, which is always worthwhile.
    My experience as a tourist is that everything takes longer there than you expect it to. So there’s no way to see a bunch of stuff all in one day without wasting the experience. Pick one or two things and wear extremely comfortable shoes.
    Chinatown is also pretty fabulous. Just walking down the street there is an experience. Yes, it’s very touristy, but still awesome.
    But no matter what you do you can’t miss Times Square at night. Go there on the subway if you can. Or walk there if you absolutely must, it’s pretty close to you. But it’s cooler if you pop up out of the cave of the subway into the square. It’s suddenly nearly as bright as daytime, and there are so many people everywhere, street performers, etc, etc. Except it’s different from during the daytime somehow. And even if you don’t go to a show, it’s worth it just to wander around and experience it. If you do want to go to a show though, there are usually extra tickets the day of the show available, even if you couldn’t get a ticket ahead of time.
    And that’s my two cents.

  139. If you hv never experienced an opera at the NY Metropolitan Opera, it is a must. Even if you don’t like opera and leave at intermission, it is a theatrical experience not to be missed. I notice on their schedule for April, they’re performing Lucia de Lammermoor. Lots of Scottish blood spilling and insanity in this one. Wish I was going with you.

    OMG, in May the American Ballet Theater is performing Gisele. Ya gotta go to that!!

    Also, if I was traveling to NY, I couldn’t leave without going to the Hayden Planetarium. That’s on my bucket list.

  140. Helicopter tours around the city. If you don’t mind heights and low level flying, this can be great fun.
    My family got me a 30min ride as a gift, and I very much enjoyed it.
    You don’t get the craft all to your self (unless you want to pay a huge fee and buy up all the seats), but it was just as fun to experience while meeting new people.
    Definitely bring a camera!

    P.S. Here is the url to the tour I used: https://heliny.com . But there are several in NY to choose from.

  141. I love Grand Central Terminal. Walk through the Grand Central Market entrance on 43rd street and Lexington Avenue. Grab a snack and head into the Main Concourse. I’d advise snagging a spot on the steps so you can watch the people scurrying around without being in the thick of it. Don’t forget to look up at the stars.

  142. The High Line is pretty great, though I do think its appeal is greater for native New Yorkers who don’t have any other way to see plants. The southwest coast of Manhattan has great views across the river. But I think the best option for tourists is to go see a show on Broadway. The TKTS booth sells discounted same-day tickets; the really popular shows won’t be available but there’s still a good selection.

  143. World Trade Memorial, was just there last weekend. We live in Bayside, Queens for four years and my husband work in Manhattan. Loved MOMA. Whenever we had friends come visit we jumped on the double deck tour bus. I got sick of it eventually, but my friends saw the city without the fuss of transportation. Beside you have the choice of hopping on and off. But, definitely see the memorial….

  144. All wonderful suggestions. Bring comfortable shoes and an umbrella.

    Lunch at the Morgan is delightful and not too crowded. They have a totally cool display of ancient Mesopotamian seals in the basement. The ancient world’s version of Docusign, but much more artistic. Maybe Roland had one?

  147. I recommend the Cloisters if you want something a little different. It was really nice. A little out of the way so it was quiet and not crowded. My whole family really enjoyed seeing what they had there which surprised me because the subject matter appealed to me more than them.

    https://www.metmuseum.org/visit/met-cloisters

  151. We went as tourists a couple of years ago. Wear black so that you blend in better, lol. We wore khakis and really, really stuck out like we were wearing signs. Walked round Central Park, enjoyed the buskers, saw wedding parties walking places (this was in May). Mr. Softee ice cream trucks are the best! Taxi rides cut down on the transportation time, but I swear every ride was $20. Hope you have a great time!

  152. Everyone has such great ideas that I agee with so here some things NOT to do. Don’t waist time standing in lines. Don’t go to any of the biggest museums if they look mobbed. They are a whole day without huge crowds. Don’t go to wall street (lower Manhattan unless you want to see the trade center monument. (Although the submarine in the navy museum is cool.

    If you can, be down in chelsea or soho or the village early in the morning if you were there on the weekend, everyone comes out walking their dogs and all the breakfast places and coffee houses smell wonderful. It’s a kind of peaceful time to explore that part of the city.

    A really fun hotel recommendation is the Andaz. Time Square is worth walking through especially at night because there is no night in Time square. It’s very surreal.

    If you want to pretend you’re wealthier than God, go to the area where Bergdorf Goodman sits. There are several large luxury stores that are fun to go him, although buying things can be out of reach. In the lower level of Bergdorf there is a perfume area that could be a lot of fun . Say hi to Tom. If you are into perfume as a hobby, not sure if you are, downtown offers some wonderful amazing places to get these perfumes, body care items, even a store that caters to men’s specialty shaving needs called Min.

    • PS the area around Min has tons of fun unique shops. Also I forgot to mention Ramen. There is a sort of contest in New York now, who can make the best Ramen? So the quality is top notch and so good.

  153. You only have a Day?! They have some epic record & comic book stores, The Frick Collection is in a mansion donated by the Frick family (huh) lol and features alot of European masters mainly of the Renaissance period (went there when I was seventeen, I’m fifty two now so…) . The Guggenheim museum is pretty nifty, you get Pollack, Cezanne, Kandinsky (modern, post-impressionism…stuff like that). The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, it resembles a nautilus. Lots of museums, even a wax museum. Central Park has a zoo, and its a beaut of a walk (just don’t do it in the dark). The Staten Island Ferry is okay but I’m from S.I. and that was my daily commute, so ugh. You could walk Broadway, take in a matinee. There’s Times Square, oh you can see the Trade Center Memorial (can be emotional). Lot’s to do but hard on time.

  154. I forgot to mention in my earlier post …. you guys have posted about bacon before, Orro makes bacon dishes, KD cooks bacon. I figure you like bacon.

    On West 55th St and 9th Avenue there is ……. Bar Bacon!!!!!!

    All of their dishes include – you guessed it – Bacon! Even two of their desserts and some of their cocktails have Bacon!
    https://www.barbacon.com/

    Enjoy but don’t go with any vegetarians or vegans – even the salads have bacon

  155. Metropolitan Museum of Art is always a fave, especially with their Egyptian Temple. And thus time of year there’s a rooftop cafe with views over Central Park.

    The Cloisters museum (medieval collection in an old convent shipped over and rebuilt).

    Central Park: here’s the most iconic spots (nice photo ops) Gapstow Bridge, Bow Bridge, Bethesda Terrace, Angel of the, Waters Fountain, Cherry Hill Fountain, Poets Walk

    The main library, iconic filming location (Ghost Busters, Wiz, Spider Man, etc.), but the iconic lions. And their collection can make me weep with tears of joy!

    Apollo Theater in Harlem

    Broadway of course (try your luck for the daily Ham for Hamilton lottery)

    The Met Opera, or Ballet

  156. Oh, and Brooklyn Flea can be fun too for the shopping, eating & music if you’re there on the weekend.

    it’s at Industry City every Sat, and under the Manhattan Bridge at Pearl Plaza in Dumbo every Sun 10am–5pm (brooklynflea.com). At least until the fall, when it gets colder it changes up.

  157. The Cloisters. Medieval castle museum on the Hudson with herb garden and manuscripts and unicorn tapestries. . . .

    • I second The Cloisters. The average visitor doesn’t even know this exists, but it is beautiful and would probably inspire you for some great scene.

      • Too late a comment for the original purpose, but I third The Cloisters. I really liked Al Pacino’s version of Richard III (Looking for Richard) and read that it had been filmed at The Cloisters. When I was visiting New York, I had to visit The Cloisters, too. It’s a really beautiful and quiet place and a wonderful contrast to the rest of Manhattan.

  160. Food near there:
    polo bar, ralphlauren.com good American food, expensive, pretty interiors.
    Black tap, blacktapnyc.com good burgers and fries, outlandish milkshakes, loud rock music.
    Naya express, nayaexpress.com much loved lunch place, very busy, middle eastern.

    Activities:
    Get tix for daily show, cc.com see tv, before everyone else.
    Wander through Central Park,
    Lincoln center, lincolncenter.org get your theater/opera/drama fix. Or watch tourists.

    Way way out of the way
    Tenement museum tenement.org if you love history, and want to learn about nyc. Guided tours only. Really good.

    Why yes, my office was very close to your hotel site.

  161. Depends what you are into, but the reports you hear, you can get anywhere in the city w the subway

    1)museum of modern art in 53rd and 5th;also across the street is what used to be called the museum of broadcasting
    2)broadway…full price tickets suck, but if you go to the tkts booth on 47th and Broadway you can get tickets for Broadway and off Broadway
    3) nyc has a lot of good food places, along 9th ave in the 40s and 50s lot of great restaurants.
    4)on 44th off of Broadway, carmine’s has great ( and heaping) portions of Italian food
    5) Lincoln center at 65th and Broadway. Always sonething going on whether music or ballet or opera, Juilliard has some great performances that don’t even cost much
    6) a bit different, take the tram at 59th street to Roosevelt island
    7) 30 Rockefeller center (where snl is broadcast from) the roof has great views and isn’t as crazy as the Empire State Building
    8)for something different, take the subway to south ferry and take a ride back and forth on the staten island ferry, it is free and is a great view of the harbor,statue of liberty, Ellis island. When I worked in lower Manhattan working nights we used to eat our dinner on that in the summer.
    9)agree with the cloisters,neat place
    10)museum of may history and planeterium if weather is bad.
    11) a slightly longer trip, take metro north to the botanical gardens in the Bronx. 20 minute ride and is a gorgeous place in spring
    12)Chinatown, lots of great restaurants. Little Italy is sort of across canal st but I don’t recommend it, what is left is dismal
    13)Katz deli on Houston and Ludlow, lower East side. Old traditional Jewish deli, still has great pastrami and whatnot. If you go there go either early before lunch or mid afternoon, otherwise it is packed w tour bus crowds, later on by the ‘hipster’ crowd that lives on lower East side these days
    14)take the 6 train on east side to the Brooklyn bridge station and walk on the Brooklyn bridge,Def a ny experience
    15)Greenwich village/east village. In many ways it has become a gentrified land of the rich and famous and young professionals, but it is still a beautiful place to walk around and the east village retains a little of its past.
    16)on the west side from gansevort st to 33rd, the high line. It was an old elevated rail line that they turned into a gorgeous walking park. Even if they stopped people in a nearby hotel from practicing exhibitionism , it is still a great walk on a nice day:). At 16th st below the high line is Chelsea market, an indoor food/restaurant market in the old national biscuit company building.
    17)central park,close to where you are, neat things like the zoo, the sailboat pond (you can rent a radio control sailboat to play with)

  162. Not sure if this comment is too late.
    Depends on how far you guys would go from your hotel and interest.
    1. The famous new, used, rare book store, The Strand, in Union Square (18 miles of books – their words)
    2. Grand Central is beautiful and has a small Nordic food hall (a lot of carby food). Or nearby is Urbanspace Vanderbilt food hall.
    3. I second the Highline (if weather permits), it’s a great stroll above the streets amidst plants. On one side you have water, the other NYC city view.
    4. Chelsea market under the Highline at 14th st. 9th Ave is a good food option.

    Some good suggestions for Brooklyn but I think it’s too far for visitors who only have 1 day here.

    Hope you both have a great trip!

  163. There’s an exhibition of rarely seen Faberge pieces on 5th between 57 & 58 May 1 – 18. (If you’re there before that there are a couple of other times items will be on display that I could get you into.) ALVR worked with Carl Faberge when their shop was in France. My favorite is the Faberge potatoe.

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