Not midtown (though Meatpacking dist is stretching the def of midtown, too), but... one of the most amazing brunch places you can imagine is Shopsin's, over in the Essex Market. Amazing menu, excellent quality, and colorful customers & ownership. www.shopsins.com

Don, what a great rec! Thanks. We're going up in November and staying in Chelsea. Shopsin's looks perfect.

Looked at the website. Sounds awesome! Thanks! That's
on our list now.

Yeah, Chelsea / Meatpacking would not be considered midtown (34th to 59th streets) and the 9/11 memorial is even farther downtown, Which area are you really looking for?
BTW, did you mean the official 9/11 memorial on the site of the World Trade Center, or the museum which is not really highly regarded here? (I have not been to the "museum")

Pastis..very popular brunch, French.Meatpacking on the edge of West Village
The Standard Grill..excellent brunch, Meatpacking, below the Standard Hotel that spans The Highline.
Cookshop..very good, alway full.10th Avenue at W. 20th Street, W.Chelsea
All have outdoor tables in the warmer months.
Reservations are essential or you probably won't get a table.
And this is not mid-town rather W. Chelsea, Meatpacking, and W. Village , all adjacent to each other, walking distance.
Access to trains at 14th and 23rd Streets.Bus on 9th Avenue goes south, north on 10th Ave.

Suggest you get street and subway maps and have a look at them - since you seem confused about different areas - and how close they are to each other.

None of the places you are talking about are in midtown - and chelsea and meatpacking aren't near the World Trade Center.

Hi nyer - we're staying at the Hilton Millenium. We're Californians and I'm not that savvy on exact locations - my only visit to NYC was rushed.

Thanks everyone for the help with the geography - I'm from San Diego and only have google maps to go off of. : )

The Ground Zero Museum is not built, therefore not open and when it is, it wont be in the meatpacking district. The Ground Zero WORKSHOP which is in the mpd is a money making endeavor that MANY feel is making a profit off the loss and misery of others. Don't go!

MrsIglesias7777 , Google maps is fine to start. You can also use it to show the distance from one location to another, but remember to switch it to the "walking" option rather than driving to see the real distance

So for example, you can see the distance from the Millennium Hilton to Shopsin's is about one and half miles, not really in the area you're staying. It may be near or on the way to other sights you want to see.

Subway from your mid-town hotel to W.Chelsea/Meatpacking for brunch, then subway down to lower Manhattan to visit 9/11 Memorial. Museum is not open yet but the 9/11 Memorial is a moving experience. Then return to mid-town hotel by subway.
Also, you can walk along the Hudson River Park pathway from brunch to 9/11 Memorial, a pretty walk if you have time.

HappyTrvlr, she's staying at the Hilton Millenium across from the World Trade Center, not in midtown.
Midtown was the "red herring" in this post!

Your hotel is downtown - but in one of several downtown neighborhoods.

To find anything look at the website, which will list the nearest subway stops.

And use hopstop.com - which will show you how to get anywhere by subway, bus, foot or cab.