Itinerary review by the pros, please!

My husband and I will be visiting your wonderful city next week as a belated 10th anniversary trip. Both of us are first time visitors. We%26#39;re staying at the Affinia Manhattan since it%26#39;s so close to the ';lovely'; Hotel Pennsylvania where my husband will be taking a class Tu-Fri. (Thank you in advance for saving us from that hole-in-the-wall!) My plans for our itinerary look like this...

Thursday- Arrive in Newark at 4pm. No plan for that evening yet.

Friday- I%26#39;ll visit the Madame Alexander Doll Factory while he%26#39;s in training. Cab there, Bus back to hotel. Evening, possibly Circle Line Cruise? Walk through Grand Central Station.

Saturday- Tenement Museum. Chinatown. Lunch- DimSum... any suggestions for that? Dinner- Maria Pia. 7pm- Wicked at the Gershwin.

Sunday- Central Park (briefly), Trump Tower (maybe, is there much to see?), Times Square, Rockefeller Center, TOTR

Monday- Ellis Island Museum. St Paul%26#39;s.

Tuesday- I figured we would have lots of things we hadn%26#39;t gotten to yet, we%26#39;ll squeeze them in this morning. 4:40 flight out of Newark.

I would like to visit the Disney store and the Met, where should I plug those in? What do I need advanced tickets for (besides Wicked)? Which transportation pass/ticket should I purchase (Husband will be there for 8 days, I%26#39;ll be there for 5)? Restaurant selection is a whole seperate chapter... I have lots of ideas but very few plans- I%26#39;ll post again with that request.

I am so impressed by the guidance you provide through this site and I can%26#39;t wait to hear your two-cents!

Itinerary review by the pros, please!

THURSDAY: Just walk around your hotel area and get your bearings. Check out places for breakfast for the rest of your visit.

FRIDAY: I mave no real opinion about this day. But I would like to know where the Doll Factory is - I have a friend who would LOVE THAT.

SATURDAY: is 7PM the DINNER time. YOu might want to make that earlier .(if that%26#39;s SHOW time, then you will need to have dinner about 5:30 which is a bit early). You might want to consider something very light before the show, and dinner AFTER.

SUNDAY: Seems ok THere is a new 24/7 APPLE Store in the area that might be interesting to see. TIFFANYS - check and see if its open on Sunday.

MONDAY: Try to find something else downtown because Ellis Isl and St Pauls certainly wont take you all day. I would do Ellis Isl museum first thing in the AM. Then walk to St. Pauls (you will be hear the WTC site.) .

TUESDAY: Since you will have to be at NEwark at least by 2:40 (leave NYC 2pm LATEST?) I might plan the Disney store for Tuesday. The hotel I am sure will hold your bags. After Disney perhaps a quick lunch someplace. I am not sure if you would have time for anything else that day.

Hope some of this is helpful.

Itinerary review by the pros, please!

Thank you for your help! You can schedule a tour of the doll factory with the Customer Service department at 212-283-5900. It seems like tours are available at limited times. They are located at:

Alexander Doll Company

615 West 131st Street

New York, NY 10027

ON Monday, walk up Broadway and stop in at Trintiy Church (@ Wall St.) . See the gravesites of Robert ';Steamboat'; Fulton and Alexander ';$10 bill'; Hamilton. Make a right and see Federal Hall (aka The Subtreasury Building), where Goerge Washington was sworn in as our first President. (NYC was the USA%26#39;s first capital, remember...). Turn around and take a look at the Stock Exchange. (Visitors not allowed inside since 9/11/01).

Keep walking up Broadway to Liberty Street and mak a left. You%26#39;ll be in front of the WTC site. Make a right on Church and you%26#39;ll be infront of Century 21. One more block to Fulton St., and that%26#39;s St. Paul%26#39;s chapel.

Make a right on Fulton Street and walk it all the way to the water. That%26#39;s South Street Seaport. Eat a snack under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Have fun!

Any thoughts on the Circle Line cruise? I was thinking about the evening one since we%26#39;ll see NYC by water again Monday on the way to Ellis Island. What about Trump Tower- worth seeing?

Trump Tower is a fancy office/apt building, with an elegant lobby and concourse, containing high-end stores, waterfalls, and nice bathrooms.

Re: ferries: Well, since you%26#39;re from a land-locked state, nothing wrong with cramming in as much waterway time as possible!! Nighttime cruises are very cool.

Wicked tickets, you say? Try broadwaybox.com/shows/wicked_nyc_tickets.aspx They usually have discounts, but not on sold-out shows such as Wicked. Then again, you wouldn%26#39;t find Wicked discount anywhere else.

Jersey- I already have my Wicked tickets in hand, thank goodness!

The Met museum is open late on Fri. nights (and Sats.) If you want a look around there (and in the evenings they usually have some live music) do that on Fri. night instead of the Cruise.

What else would you suggest for Monday afternoon and evening? I would be interested in more history (Ellis Is %26amp; Ten.Museum are the things I%26#39;m most excited about). Or, another show (if there is anything playing on a Monday) would be wonderful, $60/each max... Wicked tapped out our Broadway money!!

blue hair