Hey, New Yorkers!

So I've been trying to plan a trip to New York for over a year.  Last summer we didn't do it, probably because I was in the throes of IVF Attempt #3 and, oh yes, there was all kinds of family rigamarole involving my mother's annual cemetery tour of New Jersey.  Then I thought we'd get out there this past June, but that was again thwarted by my mother who wanted to go with us but failed to get basic information about when our Manhattanite relatives would actually be in town.  And here we are, at the end of what I hope to be The Last Summer With One Kid.

To condense this longwinded preamble (somewhat):  looks like LG and I will finally make it out to the NYC area in a few weeks.  I haven't yet purchased actual plane tickets but the basic window of post-summer school possibility is essentially Aug 20-30 and probably a few days around Aug 25-28.  So...I'm looking for any recs you have for hotels (even general area in which to stay) and Things To Do With Kid (the Statue of Liberty is definitely on LG's list of wants, as is seeing a play, and my aunt actually works at a big art museum that shall remain nameless, so we'll be going there).  There's also a lot of maternal pressure to see relatives, both alive and dead, in NJ.  Sort of overwhelming to plan.  My mother will (probably) be with us, but I'd also love to get together with bloggy friends if you're around and if it can be coordinated.  Drop me a line on email (gwinne at yahoo dot com) if you're interested.