Coming to you from Midtown Manhattan, Peter’s radio show broadcast live this weekend from The Russian Tea Room in New York City.

While Midtown Manhattan is best-known for its proximity to New York’s top tourist attractions (Rockefeller Center, Broadway theaters, Times Square, and fabulous Fifth Avenue shopping), there are plenty of ways to experience Midtown and its surrounding neighborhoods like a local.

Of course, there’s something to be said for visiting New York’s iconic spots, especially when you can find a bargain.

The Russian Tea Room itself offers a one-hour express lunch, which features a three-course menu for $35. Headed to the theater? The pre/post theater menu is a three-course dinner for $55 per person.

Billie Cohen, Deputy Editor, Time Out New York

The Museum of Arts and Design is located in a landmark building at Columbus Circle and hosts creative, innovative exhibitions. Right now, check out “Slash,” which showcases artworks sliced and diced out of paper—really amazing sculptures. Every day, they have local artists working in the sixth-floor studio where visitors can hang out and talk to them about their work and process. Ceramics, jewelry, mixed media—anything. The artists remain late on Thursday night, when the museum is open until 9 p.m. and is pay what you wish.

The Frick Collection on 70th Street and 5th Avenue is housed in a gorgeous building that was steel tycoon Henry Clay Frick’s mansion, featuring Western paintings, sculptures and other works of art. They hold classical-music concerts featuring promising debutantes and lesser-known but world-class performers.  Don’t miss the Garden Court, a column-lined courtyard complete with fountain and pool.

Find out: Where Are the Best Free Views of Manhattan’s Skyline?

In true Manhattan style, The Breslin is yet another incredibly hot (and incredibly hard to get reservations for) restaurant from Ken Friedman and Chef April Bloomfield. They’re the lauded pair behind The Spotted Pig gastropub in the West Village, and The John Dory in Chelsea. The Breslin, located inside the Ace Hotel at 29th and Broadway, has an urban hunting lodge setting, with large portions of meaty bistro food: pork belly roulade, stuffed pig’s foot, lamb burger, warm sticky-toffee pudding

The new Rum & Blackbird food tour showcases Midtown’s culinary crown jewel, Hell’s Kitchen. A $49 ticket includes tastings from Druse cuisine from Israel at Gazala Place, traditional Italian biscotti from Biscotti di Vecchio, and Latin specialties from Empanada Mama, before taking a sweet descent into Greek pastries prepared with handmade phyllo dough from the 85-year-old Poseidon Bakery.

Explore more neighborhoods: America’s Gypsy: South Asia in Jackson Heights

The best reason to visit 5 Napkin Burger, an upscale Hell’s Kitchen diner, is spelled out right there on the awning: Its namesake burger, a delicious Franco-American handful, features sweet caramelized onions, Comté cheese and herb-infused aioli. This patty was a Time Out New York Eat Out Award winner in 2009 for best new burger.

You may find yourself jostling against actor Nathan Lane on the third floor of Theater District mainstay Angus McIndoe. Or you may end up eavesdropping on producers Barry and Fran Weissler as they brainstorm on marketing their next show. You may even see a theater reporter scoping out the joint for juicy scoops. The Broadway experience isn’t complete without a trip to this stylish restaurant and classy watering hole, preferably at about 10 or 11 at night.

Colony Records is a Broadway institution has been a destination for musical-theater fans for more than 60 years. It’s packed with sheet music and hard-to-find recordings. The only things that might spoil the allure are the prices and the staff, who have a reputation for gruffness.

Get more NYC Travel info with Off the Brochure Travel Guide: New York City.

Zach Brooks, Founder, Midtown Lunch

Tip: The new-school street vendors tend to move around the city and broadcast their location through social-networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. The old-school carts, many of which have been around for several years, tend to remain in one spot.

Of the new-school carts, a standout is the Schnitzel & Things Truck which is in Midtown a couple days a week. They serve everything from schnitzel burgers to pork schnitzel to an incredible beet salad. (Note from MidtownLunch.com: “There is no question that if you eat more than one of these things a month you will die …. Your heart will stop working, before it even has time to warn you that what you are doing is wrong.”)

NYC Cravings is another newer cart serving Taiwanese food to go. They make a Taiwanese-style pork chop that’s common in Chinatown, but isn’t easy to find elsewhere in Manhattan.

More dining options: Three Days, Nine Meals: Restaurants of New York City

Of the carts that have been around for a while, one favorite staple is the Biryani Cart on the southwest corner of 46th Street and 6th Avenue.

Biryani is a traditional Indian dish of rice and meat, but this cart also serves up something called “kati rolls,” which is essentially spiced meat rolled up in chapatti (Indian flatbread).

Probably the most famous of the food trucks in Midtown is the Halal Cart on 53rd Street and 6th Avenue. They’ve been around forever and you’ll know it’s a local favorite when you see the long lines late at night. This is the quintessential spiced chicken or lamb-over-rice dish—nothing crazy is added; it’s simply meat in its purest form.

Every food vendor has a story, but Trini-Paki Boys Cart certainly has a unique background. The cart is owned by a woman from Trinidad and most of the cooking is done by her Pakistani husband—the cart’s name came their sons who now co-run the operation.

Quick Tip: Street Food in the USA

The biryani may look like the traditional meat and rice combo, but actually fuses flavors from both cultures: Pakistani seasonings, traditional Trinidadian sauce made from scotch bonnet peppers, and yogurt-based white sauce. Don’t miss out on the Trinidadian treat known as polourie, made of fried chick pea dough and tamarind chutney.

It’s not all about the food carts in Midtown. Szechuan Gourmet on 39th Street has the best Chinese food in Midtown, and probably one of the best in New York. One can’t-miss item is the double-cooked pork belly with chili—a lunch special with rice and soup is only $7.45.

Perhaps the most well-known “hidden” lunch spot in Midtown is the Burger Joint. It’s a typical dingy burger bar located behind a curtain inside the lobby of Le Parker Meridien Hotel. It’s a cool, fun New York experience to walk into an upscale hotel where the only indication that a burger bar lurks inside a neon hamburger sign hanging over the door.

Edited by Sarika Chawla for PeterGreenberg.com.

Get more great New York travel ideas:

• Get more great ideas with our Off the Brochure Travel Guide to New York City.
• Explore local culture with America’s Gypsy: Rego Park, New York’s Bukhari Community as well as America’s Gypsy: South Asia in Jackson Heights.
• For culinary adventures, don’t miss Three Days, Nine Meals: New York City.
• Remember Lady Liberty’s Crown Reopening July 4th.
• Wondering Where Are the Best Free Views of Manhattan’s Skyline?
• Want a relaxing diversion from the hustle of the Big Apple? Check out the Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Long Island’s North Fork, the Hamptons Alternative