Good places to eat, sleep, see, and spend (not necessarily in order!).
Italian:
Carmine's Theatre District. I eat there EVERY time I go to NYC (sometimes, I'll admit, twice a visit).
Order the Spaedini (spa-deeney). It's not on the menu. You will die, then come back to life, and vow to marry it if you could.
Gigino Trattoria. This is a cute little place close to the financial district.
Mediterrranean:
ilili: Order anything. It's all soooo good. Except the tabbouleh. It wasn't great. Awesome powder rooms!!!
Cuban:
Victor's Cafe. Everything is good. Especially the mojitos. "Double Muddle!!" as my friend EK and I would say. Conveniently located next door to the Novotel on 52nd.
Fusion (this is the category for "I am not sure what type of food it is"):
Gotham
Telepan
Armani Cafe (also love the one in SF at Union Square) or Fred's at Barney's: both have a fun atmosphere, good food, but moderately overpriced. Hey! It's NYC.
Cocktails:
The Plaza. The champagne bar. May I suggest an Air Mail or Bloody Mary?
Harry's Bar. Just an oldie but goodie.
ZZZZ's
Sleep: All are great locations
Expensive: Waldorf Astoria
Moderate to Expensive: Hilton-Ave of Americas
Moderate to Expensive: Novotel
See:
Theatre:
Wicked
Memphis
Museums (too many to mention, but these are some of my faves):
MoMa
The Met ( try for a Fri or Sat evening to hear a live concert and grab yourself a drink at the balcony bar)
Whitney
Spend!
Henri Bendel's
Bergdorf Goodman
Saks (it's acutally on 5th Avenue!)
Barney's
Rizzoli's Books