I'm in a New York State of Mind

[DeltAlum]

The Cloisters is actually pretty interesting, and you can use the same "badge" for the Metropolitan Museum during the same day -- The Cloisters being a unit of The Met.

And, The Met is great. The museum and the opera, but I'm talking museum in this case.

Something many people don't realize is that at some museums, the admission fee is just a suggestion -- you can pay more or less.

MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) is also good. Wearing comfortable shoes is good advice for all of these. Check out the MoMA store across the street, too.

I (we) try to see at least one show every time I go to the city. Last time (about two weeks ago) we saw Spring Awakening. Dark, but really good. You can find half price tickets for some of the less popular shows at the TKTS booth at the Marriot Marques. Some shows also have lotteries for unused tickets or sell standing room only tickets. You have to research those, because they are at different times of the day -- not just prior to showtime. I've also been known to stand in line for unused or returned tickets to the big shows. I saw Spamalot that way when I just decided on a whim to stand in the line. That is full price, though.

I worked for NBC for a number of years, so the NBC Tour is nothing to me, but the Radio City Musical Hall tour was fun when we took it several years ago.

If you're going to be at Rockefeller Plaza (Radio City), a lot of the famous stores (Saks, etc.) are in the same block of Fifth Avenue on the East side of the Plaza. Just go out the arcade by the skating rink.

I can't even remember the name of the place, but the best Pizza I've had in NY was at a place at about 34th and Third. There are a lot of spots, though. Just be sure you like thin crust and grease.

I always think it's fun to walk around in Central Park which goes from 59th Street to 110th between Fifth and Central Park West. There's a lot to see there and it's only a few blocks North of Rockefeller Plaza.

Finally, although it sounds really "touristy," if it's your first time in the city, don't discount one of the double decker bus tours. You can cover a lot of ground, and the ticket is good for 24 hours and you can get off and on as often and as long as you want.

Also, get a MetroCard (daily, weekly, monthly) to use on the subways and bus systems. I agree, the subway is great! Plus, New York is one of the worlds great walking cities! The only reason I take public transportation is if I'm going to divergent parts of the area -- like Midtown to the Village or something like that.

Have a good time.