So there’s this dodgy New York cafe which helped Noah Baumbach, the 38-year-old Brooklyn-born writer-director, land Nicole Kidman as the star of his new drama, Margot at the Wedding. The coffee shop, as unfashionable and dour as it was, proved to be the ideal venue. Scant of customers, they took a table at the rear and were not bothered by autograph hunters. A posse of paparazzi was not waiting outside for them to leave. “There were so few customers,” Baumbach said. “It actually turned out to be ideal that way because it was quiet and no one was gawking.” They chatted for an hour over coffee, Baumbach gave Kidman a copy of the script, and they parted ways. Baumbach was shocked when he received a call the next day.

Well, isn’t that great. And would have been fantastic, if the Chicken**** writer had managed to squeeze in the name of aforementioned dodgy cafe. Talk about a let-down….

Liz Humphreys, USA Today, has a primer for New York tourists, with ten important tips. Don’t be intimidated by the big crowds and bigger buildings. New York can be a friendly and manageable city for visitors if you heed some of this time-tested advice.

The highly practical and useful tips include feeling free to wander (as in it’s a safe city), use the subway with a 7 day unlimited metrocard instead of a taxi, eat dinner early or late instead of waiting for a table, try out the different ethnic cuisines, try shopping in places other than Fifth Avenue, use online ticket brokers to find cheap Broadway show tickets, go to concerts and music shows, pack running shoes and experience Central Park like a New Yorker, don’t come to New York when everyone is shopping, like before Christmas (duh), and lastly, she has some tips for what passes for etiquette in New York.

And since we’re on the subject of navigating New York, the Metropolitan Transport Authority, State of New York, NYC Transit announced today that Trip Planner, http://tripplanner.mta.info, NYC Transit’s online travel itinerary service has received an upgrade in the areas of sophistication and user-friendliness. Now, when a customer requests a map of walking directions developed for their travel itinerary, they will view the city via a new and improved street map. The new map is powered by NAVTEQ map data, a recognized leader in digital map technology, while the 3D and aerial imagery is supplied by Microsoft Virtual Earth. “By utilizing NAVTEQ map data and imagery from Microsoft, we are in a position to provide Trip Planner users with a more realistic street grid view and help them better visualize the walking instructions that accompany their travel itinerary,” said Paul Fleuranges, NYC Transit Vice President of Corporate Communications. Read the full press release here.