NYC suggestions?

I'm going to be in NYC for business and my mom's going to join me since she's never been there. We've got part of the weekend to spend together, then she'll be seeing the sights on her own while I'm at a conference.

Julie, I know you live there. Do you (and/or others) have suggestions for what we can do during the evenings? I'm sure she'll want to see Times Square and a Broadway show. What shows are hot right now? And is there a way to get discount tickets? Last time I was there, I waited in line for a last minute ticket to The Lion King, which I'm glad I did, but it certainly wasn't cheap.

[Auspicious]

I think a Broadway play is an excellent way to spend an evening visiting NYC, but since we don't go to many, I'm afraid I won't be as helpful as I'd like to be. I also think Times Square after dark is a good idea. A lot of natives will act like they'd rather have root canal than go to Times Square, but I like it there (in smallish doses)--it has a very hopeful, un-cynical energy that's fun to walk around in, in my opinion. I always feel like I have a bounce in my step when I'm in Times Square. It will be crowded, though.

My only Broadway advice is that I have seen "Avenue Q" and I wouldn't really recommend it. It was cute, but a little underwhelming for a Broadway show in my opinion. "Wicked: A New Musical" looks good to me, but it all depends on what your individual tastes are. I'd poke around on citysearch and see what you like (http://newyork.citysearch.com). That's what we do when we're looking for a change of pace from our usual dinner-and-a-movie evenings--you can usually turn up something that will interest you. Does your mom like poetry slams?

The TKTS booth is widely acknowledged to be the best way to get discounted tickets, I believe, especially if you can be a bit flexible in what you're willing to see.

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I wouldn't worry so much about what shows are hot, because if a show is hot, mere mortals probably can't get tickets to it anyway.

I envy your mom, visiting New York for the first time--I'll complain about the hassles of living here all day long, but there's no denying that it's an amazing city and seeing it for the first time is an exciting experience.

Julie,

Thanks for the tips! I know we won't run out of things to do, but I want to get the good stuff in during my limited free time there

My mom's really excited and I'm happy it's working out that she can go (my dad's a large child and doesn't like to be left alone). She and I have never traveled together, just the two of us, and there are so many places I would love to take her to.

I can imagine that living there would get tiring. Where do you go when you need a break from all the people?