Itinerary coming together; need lots of feedback

I%26#39;ve been trying to plan my 2 1/2 day, 2 night stay in July for months now. Coming solo and wanting to see parts of the city I%26#39;ve never seen. I%26#39;ve done the touristy stuff: ESB, SOL, Times Sq, Central Park.

Want to shop and check out one of the museums. My second night is already planned as I%26#39;m seeing Michael Buble at Radio City so I%26#39;m covered from dinner on that night. Need to figure out how to wisely spend the rest of my time!

Here goes my list of things to see/do, many ideas coming from my Lonely Planet guide. I%26#39;ll follow my rough itinerary with a few requests for suggestions. Thanks in advance for anyone%26#39;s help.

MON: Arrive thru JFK at 8am. Will take train to Pod Hotel; probably stop by Ess A Bagel for quick breakfast. Is it worth my time eating here?.............After breakfast I plan to head to TOTR as it%26#39;s the only ';touristy'; thing still on my list to see. Will pay a visit to St Patrick%26#39;s and stroll 5th Ave for a bit. .........Make my way to Lower East Side b/c I want to check out F*** Yoga. Again, worth my time? I like that kitschy stuff. What about Inoteca for lunch? This was a suggestion from Lonely Planet but others are welcome............

I want to see more cute but unpretentious stores after lunch, perhaps in Soho or Nolita? A bit about myself: I am in my 30s and I would be shopping on a budget. I won%26#39;t be considering any item over $50. I%26#39;m a jeans and Tshirt kind of mom. Does this help with what stores to recommend?Are areas like Elizabeth St, Mott, or Prince worth my time? What about Bloomie%26#39;s Soho?

I have reservations for dinner at Colors. I%26#39;ve seen mixed reviews here on TA but I feel I must try it for myself. I%26#39;m moved by the whole idea of this restaurant%26#39;s creation. Suggestions again, please. Perhaps something else in the Village?

TUE: Will start with breakfast at Brooklyn Diner based on reviews here on TA. I believe I read that Bettina is a fan so it must be good enough for me too! I have booked the S** and the City tour for 11am. Here%26#39;s something I%26#39;d love to know: what areas of town will I be seeing on this tour? Is it possible to get the feel for any given area on this tour so I can explore other areas with my remaining time? ............Any good lunch ideas, something quick, after the tour? Bear in mind that after the 3 hr tour I will only have a few hours to get back to my hotel and freshen up before my 6pm reservation at Maria Pia. I might even need to squeeze a nap in before dinner! I%26#39;ll then head to Radio City for the concert.

I%26#39;ll call it a night after the show.

WED: My flight departs at 4pm from JFK. Shall I allow more than 2 hrs for travel/check-in/security?

Herein lies my dilemma: What to do with my 4 hrs or so of time that morning? I don%26#39;t anticipate getting up and moving before 8am. Are there any good breakfast joints around the Pod other than Ess A Bagel?..........I am thinking of spending my remaining time at either the NYPL or the Met. I have never visited either and they are both places that my hubby would not appreciate so I must try one!

First the NYPL.............I%26#39;ll just want to see the highlights. Would 2 or 3 hrs do it? Also for lunch around there, any suggestions? What about Red Flame or Virgil%26#39;s?

The Met........Again, 2 or 3 hrs enough? I know I surely won%26#39;t be able to appreciate all there is to see in such short time but I%26#39;d just like to see a little and if I like it, there is always another trip! What about lunch in the Met?

Which would you choose or would you suggest another way to spend 4 hrs?

I know this post was incredibly long winded so I hope I%26#39;m forgiven. Just don%26#39;t want to squander any of my precious time alone in my favorite city. I%26#39;ve done a lot of international traveling in my thirty some years and nothing compares to NYC. I look fwd to any and all comments!

Itinerary coming together; need lots of feedback

Sorry, I%26#39;m not much help with itineraries. Just want to wish you happy travels.

Itinerary coming together; need lots of feedback

Imo, Ess-A-Bagel is certainly worth your time. I don%26#39;t know of any other ';must go'; places for breakfast in the area but there are loads of options. I don%26#39;t know what F***Yoga is. Inoteca is good but there are loads of places down there.

I think you%26#39;ll have a hard time finding cute/cool but inexpensive stuff unless you do some discount shopping or careful picking. Uniqlo in Soho might be a good idea.

www.uniqlo.com/us/stores/ny_soho_store.html

Do you know about H %26amp; M?

edgeny.com in Nolita would be worth a look, but closed Mon/Tues. and only opens on Wed. at noon.

http://edgeny.com/about.php

I don%26#39;t know what NYPL is. The Red Flame is nothing special, just convenient if you%26#39;re near there. I wouldn%26#39;t go out of my way.

Have you looked at the budget guide from NY Magazine. Might get some more ideas for both shopping and eating.

nymetro.com/cheap

PS, Bloomingdales Soho might be good for tops, but you%26#39;ll have a hard time finding jeans there for under $50 I think. Loehmann%26#39;s has a decent selection of discount designer jeans and there%26#39;s a Levi%26#39;s store across from the main Bloomingdales.

Lucky brand jeans (maybe you have a store near you?) are currently running a sale --their $100 jeans are $49.

www.luckybrandjeans.com/Search.aspx鈥?/a>

Scoop is a store with several locations that carries trendy stuff SOME of which is affordable.

nywhiz, thanks for the tips. By NYPL I meant the New York Public Library. I%26#39;m a big library person so I wondered if I should check that out.

Anyone else out there want to add their 2cents? I%26#39;m all ears! Thanks.

DEFINITELY visit the NYPL- my daughter is a bibiophole as well, and her trip was not complete without a visit there. Be sure to bring some ID so you can get your own Library card- with your photo and everything! Then you can request books using the CatNYP system. There is usually a great exhibit in the hall on the 2nd floor- we caught one about old maps of the civil war- great timing, since we live in the DC area.

The gift shop has a good assorment of NYPL paraphenalia- all with the signature lions on it. They also have a great selection of kid book themed merchandise.

Best of all, the a/c feels really good on a hot day in the city.

Hi.

Have you thought about checking out Century 21 for shopping? If you do I would recommend going as early as possible. We were there when the doors first opened and it was fine, but after it has been open even one hour it gets very busy. You should be able to get some good deals there.

http://www.c21stores.com/nyc.asp

Also Macy%26#39;s might be good, and you might be able to catch a sale at Bloomingdales. If you sign up on their website they will email you when they have sales. Because you are a visitor if you spend $100.00 at Bloomingdales and go back to the customer service desk on the first floor (bring receipt) you get a great tote bag. Also they offer an 11% discount for visitors...I am not certain if that only applies to out of the country....not sure if it is valid for out of state visitors.

I agree with the suggestion about H %26amp; M. You should be able to get some great items there for reasonable prices.

You are so lucky to have tickets to Michael Buble. I would be interested in hearing how the concert was as well as the S** and the City tour.

Hope you have fun!

decorator, thanks for the tips. I visited Century 21 on my last visit and loved the bargains I found though I found it a bit too crowded for my taste. I have Macy%26#39;s here at home but I read so many nice things about Macy%26#39;s in NYC so I might have to try that!.........Planning to hit Loehmann%26#39;s too.

I%26#39;m dying to see Michael Buble and I love, love, love SATC so I%26#39;m excited about that too. I%26#39;ll be happy to share my thoughts in a trip report when I return. Ciao!

travellingmama..I love the Metropolitan Museum..so much to see,awe-inspiring..also, it%26#39;s fun to go up to the roof top-get some wonderful views..then have lunch in the central Park boathouse restaurant,watch the rowers..

right now there is agreat frogs exhibit,and mythical dragons/mermaids exhibit @ museum of Natural history;then visit next door New york historical society:if you like libraries,theirs is very good. Lunch @ Isabellas is nice.

I just returned from quick trip;the weather was glorious..it may be quite hot/muggy while you%26#39;re there,but everything is air conditioned,so a light sweater may come in handy(i was chilled to the bone in some of the restaurants)

I saw many people dining solo (used to do it myself on many occasions),for brunch,dinner,etc..

have a great time,and report back!

gioiellini,

I%26#39;m torn btwn the Met and NYPL! I know I can visit one on my next visit but it%26#39;s hard to choose! Thanks for the tips. I am also the type who freezes due to AC in the summer do I always travel with a ';granny sweater';, as my hubby likes to tease me.

Will report back!

I like the Brooklyn Diner..something for everyone..you won%26#39;t be disappointed..

i did try Pigalle and Thalia,both around 48th or 50th Street near theater district,and had wonderful breakfast/brunch experiences..