New York is one of the most interesting cities in the world. I just love how it’s filled with so much culture, art, history, and of course, good food! I had to plan a social event in NY back in March of 2009, so I decided to extend my trip and take K to do all the touristy things around The Big Apple.
Weather:
We were fortunate enough to have snow in March; but, if you’re not a fan of the extremes, late spring or fall is a wonderful time to visit as the temperature is comfortable and sights are less crowded.
Hotel tips:
Hotels in NYC range from $200+ a night and rooms generally do not come with kitchens. If you’re staying more than 4 days, I recommend you rent a vacation condo on VRBO.com. These rentals have competitive prices and often have kitchens. This way, you can buy food at a local grocery store or save your leftovers in the fridge so won’t be forced to eat every meal out.
Attraction tips:
NYC is an expensive city, but there are some tricks to getting things at a discount. If you want to do NY cheap, most of the museums in NYC have a “pay what you wish” entrance fees that are not advertised. Here’s a list of what days the deal is offered:
The Guggenheim – Saturdays from 5:45 pm to 7:45 pm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Any day
American Museum of Natural History – Any day
Itinerary and photos after the jump.
I will warn you now. I am one of those people that keeps a strict schedule when traveling. I plan when you wake up, eat, arrive and leave attractions, and sleep. I figured if I’m limited to the amount of days in a certain city, I better make sure I get everything in to make the trip worthwhile.
Note: I took out the times so you all don’t think I’m a total crazy. 
Itinerary (7 days in NYC):
Day 1 (Work day for me)
Lunch: Shake Shack
Dinner: Lombardi’s Pizza
Snack: Dessert Truck
Day 2
TKTS Booth in Times Square (47th St and Broadway) – Stand out an hour before the booth opens to get discount Broadway tickets
Lunch: Recession Special at Gray’s Papaya (2 hotdogs and a papaya drink)
Rockefeller Center (1221 Ave. of the Americas)
Radio City Music Hall
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Ess-A-Bagel (831 3rd Ave # 1, New York, NY)
Grand Central Station (87 E 42nd Street)
New York Public Library (476 5th Ave)
Empire State Building (350 5th Ave) – Plan during sunset
Evening show: MamaMia
Day 3
Statue of Liberty – Adult Reserve $12.00
Ground Zero
Brooklyn Bridge
Lunch: Green Bo in Chinatown (Shanghainese food)
Snack: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Chinatown
Dinner: Il Palazzo in Little Italy
Day 4
Breakfast: H&H Bagels – (1551 2nd Ave between 80th St & 81st St)
Guggenheim Museum (1071 5th Ave, New York, NY)
Saturday–Wednesday 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m. Friday 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m.
Closed Thursdays, Christmas, and Thanksgiving Day
Lunch: Hotdog from a side vendor (love these!)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY)
Monday: Closed (Except Holiday Mondays)
Tuesday–Thursday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Dinner: Southern Hospitality (1460 2nd Ave between 76th St & 77th St) – Had to go for JT
Dessert: Serendipity (225 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022)
Day 5
Breakfast: Popover Cafe (551 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY‎)
American Museum of Natural History (79 Street And Central Park West, New York, NY)
The Museum is open daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Central Park
The Dakota (1 W 72nd St (Central Park West) New York, NY 10023)
Strawberry Fields
David Letterman Show – Picked up tickets before the trip
Dinner: White Castle (Tried it for the first time! Bummed it didn’t live up to the hype)
Day 6
Lunch: Katz Deli (205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002)
Burkina (hiphop clothing store) – 1 block away
Snack: Cannolis at Veniero’s
Soho
Greenwich Village
Evening Show: Wicked (Went to box office 2 hours before show and won 1 ticket in the raffle for only $20. We had to purchase 1 other ticket 5 rows back for $120.)
Day 7
TKTS Booth
5th Avenue
Evening Show: Marvelous Wonderettes (Off Broadway production)
Dinner: Saigon Grill (1700 2nd Ave, New York, NY‎)
Photos:
Grand Central Station
The Metropolitan Museum
The Guggenheim Museum
Snow in Central Park!
Caught Wicked while in NY – Excellent show. I’ve seen this twice already.
The Muppets Workshop at FAO Schwarz on 5th Ave.
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