Get yourself a copy of "TimeOut" magazine (the same people do a magazine for London, among other cities) or the Village Voice (comes out, what, Wednesdays?). That will tell you what's going on and where. On one NY trip, I ended up seeing Eddie Izzard that way, completely at the last minute. The auditorium was already full and they had us sitting on the stage itself. Great show.

Another thought: if you're into that sort of thing, you could try getting into Letterman or Jon Stewart's show.

NYC is all about food, of course. Some of my favorites:

- Lombardi's Pizza (32 Spring St.) - one of the few pizzerias left in the city that has a coal-burning oven. Really, really good stuff.

- 2nd Avenue Deli (near 11th St.) - one of several authentic Jewish delis, this is my family's favorite destination.

- Ferrara's Bakery & Cafe (195 Grand St.) - awesome Italian desert / pastry case (and adjacent to Chinatown, so you can inhale that whole Chinese / Italian vibe)