[RoboMom]

I second the Circle Tour idea. A great way to see the entire island of Manhattan.

You can reserve a free tour with the Big Apple Greeters. A great way to get a personalized, less touristy tour by locals. (We did this in Chicago and had an amazing time there but that's another story...)

For Chinatown, go to a dim sum restaurant. There are lots. Carts of these mostly dumpling-like foods group (I must admit I have never tried the chicken feet food group) pass by your table every couple of minutes. You pay by the number of plates left on the table.

When I was a child, I have happy memories of going to NYC, having dim sum and then going to a play. The biggest treat? None of my 3 sisters went along. It was my special day. I've loved dim sum since I was 7! It was during one of these trips that I got to meet Davey Jones and I have his autograph. It was before he became a Monkee (those in my age group will understand how exciting this was). He was the artful dodger on Broadway in "Oliver." He came to Baltimore last year, was on a local radio station, I called him and we had a long chat on the air. He loved talking about being on Broadway.
As usual, I digress....