My daughter Scarlett who is 14 had not been to NYC so the March school break seemed to be an ideal time to introduce her to the wonders of the city that never sleeps. We took a 6:30 am flight out of Toronto on a Tuesday morning and were on the ice at Rockefeller Center by 9am. After an hour or so skating we headed up to the top of the rock for some panoramic views of the city. Next was an early lunch at the Carnegie Deli where the sandwiches are too wide to fit into a normal human mouth. A sunny day invited us to walk the 20 or so blocks to the Natural History Museum where we enjoyed the Imax Theatre and the galleries. By 3:30 Scarlett was ready for a rest so we checked into our cubby hole sized room at the Paramount. After a decent pizza and pasta at a local Italian restaurant on 8th Ave. we took in Spamalot which was thoroughly entertaining.

Next day I went for a good run at daybreak to Central Park and through it working my way east and north to the Guggenheim and then to Es A Bagel for a pumpernickel bagel with smoked trout and cream cheese. We spent the morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where a full day could easily be spent. We than walked up to Spanish Harlem and had lunch at a cozy Puerto Rican restaurant that had been recommended to us by the US customs official at Pearson Airport in Toronto. Excellent service and wholesome food. I had goat stew, beansa nd rice and sauteed plantains while Scarlett defaulted to a very nicely seasoned roast chicken and rice. A cab ride with our Haitian cabbie Paul brought us bak to midtown for a performance of Young Frankenstein. A totally riotously schtick filled romp of a musical highlighted by Andrea Martin as Frau Bleucher (cue to whinny like a horse). Roger Bart, Sutton Foster and Megan Meally were also outstanding as were the portrayers of Eye-gor and the monster. Dinner was at the antipasta bar of Cafe Fiorello near Lincoln Center. Excellent vgetarian choices to be had here and Scarlett's flat lasagne was exceptional. Counter service was fantastic in contrast to the rushed and somewhat haughty table service when i had been there last year. We had a nice conversation with a couple there who surprisingly were big fans of a graphic novelist who was born in our home town of Clinton. Small world. Next we attended the Met's production of La Traviata with the incredibly spectacular set designed by Zefferelli. Thursday morning started with another Central Park run followed by a Staten Island ferry ride and a trip to Battery Park and the financial district leading to retail therapy along lower Broadway in Soho. Lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then a visit to Washington Sq. before getting ready for that night's Broadway theatre visit. I checked out the public library and its Kerouac exhibit and then the Chrysler Building lobby while Scarlett rested. Hairspray was very enjoyable and uplifting.Great messages of tolerance filtered through the kitschy production. We dined late at Havana Central on 46th St. where the mojitos are fantastic. We then capped off the trip with a subway ride to the Empire Stae Building to gaze at the twinkling lights of the city. Back by midnight for a flight home next day. It is so easy to fal in love with this city whih really should be considered the capital of the world. I look forward to many returns and I suspect that my daughter feels the same.