For the record, I am male and the person is female and she is really happy to see me. I honestly can't tell if she is romantically interested or not. We met only once in real life a few years ago and then she had to go back to her country. The first chance she gets to visit NYC again and she is dying to see me the day after she lands in NYC.

Somewhere with affordable lunch is good. Maybe I want to spend $10 to $20 ($25 if tip is necessary),
According to the forecast, there will be snow. I actually want to go to Central Park with her afterwards. So maybe some place along the way from Bryant Park would be good.

She doesn't have any dietary restrictions.

Thank you.

UPDATE #1:

I would like to thank everyone who posted a response.

We were only supposed to eat lunch but ended up spending the rest of the day outside together until early evening! I thought I was just meeting a friend. But honestly, I'm calling it a date because it really felt like one.

The day started at our meetup location inside a store. I couldn't find her where she said she was waiting. I was confused looking all over and when I turned, to my surprise I see her running to me and she gives me this big, excited hug in front of everyone in the store. I'm a really shy guy. So, it is hard for me to express emotions like that openly in public. I help her so tight briefly and was so happy in that moment.

I took all of your recommendations into consideration. After looking all the choices and giving her some options, she ultimately chose Rosetta's Bakery. She enjoyed the food, and we had a good conversation. The location was convenient, and Central Park wasn't so far away. I saved all other recommendations for any future dates.

To my surprise, she paid for the entire lunch for both of us (including my meal). I tried as hard as I could to give her my payment for my meal. But she refused to accept any money from me. The last girl I dated a few times almost paid for the entire meal with her card. So, I guess that's a running theme for me.

We walked aimlessly around Central Park for a few hours talking about whatever came to our minds.

The real highlight of the day was later when we did ice skating in Central Park. I paid for my own ticket at a discounted rate, and she paid full price for her ticket. I tried so many times to insist that I pay for her ticket (in return for paying for my lunch), but she insisted that she pay for herself.

I've never done any skating on my own. And didn't expect to be holding her hand the entire time, but we did, and it added such a personal touch. The excitement and fear of skating and falling felt like an adrenaline rush for both of us. Also, she laughed hard at nearly every joke I made and said a few times that skating was the most fun she has had in a long time. At a few moments she laughed so hard she couldn't control herself.

She even took a video of us skating together and when she rewatched it, she laughed even more.

When skating was over, we returned our shoes and ate at the cafe. Because of my special discount, I also received a free hot chocolate. I tried to let her have the hot chocolate for herself, but she insisted to order her own drink.

After we finish talking, she suddenly remembered that she brought a bag of gifts for me. She purchased local snacks from her hometown overseas and offered them to me. Every snack was delicious. It is like she remembered every food preference I have ever mentioned to her and selected everything carefully. She really is so thoughtful.

When we were done, she asked which subway she should take. But instead, I offered to walk together with her to her destination to make sure she is safe. For most of that walk, my brain (and hand!) was frozen and I couldn't think of much to talk about. My mind was just so blank, and I struggled to even make many jokes or observations. We just kind of walked together quietly with snow falling at an increasing rate over time. I made sure to walk on the street side, open any doors for her throughout the date, and watch out for any patches of ice on the floor in front of her.

At the very end, she looked up at me and I gave her a big hug and she left very quickly to leave home.

I forgot to message her that night. But the next day I asked her if she returned home safely, and she said thanks so much and that she had lots of fun.

I don't know if she will contact me anymore before leaving. But even if nothing comes of our encounter, I am happy. I've been shy my whole life and have a really hard time reading people, trusting people, expressing much emotion, or feeling any sympathy after giving direct comments.

I'm actually frightened of women and how easily my life can be ruined. I did have some chances in the past, but many were women looking to use me for their own purposes. So, I never gave them a chance.

I am not tall, or handsome, or rich, or successful. So I often feel like an invisible man walking among women. On top of that, NYC has one of the toughest dating scenes out there for average and inexperienced men.

But recently, I've improved myself enough that I do encounter some women that like me once in a while. I hope that trend continues.

Thank you for listening.

I'm happy I gathered enough courage to post this on Reddit.