If you're planning a trip to New York City, you're bound to spot or even meet celebrities if you play your cards right. There are ways to improve your chances to spot the rich and famous, by placing yourself where the celebrities hang out.

Book a guided bus tour with Rich and Famous Tours, which prowls Manhattan's Upper East and West Sides with a guide. Although you're not likely to meet celebrities up close, this tour gives you an overall impression by taking you past the homes of the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, movie stars and more. You'll see the apartment buildings that rejected Madonna and Barbra Streisand as tenants, and the homes of Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and others. Tickets for the Rich and Famous Tour, which departs from Rockefeller Plaza, are $20, and you need to reserve in advance.

Make dinner reservations at New York City restaurants that celebrities love. The hot eating spots for celebrities right now include Koi at 40 West 40th Street, Socialista at 505 West Street (where Ashton Kutcher's birthday bash was held), Pastis at 9 Ninth Avenue (featured in "The Devil Wears Prada"), and Spice Market at West 13th Street. You can often see Broadway stars at midtown restaurants like Joe Allen's and Sardi's, but make your reservations late. Most stars don't show up until after 11 p.m.

If you're a Broadway fan, hang out after the shows by the theater stage doors. If you see a show, bring your playbill to be autographed and a camera. It often takes up to 30 minutes for cast members to exit the stage door, but most, even the big names, will graciously sign autographs, pose for pictures and chat with fans.

If you're young and beautiful, there's no reason not to find the hippest nighttime clubs that love celebrities. The most popular hangouts these days include Butter, at 415 Lafayette Street, which tends to attract the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, Bungalow 8, at 515 W 27th Street, a West Chelsea lounge where stars and supermodels love to drink, and the Rose Bar at 2 Lexington Avenue, a luxurious place that carefully chooses who gets in.

Pick up a copy of "New York Magazine" or "Time Out New York" to check on popular celebrity hot spots. These magazines also have information about special NYC events perfect for celebrity spotting, including red-carpet film openings, the Tribeca Film Festival, book signings, Shakespeare in the Park, and free performances.

If you're 18 to 24, reserve tickets to MTV's "Total Request Live" at least a month in advance. The show, which airs live Monday through Thursday at MTV Studios in the heart of Times Square, features the hottest music celebrities who appear live on the show. Call the TRL hotline at (212) 398-8549 to inquire about tickets.

To get the hardest ticket in town -- NBC's "Saturday Night Live" -- you have to enter a ticket lottery. The network asks that you to send an email only in the month of August to snltickets@nbcuni.com, and include all your contact information. If you're selected, you receive two tickets to a random show date and time. You must be at least 16 to request tickets. In addition, standby tickets are given out at 7 a.m. on the 49th Street side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on the mornings of SNL tapings, and you can choose a ticket for the 8 p.m. dress rehearsal or the 11:30 p.m. live taping. Bring everyone who wants to go, since stand-by tickets are limited to one per person.

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