It it safe to putz around Manhattan in the wee hours of the morning?

You most likely won't have a problem, but wandering around aimlessly isn't the best idea, and while the city never sleeps, many things are closed in the middle of the night. Why not do something after the audition instead? That will just be a couple of hours.

I was on Jeopardy in 2007 and had my audition at the Waldorf. Is that where yours is? You'll have no trouble in that area.

Here's what to expect: You will take another test. (I assume you took the online test? I took the first one they ever gave in 2006, and my audition was in May of 2006. Didn't get on the show until early 2007.) Then you'll play a brief mock game, so they can see how you handle the buzzer and that you remember to give your answer in the form of a question, and that you're not a total dud who can only take written tests. You will have a brief interview, kind of like what Alex does during the show. They might ask what you will do with the money. Some people had clever answers. I was in the first mock game group, so I just said something boring about paying college tuition for my kids. Just be yourself, but it's not the time to be too quiet or introverted. You won't know how you did; they'll tell you they'll keep you on file for a year, and you'll either hear from them or you won't.

It's a really great experience. If Maggie Speak, the contestant coordinator, is there, you'll have a blast, because she's a riot.

I did win twice when I was on the show. Other than my wedding and the birth of my children, it was one of the top experiences of my life!

Good luck to you!

Edit: Just FYI, in Yiddish, "putz" is a penis, so that's not really what you'd want to be doing. :-)

It depends where in NYC you are. I would say that the Times Square / Midtown area is quite safe to wander about. The city is a lot safer than most people realize. Obviously, avoid dodgy looking areas and dark alleys - that is sensible in any city.

There won't be many touristy things to do before 9am, but the city is pretty active even early in the morning. Grand Central Terminal opens from 5:30am so if the weather isn't nice you can take refuge there and enjoy the cool architecture.

Take the N train from Times Square to the Astoria Blvd stop

Go down to 31st Street find the Neptune Diner -Eat something

the French Toast is really good

Come back on the N and take it to the end of the line -Whitehall Street

Head South to the Staten Island Ferry terminal

Take the free SIF to SI and back -it's 25 minutes each way

and by the time you get back to Manhattan the city should be wide awake and very active

http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/nline.htm

I would not recommend that you go around "put-zing" around the city in the wee hours of the morning here. Any suspicious activity will warrant calls from citizens who may be the area and they might call the police.

Play it safe, just keep it cool and enjoy the city here.