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For the most part, I agree with UT's suggestion of finding someone who'd be willing to drive you around all day. Check craigslist or ... yeah, that's my only suggestion right now.

If you DO drive yourself, doing this on a weekday will not be impossible. Honestly between 10 and 4 pm, the traffic in most parts of the city is not bad. I can lend advice on what areas to avoid during rushhour, if you need it. The only problem will be the areas that are perpetually congested, like Times Square, Rockefeller, Herald Square, the Brooklyn Bridge entrance, etc. Those will be a pain regardless of what day or time it is.

Honestly you can find Standing/Loading zones just about everywhere except on the major streets. All of the Avenues (north-south streets) are mixed - ex., I have a lot of parking on 8th Ave in my neighborhood, but further up near Penn Station/MSG there is no parking at all. As for the east-west streets, aside from the major crosstown arteries (Chamber, Canal, Delancey, Houston, 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, 50th and 57th), you'll probably luck out and find a genuine parking spot with a meter (bring lots of change - 15 minutes for a quarter!). There are, however, lots of weird parking restrictions that won't be easily deciphered from street signs, so you'd need to be careful of that.

I'm assuming you'll be alone. Other question: Do you have to stray far from your vehicle? I've successfully warded off meter maids 2 of 4 times over the past year by staying close by and feeding a sure-fire BS story to the ticket officer.

If you need suggestions for good places to eat in NYC or NJ, I have those too!