The hubbie will be attending a conferecnce in NYC the first few days in October so I thought I would tag along for fun. What's good in theater these days (that will still be running then)? Any suggestions greatly appreciated. And has anyone stayed at the Park Central Hotel? That's where the conference is, we got a good rate so we will be staying there. I've only been to New York once in the last decade so I haven't figured out what to do there yet.

We went back home to NYC this past May. We got tickets to see The Boy From Oz with Hugh Jackman. It was incredible. Jackman won the Tony this year for Best Actor in a Musical. I would strongly suggest tickets for this excellent play.

October is a terrific time to visit the City.

We saw Producers for second time last month. Current cast just as good as Lane & Broderick. It is a fun show.

I just read a review of the current cast in Hairspray including Michael MacKeon in the Harive Fierstein role and they say itis even better than the original. I highly recommend it.

All of the above are excellent. Also consider Wicked with Kirsten Chenoweth (Nomminated for Best Actress) and Idina Mazell(sp?) (who won the Tony for Actress). We are still singing the songs!

Also enjoyed dinner at Blue Fin (Fish restaurant in Times Square), Felidia (Italian-modern, Four Seasons, and La Grenouille.

I also enjoyed the Frick Collection Museum and always enjoy the Metropolian Museum. The Grayline Tours where you can hop on and off the bus all day to see the various sites is good. The Midtown tour is $37.00 and you can hop on and off for two full days.

I also really liked the Lion King. The songs are the same but the costumes are truly amazing!!

Masaki

Avenue Q is excellent - we laughed through the whole evening. October is a great time to visit - generally still warm and the leaves starting to turn.

New York magazine (www.newyorkmetro.com) is a weekly and has quite a bit of information as to what's on in the NY, current information on the restaurant front, and a section on sample sales for the period of your visit. Century 21 is fun for discount clothes. I like to visit Chelsea Market (9th avenue between 15th & 16th). If you decide to go, be sure to see what new designs are available in Eleni's cookies. They are expensive but I don't think I've seen anything like them elsewhere.

Sarabeth's is a breakfast favorite. The Little Italy section on Mulberry Street is always memorable for dinner one evening.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your visit! Cheers, Anne

ALL GOOD SUGGESTIONS. I can personally recommend The Boy From Oz, HAirspray & the Producers. The other shows are all good too, but I have not seen them. I'd also add RENT to the list, but that may have been in Oakland already.

As for restaurants - not too far from the Park Central is my personal favorite - Rosa Mexicano.
Also nearby is Thalia Restaurant which I love, and is especially good for a weekend brunch.

We have a timeshare at the Manhattan Club which is literally connected to the Park Central. We're going up tomorrow to see "Avenue Q" and "Wicked." We're eating at Le Bernardin and DB Moderne--both convenient to theaters. There are also a number of new restaurants (involving famous chefs) in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, which is only a few blocks away from the Park Central. For fantastic views and interesting food, Asiate on the 35th floor of the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel is worth considering. For a real "steal" foodwise, Jacques Pepin suggested we go to L'Ecole at the French Culinary Institute (they have a good Web site with menus), which is very good, but far down Broadway. "The Boy From Oz" closes in mid-September--Hugh Jackman was terrific. "Hairspray" and "The Producers" also were very good, though we saw them with the original casts. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. I'm really looking forward to being in New York. Now, I just need to get the planning and booking underway!