You don't say where you live, but as someone who lived in the mid Hudson valley for twenty-five years and went to Manhattan a lot because of my husband being born and raised there, I would say if you can function in any big city, you can function in NYC. If you're coming in from California, I would just spend the money once you are in Manhattan--get a decent hotel room near your theater--plan to walk your legs off, so make sure you are wearing shoes you can walk in (fashionable or not), and get a Metrocard and take the subway during the day. For myself personally, I prefer to cab it at night, but I'm sure others will jeer at me. You will find a million good places to eat...just take your choice, I would say. What to wear? People wear anything, really. Dress for the weather, as you would at home. You can't go wrong with all black outfits--black will take you just about anywhere. Even if you think you are wearing too much black, you can't wear too much black in NYC. For your purse, I really like a 9" by 10" cross body. If you need something bigger, get an over the shoulder black bag and make sure your purse and/or bigger shoulder bag zips completely. You can go online to find sites that tell you all about NYC transportation...what it costs...etc.