Yes, it can be done. Follow my itinerary and have a small but very satisfying bite out of the big apple.
2:00 p.m. - Board a 1 hour flight to NY (LaGuardia). Enjoy free peanuts and touch-screen movies. Save precious time with carry-on. Clean undies and a toothbrush will do!
3:00 - Arrive in NY. Get a 45 min. taxi ride into the city (about US$30). If you're feeling extra swanky, a limo will set you back about US$200. The drive will keep you entertained. You could see anything from botoxed old heiresses out for walkies with their perfectly coiffed poodles to crazies on soap boxes warning of the apocalypse. Oh, and don't miss the spectacularly posh brownstones.
3:45 - Check into the Hilton Garden Inn at W48th and 8th Ave. It's near everything.
4:15 - After settling in, get outside - just don't wear heels. Take a short walk east on W48th towards world landmark Times Square. Smell the commerce amidst the street hot dogs! Be blinded by the lights! Check out the famous Coke sign!
5:00 - Support theatre! Go to the TKTS booth for half price deals on same-day broadway shows. Most theatres are within a good walking distance of the hotel.
5:30 - Grab a pre-show snack and beverage. Almost everything around Times Square is a tourist trap (read: overpriced nachos). But, what the heck. I went to Chevy's on W42nd for yummy Mexican and huge margaritas.
6:45 - Go to your show! I saw Rent at the Nederlander Theatre - amazing rock-musical and awesome cast, including Tamyra Gray (as Mimi) from the 1st season of American Idol. Hurry though, this award-winning show closes September 7.
8:45 - Grab a late dinner. Skip the $175 burger on Wall St. and take a quick subway ride down to Canal St. Walk east on Canal to Mulberry, and find yourself in Little Italy. Choose from 40 quaint, family-owned restaurants, like Casa Bella. The food is reasonably priced, and in many spots you'll meet wait-staff who have been there for almost 30 years. Leave the gun...take the cannoli! 10:00 - Go bar hopping! Walk north on Mulberry, then west on Bleecker, and find yourself swept up in the artsy, bohemian madness of Greenwich Village. OK, the housing prices have 
skyrocketed and you won't see too many starving artists these days, but the spirit is still kinda there. I went to a bar called Kenny's Castaways and rocked out on stage for live band karaoke. Springsteen played his first-ever NY gig there. There are many other other neat bars in the area with live bands playing anything from jazz to salsa, and the beers are cheap.
skyrocketed and you won't see too many starving artists these days, but the spirit is still kinda there. I went to a bar called Kenny's Castaways and rocked out on stage for live band karaoke. Springsteen played his first-ever NY gig there. There are many other other neat bars in the area with live bands playing anything from jazz to salsa, and the beers are cheap. 1:00 a.m. - If you still have any juice left, you can head back towards Times Square for more late-night revelry. It is the city that never sleeps, after all.
3:00 a.m. - Stumble back to your hotel and crash. Or watch late night infomercials. Watching Jessica Simpson say "Just a little dab -- that's all you need!" on the Proactiv acne commercial is actually pretty hilarious.
Next Day
10:00 a.m. - After checking out of your hotel, if you're not feeling too queasy, there are plenty of spots in the area for coffee and a big 'ol New York muffin.
If you don't have to catch your flight until later in the evening, I recommend checking out Central Park (rent a bike and do the park's perimeter). As you're circling the park, be sure to make a stop at Central Park West and 72nd, and view the Dakota Hotel where John Lennon was assassinated in 1980.
You can also view the Strawberry Fields memorial laid out in memory of Lennon directly across Central Park West.
You should visit the World Trade Center memorial site. If you like to shop, head to Soho. If you're into sports, it'll soon be your last chance to visit "The House That Ruth Built" - Yankees Stadium - before it is demolished in 2009 and the team moves into their new pad currently under construction right next door.
2:00 p.m. - This was when I headed home. There was a slight blip with the flight scheduling. I had to take a detour through Halifax to get back to Toronto. Oh well. In the airport, you can actually pick up a couple of live maritime lobsters, take them home with you, and eat them that night! Cool. 6:30 p.m. - Finally back in Toronto, I saw Eugene Levy (of SCTV/American Pie/Christopher Guest movies fame) at Pearson airport. That was the only star-sighting, and it was back home.
I am currently planning my next trip back to the Big Apple as I write this. There's no place quite like it anywhere, and even after the 5-6 trips I've taken, there's always something different to experience, another unique reflection you're exposed to. I always take away a new feeling when I leave.
I HEART NEW YORK!
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