 New York Guide Books (New Yorkers help please)?
Zagat's guide books to restaurants, to hotels, to shopping - you can look at it online at Zagat.com.New York Magazine is very good for that, as well, and is available at many Borders, Barnes and Nobles, the airport, train station, etc.As for New year's Eve-get there hours, and I mean hours, early. You can see the ball from the 50's, although the closer you get, the larger it looks. This link gives more answers to FAQ's about Times Square that day:http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_faq.html#bestViewThese offer other advice:http://www.nyctourist.com/newyears2.htmhttp://manhattan.about.com/od/eventsandattractions/a/timessquare2006.htmOn Broadway itself, Ellen's Stardust Diner...http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/--Ellen's is a diner with great atmosphere, but it gets crowded and there are no reservations. Your mom may especially like the fact that in the middle of serving, the waiters and waitresses stop serving to provide entertainment-they actually sing-mostly show tunes because they are aspiring Braodway performers, but not all show tunes. You can get a meal for under $15, because it is diner prices. Another suggestion is Carmine's. http://www.carminesnyc.com/(Go to the Theater District)Carmine's is family style, which means a large portion that you share like when your mom cooks supper and you all share the same meal, and I mean large-I am a man over 250 pounds, and I would go with my ex-wife, our teenage son, friends and their sons, and we ordered 3 meals and had quite a bit of leftovers...So, whatever the cost, you have enough that if you order the right thing, you have lunch or supper the next day just by warming it up. I am not joking about the sizes of the portions...You can get by at Carmine's, which has a huge reputation, for less than the $90 that would be an average of $30/person if you select a pasta or appetizer and main dish that you can all enjoy, plus drinks...and feel full. It is not out of the question, though, to have a MINIMUM 2-3 hour wait at Carmine's, especially if you do not make reservations NOW..yOU WANT TO CHECK IF THE STREET WILL BE CLOSED, BUT I DOUBT THAT IT WILL. As for hotels, New Year's Eve in Midtown, because it is both New York and New Year's, a "middle priced hotel" might be in the area of $250-300 and higher. If that is too high, than your best bet may be to go to a nearby Automobile Association of America travel agent, and obtain the New York and New Jersey books, or look for a hotel outside of the city, but within a decent train ride...(LIRR, PATH to Jersey, Amtrak to the upper counties). The city will be safe during that week (be careful though, there are probably more pickpockets per square inch in NYC at midnight 12/31-1/1 than any other time of the year in any other part of the country, because there is no way with the pushing going on anyone can tell who it was who picked their pocket or snatched their purse--this "New York Minute" podcast talks about tips for New Year's Eve)http://mefeedia.com/entry/3033512/ It may cost considerably cheaper to stay on the outskirts, and it is within a 45 minute ride. I hope some of this helps. | 
Well around Chrismas time me & my family ( me i'm 15, my brother he's 17, & our mom), our going to visit New York. So were trying to sort everything out. So can anybody suggest a great New York guide book? We want one that we can carry in my mom's purse but it needs to have a map. Also can anybody suggest a good place to eat around Broadway? It needs to be kind of cheap ( less than 30 dollars per person). And when we go to Time's Square to watch the ball drop do we have to pay/ reserve a ticket? Our is it free? One more question.... Can you tell us a good hotel to stay at around the Broadway/ Central Park area? It needs to be around the middle class price range. Any help would be great thanks 
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