Advance planning will make your visit a lot easier and more enjoyable. Pick an area in which there are a few places of interest to you and walk leisurely to each. I'd suggest "midtown-west" as a good place to start. Within a fairly small area (and easily walked) you'll find some places that should interest your mob history curiosity. Start at 71st Street and Central Park West (115 Central Pk West) and you'll see The Majestic Apartment Building (where Frank Costello lived and was shot by Vincent Gigante in 1957. (It's also across the street from where John Lennon was shot). Walk down Central Park West to 59th Street and you'll be in Columbus Circle, the sight of where Joe Colombo was shot in 1971. A few short blocks away at 56th Street and Seventh Avenue you'll see the big hotel building (on the west side of Seventh) in which Albert Anastasia was killed while in its barbershop in 1957. (Also, Arnold Rothstein was shot in the same hotel back in 1928. He died a few days later from his wounds). That barbershop is now a newsstand - just off the side entrance to the hotel on 55th Street. That's a morning's worth of sightseeing. Break for lunch - there are tons of places to get some decent food. (You might consider staying on 55th Street and walking a block and half west to just before Eighth Avenue and get some soup from The Soup Nazi (the real life guy made famous on "Seinfeld"). I think he's still open there.

Head on over to the east side (walking eastward on 46th Street) and you'll pass the gorgeous old building straddling Park Avenue. It's where Salvatore Maranzano was killed in 1931 on one of the upper floors. If nothing else, just peek inside the building and see its beautiful interior with awesome elevators. Continue east a few blocks and you'll come to Sparks Steakhouse (site of Paul Castellano's death on the sidewalk back in 1985). If you have time and money try some food there!

Anyway, that's a starter .....