<p>For teenage girls and surprisngly good time for you too, Mama Mia is a good choice (the ABBA songs are better than you might think). Becco is a good and relatively unpretentious Italian restaurant in the theater district, good for lunch on matinee day or dinner before evening performance (probably need reservations). Teenage girls will probably enjoy walking around in SoHo looking at the shops. They might also like Bloomingdale’s, which is so vast and varied, and different in scale from mall department stores. That positions you to go to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate or other indulgences (also pretty good for lunch but save room for dessert). Incidentally, I don’t know about seeing Wicked if you have already seen the SF version–both original leads (who were spectacularly good) have left the cast, so I would not think the performances would be appreciably different from what you have just seen.</p>
<p>HIDDEN INFORMATION-IMPORTANT</p>
<ol>
<li>As you are aware, B’way ticket prices are sky high, and the Theater Development Fund maintains a half-price booth on 46th and B’way that sells half-price tickets for shows not selling out. Unfortunately, the lines are long and the show selection can sometimes be meager.</li>
</ol>
<p>What is not widely publicized, however, is that as most of the funding for the fund comes from Wall Street firms. In order to accomodate the financial community, the Fund maintains A SECOND ticket office downtown across the street from the South Street Seaport. Lines aare much shorter, and the selection is also considerably better.</p>
<p>Also, if you wish to get half price tickets in advance, you can go to the information desk at the Vistors Bureau on 48th and seventh. Ask for show discount tickets. They will give you discount coupons you can take directly to the theater to buy tickets in advance.</p>
<p>IMPORTANT! BOTH THEATER DEVELPMENT FUND BOX OFFICES TAKE ONLY CASH. Individual box offices, however take all amjor charge cards.</p>
<p>Best Mueums</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Musem of Modern Art. If you are in a hurry. Just visit fifth floor. About a trillion dollars worth of Picassos, Miros, Van Goghs, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Musem of Metropolitan Art. In a hurry? Visit Anciet Egypt. Rembrants, First Piano, and Washington crossing the Delaware.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>To avoid…In my opinion Rose Planeterium. If you have one in your home town it’s not that much different. All the star shows are computerized now and make the national tour. Not worth killing a day in my opinion.</p>
<p>Best Italian Reataurants for Tourists.</p>
<p>Patsy’s or Sardis–worly class resaurants and you will prob see a few recognizable show people</p>
<p>Most far out experiences for teenage girls.</p>
<p>Book a horseback riding lesson at claremont riding academy.</p>
<p>Shopping at Bergorf Goodman’s or Henri Bendel’s</p>
<p>Comedy Club in Village (with 15 yos, make sure it’s the early show)</p>
<p>If you go to the TDF TKTS booth at south street seaport you can purchase your tickets at about 11:00 am and the lines are much shorter</p>
<p>i would definitely skip Bloomingdales in SOHO because there is not even a remotely wide selection of stuff- go to the 59th street store.</p>
<p>TKTS is a good source but not for shows which are currently very popular. As someone else said, there are two locations but the hours are different so have a look at their website for details.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tdf.org/tkts/#[/url]”>http://www.tdf.org/tkts/#</a></p>
<p>It is sometimes possible to go ‘last minute’ to the one in Times Square and avoid the lines. This, obviously, is only if you aren’t picky about what you see. Also, correction to what was earlier posted, the selection at both locations is exactly the same, it is all computerized so both locations have access to the same seats. The only exception is that at the Seaport booth, you have to purchase Wed. matinees on Tuesday. This won’t influence you because you won’t be there on a Wed. If you’re coming from such a distance and have your hearts set on seeing a show, I wouldn’t recommend relying on TKTS because you may be disappointed, either by not being able to get tickets or by only being able to get not-so-great tickets.</p>
<p>There are many ways to get discounted tickets. Join the (free) membership at playbill.com to take advantage of their discounts. Also, go to <a href=“http://www.broadwaybox.com%5B/url%5D”>www.broadwaybox.com</a> and get any and all discount codes available which will reduce the prices quite a bit. </p>
<p>Most shows have rush policies these days, thanks to Rent. If there’s a show that you’d like to see but don’t want to plan for ahead of time, this is a good last minute type way to try to get tickets. Most are a lottery system where you show up a couple of hours before curtain and put your names in a hat. If your name is drawn, you need to pay with cash and if it’s student rush, have student I.D. These tickets, at many shows, are first two rows orchestra and cost $20-25. A real deal!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428.html[/url]”>http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428.html</a></p>
<p>p.s. I can understand your girls loving Wicked and I’m glad you got to see the tour. Was Stephanie Block on the night you went? She’s fantastic and, in my opinion, better than Idina Menzel in the role. 
Currently the actors on Broadway are excellent, Shoshana Bean and Megan Hilty are extremely talented, and young! Megan just graduated from college last spring. Also, Ben Vereen is currently in the show and he’s fun to see (probably more for you than for your girls!)</p>
<p>Recently saw D.R.S., Lithgow was great, but Norbert Butz stole the show. Very funny.</p>
<p>Any show that has tickets available at the box office is genrally at the TDF box office. If you’re set on seeing the current “hot” shows such as wicked or spamalot and have seen that they’re sold out online , try stubhub.com. I assume you don’t want to spend the better part of a day waiting at the theater for a “shot” at getting returns.</p>
<p>Florida, I’m not sure if your comment was directed to the information on rush policies or not, but I thought I’d clarify. Rush tickets are not returns. Shows set aside these tickets for EVERY show, so they’re always available, and you don’t have to wait hours. You arrive two and a half hours before curtain to enter your name, in a half hour the names are called and that’s that. You know if you have your tickets or not, and you can go off and have dinner before the show… Return lines are something else entirely, and I agree that it’s not always worth waiting in those lines. :)</p>
<p>C’mon Always. BE real. Patient is taking her twins for a couple of days . I think being in a lottery for a shot at seeing a show is not the memory she has in mind. Loads of good shows around at TDF or at the discount booth at the visiters center.</p>
<p>Actually, I stand by my Vistor’s center desk for first reco. That way she can take the discount tkts to the box office, get the tkts she wants for the time she wants. No wasting time on lines, or being left disapointed.</p>
<p>Florida, no need to be rude. If you’ll check back through my previous posts in this thread, you’ll see that my first recommendation is always to order tickets in advance if there’s a particular show you want to see and you’re coming from any distance. I also suggested the discount codes and programs through playbill and broadwaybox, which, quite frankly, are much easier than using the voucher system. My suggestion for the rush seats was only if they had another particular show they might want to see and try for, last minute. It’s got nothing to do with creating a ‘memory’.</p>
<p>sybbie, I was referring to the 59th St Bloomingdale’s as my subsequent ref to Serendipity makes cleer, or so I thought. I mentioned SoHo as an additional destination because teenage girls enjoy wandering around in SoHo looking at stuff in the various small shops.</p>
<p>Thank you all! As always, CC is such a treasure of information-- I post a query, go to bed, and wake up with a full itinerary planned by all my CC friends! I will print this out now and start planning the shopping route 
and checking into ticket availability, and will also PM people if I need more specific information. Once again, thank you so much for your generosity of spirit in taking the time to post all of this! </p>
<p>To answer a couple of posters who asked above–we are traveling the weekend of October 13-17 (5 day weekend here), and we are staying at the Kimberly in midtown Manhattan. The flights and the hotel are all reserved, now the fun part begins…</p>
<p>Mattsmom,</p>
<p>No problem. I hope that you don’t think I directing anything specifically toward you (please accept my apology as it was not my intention). I was jsut giving my opinion that if one is going to stop by bloomingdales, that the soho store really does not have much of a selection. I feel the same way about the lacoste, burberry, channel stores in soho also. </p>
<p>Maybe it’s just me as I am not a big fan of soho (all though D is a fan). while there are a lot of small shops I just find that the selections are so limited so you might as well stay uptown on 57th st or go to 34th street where imho you definitely have more shopping alternatives.</p>
<p>Mattsmom,</p>
<p>No problem. I hope that you don’t think I directing anything specifically toward you (please accept my apology as it was not my intention). I was jsut giving my opinion that if one is going to stop by bloomingdales, that the soho store really does not have much of a selection. I feel the same way about the lacoste, burberry, channel stores in soho also. </p>
<p>Maybe it’s just me as I am not a big fan of soho (all though D is a fan). while there are a lot of small shops I just find that the selections are so limited so you might as well stay uptown on 57th st or go to 34th street where imho you definitely have more shopping alternatives. As long as one is on 57th street they might as well check out the shops at columbus circle</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.shopsatcolumbuscircle.com/scs/user/shopsname.aspx[/url]”>http://www.shopsatcolumbuscircle.com/scs/user/shopsname.aspx</a></p>
<p>Daffy’s <a href=“http://www.daffys.com/[/url]”>http://www.daffys.com/</a> is another great and relatively inexpensive place for upscale clothing. There are stores all over Manhattan.</p>
<p>Another show that my D wanted to see (and didn’t get to) was Movin’ Out. With music by Billy Joel and choreography by Twyla Tharp (D loves dance), it’s a great show that’s due to close, so check the website if you’re interested.</p>
<p>patient, more thoughts on theater–I think you can check on the Theater Development Fund Web site to see which shows are available at the TKTS book on a given day, and though what is available now won’t be exactly what is available in October, checking the Web site will give you some idea of whether getting tickets at the TKTS booth is a good idea. I think most of the shows mentioned so far woud be available, but teh Web site is full of useful information anyway. If you want to be more definite in your planning, it might be worth spending the money on seats through ticketmaster or telecharge, just to have a schedule to work with. And remember that the TKTs booth does not take credit cards.</p>
<p>on food: If you are visiting NYU, there is a restaurant nearby ( I think on Sullivan Street or Thompson Street, but not sure) that specializes in all sorts of peanut butter sandwiches and cookies–not Italian, but again something that might appeal to teenage girls (I forget what it is called but you can probably find it in Zagat or on the Web, or another CCer may know).</p>
<p>What, nobody mentioned Century 21!!! (Edit: OOPS, someone did.) It’s down right next to Ground Zero–had to be closed for over a year after 9/11. I think the men’s department is better than the woman’s selection, but it’s definitely a NY experience. (It’s in all the guide books for foreigners.) If anyone needs shoes or boots, this is THE place. You might miss the lingerie shop on the second floor–don’t! In the alcove, it usually has cute pajamas for teenage girls. Hit the houseware department in the basement–it’s an experience and the NY section often has good souvenirs for less $ than the same items are in most other stores. </p>
<p>If you have time, wander over to Park Row and see J&R. It’s a trip. Lots of little store fronts in which J&R has expanded bit by bit. Not clothing, but CDs, computers, personal appliances, cameras, etc. </p>
<p>There are several different H&M’s in Manhattan. There is a big new one near Bloomie’s. If you go to that one, don’t miss the big Daffy’s on 57th Street around Lex. There’s also a new Urban Outfitters store near Bloomie’s. Or you could do the 34th Street run–there’s Macy’s, a smaller Daffy’s–but still good sized, across from it; Old Navy, Gap, H&M, Ann Taylor Loft, Forever 21, Zara, etc. (If you visit NYU, you can hop on the train at West 4th and be at 34th in a couple of stops.) </p>
<p>For fun, if you go to Macy’s, wander down Broadway–go south. You’ll see a zillion costume jewelry places–many of which sell both retail and wholesale. If the girls have pierced ears, check out Earrings Plaza at Broadway and 32nd. There’s many, many costume jewelry shops in this area. This is just one of the many. Everyone has a favorite. </p>
<p>Another fun shopping area is 14th Street, Union Square. A big Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Virgin, and on the right day, a Greenmarket–farmers selling their products. Lots of other stores too. (The 4 or 5 Express train will get you from 14th Street to 59th Street (Bloomingdale’s) in two stops, so it doesn’t take long. )</p>
<p>For a fun, kind of wacky Italian place, there’s Angel’s . It’s on First Ave about 62nd or so. It doesn’t take reservations as far as I know; you just wait. Prices are very reasonable by NY standards. One of the John’s Pizzarias isn’t too far away. These are not too far a walk from Bloomingdale’s. </p>
<p>Here’s a hint for getting around Manhattan. Zero is Fifth Avenue on numbered streets. So, as the numbers go down, you are walking towards Fifth. As they go up, you are walking away from it. You may already know this, but just in case…</p>
<p>Two 15 yr olds are gonna want to do the Times Square/TRL ritual. Then,really, they’ll have a great choice of places in that area to pick from to eat.Ellens Stardust Diner, Ollie’s,Carmine’s,Blue Smoke?
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Avenue Q as a show to see…or is it too mature for 15 yr olds?
They’ll also love wandering the area around NYU…really I think they are going to be wanting to do alot of hanging out and people watching on the streets…probably couldnt care less if they see the inside of a museum.
That could be a glorious time frame for a Central Park outing,if they are into it…
As for H&M,they are expanding…D (22) is now living in St Louis (we’re NY’ers) and excitedly just told me there’s a sign up for H&M coming this Fall to the Galleria Mall.</p>