So Much To Do So Little Time: NYC

Walk! You can cover so much ground walking in New York and get so much exercise and you won't even feel tired. Walking New York is a great experience, especially in the right neighborhood.

Quick Tips:

Get an all-day Metrocard for just a few dollars and you can ride the subway anywhere you want for 24 hours - under normal circumstances it'll cost you per trip.

I know New York is quick-paced, and you'll realize that as you walk on the street, so try to keep up. Dont stop short in the middle of a street to snap a photo or stroll along while people are trying ot get past and around you.

Best Way To Get Around:

The subway. See my FreeForm entry about it. The subway in New York is a quick way to get around the city without the hassle of the congested streets.

Indochine: a place you want to try for a taste of New York City on a hip and trendy budget. Expensive but delectable, Indochine offers a menu of French-Vietnamese treats guaranteed to make your mouth water. You will never see a menu like it - it is one of those restaurants that treats food as art, prepared for your delight.

The decor is classy and natural with a tropical twist. It is accented with plants and dim lighting and the waitstaff normally dresses all in white or black, depending on the night. Most of them are trying to support themselves in modeling or acting, and in my experiences there they have proved to be very accommodating and friendly.

This is also not necessarily a place where you'd find many tourists, but many a local treats themselves to this dining experience, including many famous people, models and actors alike.

The food is, of course, the main event. The appetizers are normally finger lickers, including things like shrimp spring rolls and scallops, and the main courses include things like lemongrass chicken or stuffed ravioli in some of the lightest and most lovely sauces you'll ever taste.

At times, you have to speak up because the place gets a bit loud when it's crowded, but well worth the small inconveniences.

Coffee Shop is an "it" place in Manhattan. It's a restaurant, but it also turns into a very busy bar at night where hardly a seat can be found. If you have a dinner around 5:30 or 6, it will be nice and leisurely and they really do have a lovely menu with moderate prices. Their salads are good and diverse and large enough to make a meal, and their main courses include a lot of variety. This place is also good for lunch and dinner with children, because they do have the option of crayons and paper placemats. Outdoor dining is available.

One downside is that the waitstaff can at times be inattentive or on the snooty side, but it's a gamble - you win some, you lose some.

Well, if you're coming to New York, what's better than finding the best pizza joint in the city, right? I know you've heard of Ray's Famous, and that's all well and good, but you can't go wrong with Two Boots. The place in itself has a very fun and funky atmosphere, and by-the-slice joints are popping up all over New York. It's decorated with checkered tablecloths and walls laminated with fun-to-look-at eccentricities, and the beer is served in boots! There is a Cajun flair to Two Boots, though. You can get some of the best (and largest) thin-crust pizzas, but the place adds a twist with Cajun cuisine as well. Two Boots is definitely affordable too - you can get a soup-and-salad-included entree for less than $6 - and kids will love this place. A definite place to check out if you want the real flavor of New York.

From the outside, French Roast may look like just another diner/cafe the almost every corner along 6th Avenue in Chelsea boasts, but it's definitely a gem among them. This 24-hour joint really packs ‘em in but (I don’t know how they fit so many tables in the place), but it’s bigger than it looks and somehow you don’t feel like you’re sharing your meal with 20 strangers.

They specialize in French cuisine and their signature "dish" is the croque Monsieurs, which are traditionally filled with ham and cheese, but you can get many variations of them here. This is the cafe to come to whether you're alone or with five other people for some no-fuss diner food that’s really a step above diner food. Their hot chocolate is a must-have and is served in small soup bowls and they’re definitely generous with the portions. For lunch, you can have anything from a large salad (Caesar, goat cheese, Nicoise) to a piece of fish. The bar is also stocked for the late night crowd, but my favorite time of day to go is for a late breakfast/early lunch.

To some people, children especially, the word "museum" strikes up the word "boring," but not this place! I live in New York and I make it a point to visit at least twice a year because the Museum of Natural History really is a must-see. It's a very big museum and it is extremely hands-on. You can go through to halls and look at lifelike and life-sized panoramas of life throughout the ages, from Eskimos and aborigines to the way animals lived in the wild. Really fascinating stuff, and you're guaranteed to see an animal you've never even heard of before.

One of my favorite parts is the Hall of Ocean Life exhibit, which includes a humungous life-sized blue whale that hangs from the ceiling! You can also learn about anything and everything in the sea, from octopus to fish to jellyfish to anemonies.

There are also the dinosaurs and their bones assembled together, which kids adore, and a place where you can see the stones and gems that grow inside rocks and you can touch them.

Another fantastic permanent exhibit is the space section of the museum, which includes a planetarium and a mini-movie that runs about every 10 minutes.

As a whole, there is no getting bored in this museum. It has become so hands-on and interactive that you can have fun no matter what age you are, plus it's educational.

There is also a snack bar. This place is must-see and you get so much for your money, which is often just a donation upon entrance.

The ultimate farmers' market, open all year round, this is where farmers bring their freshly made goods down to Manhattan and sell them to us. You can find anything from freshly twisted Dutch pretzels to freshly jarred jams to fresh meat, milk, fruits and vegetables. A great place to walk around in the summer, it's also open in the winter, rain or shine, but fewer merchants come out in the winter or bad weather. The prices aren't high and it's worth sidestepping the grocery store to get the freshness that this farmers' market provides. Grab yourself a fresh sandwich, cookie or piece of fruit, sit in Union Square Park, which sits adjacent to the market, and people-watch! It's one of my favorite things to do.

OK, sorry for the lack of information up top, but my only advice on these bus tours is not to take them. I mean really, I see them on the streets all the time, and wouldn't it be far more fabulous for you to actually be on the streets with the people than to see it all from a bus? I'm sure the Empire State is far more grand from the top than looking at it from the top of a double-decker. Which are, by the way, environmental hazards.

My advice? Walk New York! New Yorkers do. :)

It's not as dirty or dangerous or confusing as you've heard. If you know where you're headed to, all you need to do is pick up a subway map in any subway station and you can navigate yourself around. The subway is a great experience. You see so many different people and you get around so quickly. Buy yourself an all-day pass and you can ride for just $7 as many times as you want when an ordinary ride would cost you $2 a pop.

Also, don't be afraid to ask someone on the street what subway line you may need to take - most NYers will be glad to help you out.

I've been on the subway and been asked how they stop the train so they can get off, but the train stops at every stop by itself, no levers to pull.

New York is as good a place as any (ok, the best place) to shop til you drop. A lot of people who are planning on making the trip to New York City ask me where the best places to go to shop are and in my experience I think starting at Canal Street and walking yourself up Broadway is a great route to take. This route is good for absolutely any budget: from those who are looking for designer names, to those who are looking for designer names for not-so designer name prices, to those who are looking to scavenger hunt. And there are great places to stop and eat along the way.

Canal Street and Broadway is very close to many subway lines (the N,R,6) and the route starts out on Canal Street at a marketplace of sorts. They sell CD's, jewelry, clothing, souvenirs, bags and tons of other cool finds all for cheap prices.

Broadway will always be your main road you want to stick to so once you're done with Canal Street, head up Broadway where you'll find some great stores, shops and restaurants. Don't bypass the vendors selling things like CD's, belts, hats, scarves and bags on the tables along Broadway. You can get some great finds there including some nice costume jewelry and faux designer bags for $20. Check out the stores as you stroll, you'll come upon a whole range of stores for a whole range of budgets from H&M on one block to Prada and Armani Exchange on the next. There are also nice delicacy stores like Dean and Deluca along the way and this is all in a span of about 5 blocks!

However, don't forget the sidestreets either. Like I said, keep Broadway as your main artery to walk down but once you hit Broome Street (not far from Canal Street) start taking a walk up some of the sidestreets west and east of Broadway (I like the shops West better). This is where some GREAT stores hide out and some big designers like Betsey Johnson, some makeup stores like FACE Stockholm, Origins, a large and really cool Apple store for MAC Users, a Quiksilver store among loads more. This is where you really get the essence of NY shopping; there's literally an overwhelming amount of places to look. Once you think you've thoroughly scouted the sidestreets head back to Broadway and continue walking up. If you go far enough you'll hit 14th Street Union Square and that's a great shopping route where you'll find a lot of great stuff. It may seem like a long walk but it's probably the same as walking circles in a mall!

In my experience this is definitely the best route to take for people of all budgets because you can find stuff anywhere from cheap to extravagant.

The number two route to take when shopping in New York is the famous 5th avenue around the 50's and up by Central Park. But beware. This is for the big spender.