Happy feet, the subway and personal choices...

Your feet will be your best or worst pals. New York is a wonderful walking city. It's easy to go dozens of blocks as you look into shop windows, take photos and just, plain people watch. Make sure you have good walking shoes. This city is one place where it doesn't matter what style or color those shoes are. Nobody cares so make yourself as comfortable as you can.

Don't waste valuable vacation time figuring out your transportation options. Before you go learn about the subway and bus systems. You'll find everything you need to know about routes, types of tickets and where to buy those tickets at the Metropolitain Transit Authority site. Since we were four women it was often easier and cheaper to hail a cab to get places. However during peak traffic hours we found the subway easier, faster and less expensive.

Do some pre-trip planning. Each of my pals had certain things they felt they must see or do. We all put two non-negotiable things into our itinerary and then planned around those. That meant none of us went home disappointed.

Our hotel earned a gold star rating...

We stayed at Hotel on the Ave on 77th and Broadway and it was a fabulous choice. The location was perfect for what we wanted to see and do, our nicely decorated rooms were spacious, and the shower stall in our modern bathroom was big enough for a mom to wash five kiddies at the same time. We got a newspaper outside our door and coffee was served in the lobby each morning. There was free WiFi in the lobby as well. However, most important to us was the genial hotel staff who offered service with a smile each and every time we requested it. When Journeywoman realized she had left her iphone power cord at home the assistant manager happily shared his with her and saved the day. Plus there were two female conscierge desks in the lobby and those girls knew their stuff. This hotel definitely earned a JW Gold Star rating from us. Our group all agreed we'd come back here 'in a New York minute.' For Hotel on the Ave's specials and packages, click here.

Discount shopping and great eats...

If you like discount shopping then just a few blocks away from our hotel in either direction on Broadway were Loehman's , 2101 Broadway and Filene's Basement at 2222 Broadway.

Where to eat without breaking the bank was easy. We consulted our list of New York Cheap Eats already posted at the Journeywoman website. To that we added Jubilee, a wonderful french bistro that serves a prix-fixe dinner menu between 5:00-7:00 PM. Two courses for $25 and three for $30. Highly recommended. Address: 347 E. 54th Street.

For our first lunch in NYC our concierge pointed us to Isabella's at 359 Columbus Ave and 77th not far from the hotel. This neighbourhood restaurant complete with outdoor patio serves 'casually sophisticated' Mediterranean cuisine and we 'indulged' in one of the best Chicken Cobb Salads we'd ever eaten.'Indulged' is a perfect word as the beautifully presented plates were definitely made to be shared by two. To check their menu, click here.

The Stage Deli is an institution in New York and 2011 marks it's 70th year of doing business. It's known for it's huge smokemeat and pastrami sandwiches and uber slices of cheese cake. We popped in because we were tired and feeling decadent and wanted one of their old-fashioned cream sodas or black cherry spritzers along with one huge plate of New York cut fries for sharing. What we also got was a wonderful chat with a waitress that had been at the Stage Deli for 21 years and who regaled us with stories of women who had popped in lately -- Wynona Ryder, Fergie (of the Royals) and, just that afternoon, Valerie Harper. Address: 834 7th Ave and 54th Street. Keep your eyes open for celebrities.