questions about visiting NYC

[DavidMn]

So anyway I'm going to be in New York in March for Fleetwood Mac, and I wanted to ask some of the NYC residents for some advice on visiting and how to go about it. First of all, I want to visit the Statue of Liberty and Elllis Island. I will probably be doing this on March 18th, the day off between the Albany show and MSG. I'll be staying in Albany and taking the bus down into NYC for the day and back to Albany in the evening. The main question I have regarding this is, is it better to buy a group package for both places, and if so should I do it in advance online or when I get there. Also being a food afficionado I will be visiting little Italy for a dinner. Can anyone reccomend their favorite or best Italian resturant there? Thanks everyone. Advice is greatly appreciated!