Visit the 9–11 Memorial and Museum.

Have you been to NYC before?

I think walking around Soho and the village are two fun things to do.

For what to do, I’d say it depends on what you’re into. If you’re into hanging outside and seeing street life, you can sit in Washington Square park and chill.

If you are into the outdoors, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is great and right nearby is the Brooklyn Art Museum. Not a very well known place but incredible.

Cloisters in upper Manhattan is great. Medieval tapestries and a real sense of calm will enfold you. It’s in the middle of a park and it’s out of the way of downtown so it’s peaceful.

Are you into stores and downtown stuff? 5th Avenue is where you’ll find all the big high end retailers. If you’re into architecture, there’s cool architecture all over the city.

It all depends on what you’re into.

If you’re into “free” here are some suggestions: http://www.nycgo.com/articles/free-nyc-museums

Also keep in mind that if you want to see an incredible museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a “suggested” cost of admission, so you can actually pay whatever you want. A dollar, five dollars, ten dollars, whatever you feel.

New York City events next week: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/events-calendar/april-events-calendar

The Whitney Biennial! It’s on right now, and it is in the new Whitney at the end of the Highline in the Meatpacking District.

Spend a day or half a day in Central Park – the skateboarders, the cyclists, the zoo, the boat pond are all delightful and most of it is as it was when Olmstead and Calvert designed it. You can combine that with a visit to the MET. Circle Line around Manhattan or a Grayline sightseeing bus from the top deck. Oh – try to get to Marie’s Crisis in the Village – it’s a tiny little bar in the Village where professional actors and amateurs (many gay) sing Broadway songs around a piano. Late at night is best there.

If you want a splurge, an elegant afternoon tea can be had at the Lowell Hotel on the East Side.

For theater, my cousin said “In Transit” is delightful at the Circle in the Square and shouldn’t be hard to get tickets to. “Avenue Q” is also great if still around and your daughter would love it too. I’m also planning to see “Indecent” and “The Play that Went Wrong” later this spring.

The Morgan Library is great and a short visit is fine. Nice cafe there too.

The Highline is fun – although I don’t like it as much as others do – for walking with the Whitney at the end.

Lastly, maybe have brunch with some friends.

I must see The Play That Goes Wrong. I’ve been doing community theatre for 47 years.

^ It’s supposed to be hilarious.

I’ve heard that “Dear Evan Hansen” is excellent too but have not seen it.

If you’re up by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, another museum that’s smaller but a good way to spend a few hours is the Cooper Hewitt, which is part of the Smithsonian.

https://www.cooperhewitt.org/

When you get back from your trip, let us know what you did.

Another thing: Don’t listen when people suggest you go way out of your way for some good pizza. There’s no bad pizza in New York city, there’s better and best. Any bad pizza place wouldn’t survive. So if you want to check out some pizza, just eat wherever is convenient.

Ride the Staten Island Ferry at least once. Go out early in the morning and then back in with the last of the rush hour gang. It’s the best free ride in town. You’ll be there a bit too early for my favourite spot : https://govisland.com . I do love the Cloisters but don’t often go as I tend to stay below 20th Street. I try to spend at least a couple of hours at the Strand bookstore at the beginning of my trips. Pick up a few disposable books from the cheap racks outside to start your visit.

If you like superb chocolates (even if you don’t), go to the Kees on Thompson. I don’t really like chocolate (or thought I didn’t) but went on a chocolatiers’ tour of Manhattan through Fine Cooking magazine years ago. We only went to chocolatiers who made their chocolates in Manhattan. No imports. Only same-day chocolates. Turns out I like fresh, well-made confections. Kees was by far the winner. http://www.keeschocolates.com I had to have a private moment after my first taste of Kees work.

Look for some walking tours like those by Big Onion on various topics. If you can find a “Noshing in NY” type tour they’re lots of fun.

There are free walking tours too.

Here’s a link to a list of walking tours – note, there’s one for theater lovers.

My two favorite ways to see the skyline.

Take the subway to Brooklyn in the morning and walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan in front of you.

Take the Staten Island Ferry and time it so you watch the Statue of Liberty at dusk/sunset , and come back looking at the lights (so plan to be on the return boat about 8 PM the week of 11 April 2017).

oh I miss riding the ferry. Take me with you!

Have a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the lobby at the Algonquin. You’ll feel your literary acumen rise and your wallet shrink.

The New Yorker’s Goings On section always has things that interest me.

I would pick up a copy at a newsstand, it’s a lot easier to scan. The online version is hard navigate because it only shows a few things on screen at a time.

It’s divided into sections:
Art
Classical Music
Dance
Food & Drink
Movies
Night Life
The Theatre
Above & Beyond

I also like https://www.timeout.com/newyork and http://nymag.com/agenda/ for more options.

I’ve had good luck (and great fun) going through yelp’s front page for New York, where people talk about upcoming events/parties. A few years ago, I was planning a trip with friends from the US/Canada/Germany to the LES. Through yelp I met (online) a couple of magicians. Our group was invited to a party some entertainers were having in the back of a bar on St. Marks’ Place. It was mostly magicians trying out bits in preparation for gigs they had in Las Vegas. Fabulous party. We also ended up going to a yelp outdoor movie get-together. We were out of the age demographic of most of the group, but they were so welcoming and really showed us a great time.

^^ You can also try meetup.com for interest groups that are meeting that week such as a theater goers group.