MY cardinal rule in traveling is plan, plan, plan. Check the weather, download maps, and sort out the schedule.

You can then imagine that when I finally firmed up the dates for my vacation leave, got my US visa, and booked my flight to New York, I went into a planning frenzy.

They say the Big Apple is always teeming with excitement, and I couldn?t wait to get a bite of it. I devoured Fodor?s books, the Internet and preyed on my friends? memories to plan the perfect vacation.

It helped that I was taking the trip with my friend Mona who is herself a travel nut. Between the two of us, we booked six Broadway shows, a trip to the Statue of Liberty, a tour of the Federal Reserve, and a couple of upscale restaurants. On top of that, Sabrina, one of my best friends since high school, had an apartment in New York and agreed for me to stay over.

After about two months, we came out with a nice-looking spreadsheet of what we will do for two glorious weeks in New York.

Marathon weekend

In the first weekend we were there, the city was preparing for the annual New York marathon. The New Yorkers were obviously excited. On race day, supporters lined up every inch of the sidelines. To put that into context, the marathon spans the five boroughs of New York, namely Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.

There were an estimated 39,000 runners this year, Katie Holmes among them. My friends and I hung around the finish line near Central Park to immerse in the excitement and fun. There was a constant stream of finishers, hugging it out with their families and loved ones. It was easy to pick them out, because all those who finished the race were given a medal. They get to play heroes for a day. There was an obvious sense of accomplishment about them, having ran one of the world?s most prestigious races.

Throughout the week, we had a taste of everything New York. From the shops to the theatre to food, New York screamed diversity, vibrancy and individualism to me. In dining experience alone, we tried Japanese, Korean, Asian fusion, Mexican, Italian, all-American and many more. Each had its own distinct specialty, but they shared a common trait: they were all delicious!

Notably, we enjoyed Becco (355 West 45th St.), a happening place in the heart of Midtown. We loved its bistecca (steak), osso busco (veal shank) and three pastas for the day, served tableside. Chikalicious (203 East 10th St.) is unique for being a dessert bar. For a fixed price of $12, you get to enjoy three courses of dessert, prepared just a few feet from you. I would recommend the Fromage Blanc Island Cheesecake, which literally melts in your mouth.

Unfortunately, we had to pass up on Babbo (110 Waverly Place), Mario Batali?s flagship restaurant and voted by Conde Nast as one of the world?s top 10 restaurants. It could only give us a 10:30 p.m. dinner reservation, so no thank you.

Our lunch at Union Square Café (21 East 16th St.) was hands-down the most memorable one. Famous for being Chef Danny Meyer?s first restaurant, this self-proclaimed ?American restaurant with an Italian soul? is one of Fodor?s top picks.

It did not disappoint. The fried calamari and signature yellowfin tuna burger were delicious. But the real story is not about the food. It?s about the patrons. Guess who was ushered to the table next to ours? Gwyneth Paltrow!

After our OMG moment, we pretended to look nonchalant and to not care. Well, we utterly failed in our attempt. While my friends refused to take a picture with her, saying that it?s bad etiquette, they kept on whipping out their mobiles to text others about her presence! Sheesh, I am certain she noticed! It was all very silly, but great fun.

Bright lights

Broadway was awesome! While I must admit I expected more, having been swept off my feet by the local run of ?Avenue Q,? it?s hard not to enjoy the bright lights and music of Broadway. We watched ?Wicked? (great production value!) and ?Jersey Boys? (great music!) My favorite was ?Stomp??ironically, it was the cheapest and was shown off-Broadway. Its own Playbill describes the show as a ?unique combination of percussion, movement, and visual comedy.? Stomp has no dialogue. Using day-to-day percussion objects such as brooms, basketballs, newspapers, and yes, even the kitchen sink, the 7-member cast created a symphony of sounds and beats. It was ingenious!

If I had my way, I would have watched a couple more shows. But on my second week in New York, Broadway turned dark. Local One stagehands went on strike and majority of the shows were cancelled. The city was estimated to have lost $2 million of revenue everyday. Negotiations have finally broken through after a 19-day impasse, and the lights have gone back on Broadway.

In any case, the city had lots more to offer apart from Broadway. The visits to museums alone took up many days. There is truly nothing like art to make you appreciate beauty.

In the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), we gazed at Van Gogh?s Starry Night, among other masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, Rosseau, and Degas. The works of modern artists such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock were also on display.

The Met has its own permanent treasures too, such as the works of Monet and Seurat. We were lucky that the Met was also hosting a special exhibit of Dutch paintings featuring the Rembrandts and Vermeers of this world. Vermeer is my personal favorite, and New York is just the place to view his works. Of the 36 known Vermeer paintings, eight of them are here.

Sunday best

The most unique experience I had was going to Gospel Church in Harlem. Without meaning any disrespect, it felt like watching the movie ?Sister Act? live. For two hours, the churchgoers performed a string of songs and dances, to praise the Lord.

It was very different from the way Mass is celebrated here, solemn and structured. Over there, I could feel a palpable sense of community, like they all knew each other. I could imagine they went to the same schools, hung out in the same crowds, and spent free time doing church activities. ?Sunday best? took on a different meaning in Harlem.

And how can I not talk about shopping?! I couldn?t remember a day when I went home empty-handed. The shops were
everywhere!

I did the usual shopaholic?s mecca to Fifth Avenue, admiring the extravagant displays of Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks Fifth, among others. After Fifth Avenue, next stop was Madison Avenue for the boutiques of Tom Ford, Vera Wang and the upscale Barney?s department store.

As for the stores I actually bought stuff at, I trooped to national chains like H&M, Sephora, Zara and Gap. The bookworm in me relished the extensive selections at Barnes&Noble and Strands. Early on, I knew that at the rate I was buying books, I would probably test the 64kg luggage limit at the airport. I also bought magnets in the museum gift shop, a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Liberty Island, and even a coffee mug in Starbucks.

My most unusual purchases were a can opener, 4 packs of sausages, and an umbrella. Don?t ask me why.

For serious shopping, head over to Century21 (22 Cortlandt St.) located across the street from the former World Trade Center. This is a haven for brand-and-budget-conscious shoppers. Boxes and boxes of shoes were piled from floor to ceiling. There were entire floors for bags and women?s wear and men?s wear.

For those with a bit more time, hop on a bus to Woodbury Common, which is an hour north of NYC. It is a huge shopping complex with 200 outlet stores for brands such as Armani, Gucci, Coach, Banana Rep, Nike, etc. A good strategy is to bring empty luggage to store your purchases. Otherwise, lockers are available for rent for about $8 for the day.

There are a lot more stories and sights that will be imprinted in my mind for years to come. Needless to say, I love the energy and the vibrancy of New York. While my best-laid plans were hardly followed, I was glad that the magic of Manhattan led me to enjoy the city?s best.