Morning: Head downtown and grab some breakfast at some of Soho’s best–but affordable!–spots. Try the lovely Spring Street Natural Restaurant (62 Spring St., corner of Lafayette) for fresh, delicious options or grab some charming homemade goodies and coffee at Once Upon a Tart (135 Sullivan St.)

Late Morning: Your Soho/Nolita Shop Gotham tour kicks off nearby. For two hours you will have exclusive guided access to the area’s hottest shops–and you get to use your Shop Gotham insider discounts all day! Book here.

Afternoon/Evening: While Soho is renowned for its fabulous shopping finds, that certainly isn’t the only activity available in this NYC neighborhood! Head over to Lucky Strike (59 Grand, btwn Wooster & W. B’way), the city’s hottest bowling alley, frequented by celebs and locals seeking a good time alike–no reservations required. Great for groups, this spot also serves up yummy food throughout the day along with DJed music and a bar.

You can also check out “HERE,” a unique, cutting-edge art space producing comedies, dance shows, music pieces, and much, much more. If you’re interested in an unforgettable, authentically NY experience, view the event calendar here.

After all this exploration you’ll have certainly worked up an appetite. Here are a few great downtown suggestions:

• For casual Asian “comfort food” try Soho gem Mooncake Foods (28 Watts St., nr Thompson St.). This friendly spot offers super-affordable salads, sandwiches, and great snacks like wontons and chicken wings.
• For delicious Thai food in a stylish and unique setting, try Peep (177 Prince St.).  A very trendy dinner spot, Peep (pictured below) also offers amazing multi-course lunch deals for under $10!

• For fresh, reliable Mediterranean options, try Snack (105 Thompson St., nr Prince St.). This popular lunch spot has great sandwiches and salads, and if it’s hot out don’t miss their killer mint lemonade!

Be sure to book your Shop Gotham tour in advance and your tour guide will be happy to point you in the right direction toward any of these amazing NYC hotspots! Enjoy!

NYC is a hotbed of culinary gems; don’t be afraid to branch out and explore the many delicious ethnic offerings throughout the city! There’s famous Indian food in Jackson Heights, authentic Italian in downtown Manhattan’s Little Italy, or delectable soul food in Harlem, a neighborhood that’s come a long, long way. Try the widely celebrated, family-operated Sylvia’s on 328 Lenox Ave (between 126th and 127th streets).

Shopping Tours for Specialty Groups

Happen to be Coming to NYC with a Student group in need of education and entertainment. Or a finicky Corporate Spouse group? Did you know that Shop Gotham hosts dozens of these type of programs each year, catering to the whims of young, discerning, and everything in-between. Let us give your peeps an insider shopping experience as only NYC can afford. Meet designers, shop like a VIP, enjoy discounts, special access and all kinds of other booty. For more info: http://www.shopgotham.com/custom-group-tours.php

3 More Reasons NYC Rocks

1) Almost All Shops are open on Sunday (exception: upper Madison avenue). We recommend taking our Soho & Nolita shopping tour at noon on Sunday. Wake up late. Take your tour. Follow it by a late leisurely lunch at a charming cafe in Soho or Nolita. Shop some more. Drag your bags home. Take a nap. A perfect sunday.

2)Cover bands at BBKings. Almost any musician you have ever loved is represented at BBkings by a “look-alike band”, who are often as good as the real deal. Typically $15. Civilized environment with food & bev.

3)Philharmonic in Central Park. True that about a zillion other people also show up to picnic under the stars. But there is always a patch of grass to snag and hey, its the NY Philarmonic for free!  July 17 2009.

This season offers a varied and unique array of things to do with your teen in the city. One of many: HBO has partnered with Bryant Park to offer the 2009 HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival, showing outdoor screenings of such classics as Harold and Maude and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Your teen will love the atmosphere, spending an evening picnicking with snacks from nearby ‘wichcraft kiosk (owned by Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio) at the famous site of New York Fashion Week! Grab a towel from your hotel room, pick up your gourmet sandwiches, sit back and enjoy! View the movie schedule here: http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/film-festival.php

Although the New York subway has come a long, long way in recent decades, it’s still full of busy New Yorkers in a rush to get where they need to be. For this reason, don’t stop or stall in the subway! Figure out your trip ahead of time, which is made easy by fantastic resources such as www.hopstop.com , which will give you step-by-step instructions for the trip between your starting point and final destination.

Today we went to see the cast of Hair play softball against the cast of Billy Elliot at Heckscher ball fields in Central Park. What a fun thing to do, even for long-time New Yorkers. If you are coming to NYC this summer, love to shop and also want to do some of the truly “cool” NYC stuff, here is a suggestion for a great 5 hours. 

Start out with a Shop Gotham 3-hour Garment Center “Insider” Tour commencing at 10am, Wed’s & Fri’s. Wholesale showrooms and sample sales – only in NYC. www.shopgotham.com 

Follow this with a stroll to the Heckscher field in Central Park, at 63rd street, just off Central Park West

Grab a sandwhich or burger at the Ballpark Cafe adjacent to the field.

Watch the world-class broadway stars compete against each other in the Broadway Show League. Again, only in NYC!   http://www.broadwayshowleague.com.

1.Pizza by the slice

2.Always a kook to gawk at

3.Broadway baseball league (summers) 

And #4 of course, insane shopping & shopping tours: www.shopgotham.com

Its almost irrelevant what the production is or starlette featured, as the experience of sitting in the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park on a balmy summer night is incomparable. And its free, but there are big strings attached to this lack of fee.

The first production this year is: Twelfth Night. June 9 – July 12, 2009, starring Anne Hathaway.

For tips on getting tickets, check out this link. http://gonyc.about.com/od/summer/tp/shakepeare_tips.htm

However, our suggestion  is the ever-handy Craigslist.com For a few bucks you can secure your tickets through one of the many (unemployed/semi-employed) “line sitters”, who make this their employment throughout the season and consequently better your life.