Advice Appreciated from New Yorkers

[Bookworm]

I am considering taking my daughter (16) to see Hamilton this summer while it is still at the Richard Rodgers Theater. I have lots of questions...is there anyone here who knows a lot about Broadway, the city itself, AirBnB vs hotels, and the ins and outs of transportation who would be willing to give me a few pointers?

Simple stuff, really, like is it safe to stay in X neighrborhood, can we ride the subway at night, what food places shouldn't be missed, is it worth getting more expensive seats in that theater (or is it one of those with no real bad seats), what should we wear, etc.

[teen persuasion]

LOL, you know, there is a state that goes by the same name as the city.  You might wish to edit your thread title to get better responses.  Even though I live in NY, I'm personally 10 hours away from NYC; I could give better advice about Toronto than NYC.

[lizzzi]

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.

[lizzzi]

Forgot to say that New Yorkers are among the nicest people I have ever met, and if you have questions or need assistance, they will help you.

[mozar]

My mom took me to see rent when I was 16, and we go to nyc every year. Last year we stayed on the upper west side. Hotels are expensive on all of Manhattan. You can look up the nyc subway map online and see which stops are on the same line as times square. My mom always wants to take cabs, which annoys me because the subway is so easy. Pedicabs are a dollar a block so avoid those. If someone pulls up to you in a black sedan and offers you a ride that's probably uber. Nyc is one of the safest cities in the country, just take precautions like you would anywhere like don't walk through dark alley ways and look around and not at your phone all the time.
 My mom always gets nosebleed seats but I think its worth splurging on mid tier seats if it's a once in awhile thing. We see shows relatively often. I avoid nyc buses just because that's where I am more likely to see crazy type people. Depending on which neighborhood you stay in you can google "best restaurants of upper west side" or wherever. You can ride the subway at night but some trains only come hourly. I've done airbnb but I wouldn't do it if its you or your kids first time to nyc. Something always goes wrong like not being able to find the key. Save it for when you feel you are an nyc expert. And I would change the thread title to nyc too.