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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.

1. Eat at New York City restaurants 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.

2. Become a Stage Door Johnny

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.

3. Go Clubbing

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.

4. Score Tickets to Total Request Live

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.

5. Get Tickets to “Saturday Night Live”

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.