Itinerary Critique

Hello,

We will be traveling to New York City in Mid-December, arriving on Monday and departing Thursday evening. Any advice you can offer on the below itinerary is greatly appreciated. Coming from what is quite possibly the biggest tourist trap in the nation (Orlando, FL) we are a bit wary of anything that will give us that icky tourist feel. I%26#39;m sort of very list obsessed (when it comes to anything, not just this trip), but I do understand the very nature of New York is sometimes simply wandering around in an area to see what you can discover, and I%26#39;m sure that will happen.

BUT, assuming all things go according to plan, your thoughts on the below?

Monday

-Arrive

-Circle Line Tour 3hrs

-Late Lunch (Genki Sushi)

-Sunset at Empire State Building

-Dinner (Burger Joint @ Le Parker Meridien)

-Avenue Q

-Dessert (Seredipity 3)

Tuesday

-Late Breakfast (Teany)

-Shopping in the area

-Lunch (Daily Chow)

-China Town Shopping

-Early Dinner (John%26#39;s of Bleecker Street)

-Stop by Magnolia%26#39;s Bakery (I am a cupcake hound)

-Broadway (Les Mis)

Wednesday

-The Met

-Lunch (Gray%26#39;s Papaya)

-5th Avenue Shopping

-Early Dinner (Tea Box Cafe)

-Broadway (Mary Poppins)

Thursday

-Rockefeller Center

-Any last minute activities we may have missed along the way

-Late evening departure

Itinerary Critique

I%26#39;m not the best when it comes to itineraries...however a few questions and thoughts....

Logistically, I don%26#39;t see any problems.

I think Teany is closed, or if still open not serving food anymore...not sure, so you may want to check this out.

Burger Joint..eh..

Never heard of Tea Box Cafe or Daily Chow, please report back on them okay? Logistically, I don%26#39;t see any problems.

Itinerary Critique

sorry for the repetition...

Monday seems a little crowded to me. Serendipity attracts a lot of tourists, so not sure if that%26#39;s what you want to see or want to avoid.

The ESB: In mid-December, sunset will be around 4:30 pm, so squeezing the ESB in between a late lunch and an early pre-theatre dinner seems too rushed. (Remember, you need to eat pre-theatre dinner around 6:00 pm to have a relaxing meal and finish in time to walk to the theatre.)

Tuesday: Instead of Magnolia (crawling with tourists and fans), try their rivals and spin-offs:

Billy%26#39;s (a survey winner)

Buttercup

Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Cupcake Cafe

Crumbs

Polka Dot

Some articles on cupcakes in NYC:

nydailynews.com/city_life/story/183355p-1590鈥?/a>

gothamist.com/archives/2003/11/05/new_york_i鈥?/a>

While you%26#39;re in the Lower East Side, I highly recommend stopping at Economy Candy. Sounds like you have a sweet-tooth! You%26#39;ll love it! Very New York, no tourists (besides other T.A. NYC Forum people)

www.economycandy.com

While you%26#39;re downtown, I recommend a walk across the length of Bleecker Street to experience Greenwich Village

Wednesday: I recommend walking down Madison Avenue after the Met. Lots of uber-gorgeous, high-end shopping from the 70s to the 50s. Not as many tourists as Fifth Ave. Then, cross over to 5th Ave and hook up with the more touristy crowd.

Thursday:Go to Central Park! A great way to cap off a short trip. Go to Bethesda Fountain and Sheep Meadow.

Impressive itinerary for a non-New Yorker. Not going to visit the Top of the Rock? Kidding .... screams icky tourist feel to me too. I might have to try some of the other cupcake joints recommended by another poster but long lines and all, I always hit Magnolia%26#39;s Bakery when I am in the neigborhood.

Have a great trip. As it is extremely well planned, I have no doubt you will.

FYI - Top of the Rock is a LOT LESS touristy than the Empire State Building, and that is my first hand experience, plus it is a lot nicer experience.

This is not to say don%26#39;t go to ESB, it is just different.

Thank you all for the kind advice!

A few changes I鈥檝e already made鈥?/p>

-Polka Dot rather than Magnolia鈥檚 (Could have something to do with the fact that I haven鈥檛 eaten breakfast yet, and the banana cupcakes look heavenly)

-Adding Economy Candy to the list

-Still debating Top of the Rock or ESB

-Any suggestions for dinner on Monday night? It would be a shame to come all the way to NYC and not stop in for a sandwich from your infinite number of delis, anyone have any favorites? Hopefully something in the general area that we will be in.

Once again, thank you for the help!

For a deli experience, go to Katz%26#39;s on East Houston Street. Not as touristy as Carnegie Deli (and better experience, imho). Ben%26#39;s Deli in the west 30s is also good, and completely non-touirsty, but Katz%26#39;s is more fun! If you don%26#39;t want to deal with ';the system'; at Katz%26#39;s, just sit at a table with waiter service.

Top of the Rock - for a ';tourist attraction';, it is very non-touristy. I really enjoyed it! (then again, I enjoy ESB...) TOTR has a really good exhibit hall explaining the history of Rock Center, Radio City, etc. Go during the day so you can see Central Park.