Cupcake Café. 9th and 40th (or 5th and 18th). Buttercream.

[drool]Nathan's Hot Dog[/drool]

You can also ride the Wonder Wheel at Dino's Amusement - the really truly scary ride that inspired the Sun Wheel at DCA.

Thanks everyone. I knew this was the place to ask. I will be honored to follow the walking tours recommended by iSm's Jim. I missed the Belvedere castle last time, will definitely check it out, along with museums. Never been to Ellis Island - I want to do that!

A lot of food I'm hearing, and loving. I am into snacking, eating, snacking and eating. Sweets, cheese & bread, bbq, burgers, French, dawgs, pizza, it all sounds so yummy. I am totally drooling and will probably need to bring elastic waist pants! PB & Co. sounds like a good substitute for Grilled Cheese.

I will most likely skip the roller coasters, but who knows. I know I won't skip the people watching or the scrumptious food. I can't wait for June.

Well, even if you don't ride the Cyclone, having a Nathan's at the birthplace of Nathan's is an experience.

So, is a vendor dog really tasty, or is it "local color"? Do New Yorkers eat them? Is there any stigma associated with it? For some reason this topic interests me.

I'm very, very bummed that we're missing Cyclone. :(

My friend Dave, who lives about a mile from Coney, eats so many Nathan's Franks that I think his body would go in to some kind of withdrawal if he stopped.

When I was a youngster (through my mid-20s), I used to love vendor dogs - aka "dirty water hot dogs" or "chez parasol". Then I saw a local news story about how they clean (or don't clean) the carts at night and how they dispose of (or don't dispose of) the unsold dogs. No more Sabrett's for me.

Now, if I want food from a street vendor, I get a square knish (slit and filled with deli mustard) and a Yoo Hoo.

But if I want a dog, the best one for me has to be at one of the (now many) papaya stands. Gray's Papaya, Papaya King... they're all good. A medium "papaya drink" (kind of like a thin papaya milkshake) and two grilled all-beef hot dogs with wet onions and dijon mustard......

I just ate... but I am now very hungry.

The Time Out New York Eating and Dining Guide is an excellent resource. It's what I've used to plot out the eateries I try.

Yeah, it's not like they're "great" but I feel like it should be had at least once in a lifetime. They also have a variety of other vendors. I should change that to "street vendor food." All kinds of good stuff to be found.