Places to get good eats: Hell's Kitchen (around 45-52nd st and 9th ave, I think? It's been a few years), Chinatown!, and Greenwich Village. I ate at a really good Vietnamese restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, a Thai place in the Village, and a Malaysian place in Chinatown. All were very reasonable in price.

Shopping: the Village, Chinatown; the "standands" on 5th and Madison, but the latter can be pricey. There used to be this enormous indoor market west of Grand Central on 42nd St. but I'm not sure if it still exists.