Relaxing in New York

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Here’s what I really enjoyed about the Gorham.

The Gorham is in a great location. It’s located at 136 West 55th, between 6th and 7th Avenues. It’s only minutes away from Central Park, Times Square, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We were greeted with great service. From the friendly staff to the complimentary fruit and daily newspapers, we felt truly welcomed into the hotel. Needless to say, I think this would be a pleasant surprise for tourists coming to New York City.

The rooms also offered some nice amenities that could make a long stay enjoyable. Free internet access in the lobby and room (if you have a laptop for your room) prevents one from having to hunt for an internet cafe. I loved that feature. A room refrigerator lets you store food and drinks to take when exploring the city. Also, a plush Gorham Hotel robe in the room was a nice touch.

Another great idea that the hotel had was to have agreements with local restaurants and merchants. Hotel guests can receive such things as complimentary desserts from local restaurants and free chocolates from a candy store.

However, the hotel was not perfect. The water pressure was extremely low in the shower, which prevented us from unwinding with a nice shower after a long day. The hotel has established a "Breakfast Room" which is a bit tacky. It is literally a bedroom that has been emptied out with the door propped open. Considering the almost infinite restaurant options in New York City, I’d be hard pressed to find a good reason to have breakfast there. Yes, the bathroom is still there. Also, the small, limited exercise room leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, we had an enjoyable stay at the Gorham Hotel and would recommend it for a nice stay in New York City. Just don’t plan on working out and having breakfast there.

Room rates range from about $170-$230, while the suite rates range from $180-$260. You can find more information about the Gorham Hotel at www.gorhamhotel.com

I liked the stylish, dark wood paneled bistro and bar atmosphere that is alive and festive.

The best thing on the menu for me was the mussels steamed in beer and the frites (french fries), but there are traditional Belgian steaks, seafood, and stews. The warm chocolate torte is a superb dessert. Try going early (before 6:30) to avoid crowds.

The specialties here are Korean Barbeque and many traditional Korean dishes like Bi Bam Bap, a rice casserole cooked in a steaming iron pot.

Go with a group so you can try many dishes, and have the barbeque that is cooked on the grill in the middle of the table!

This is a newly remodeled resturaunt that is more fashionable and modern in appearance than most Chinatown favorites. I would also recommend House Made noodles and string beans.

Our late dinner reservation (11:00 PM) was about the time that Lotus transforms into a very trendy nightclub. I must admit this trendy treatment turned me off slightly, but we were welcomed warmly by the host and seated in a comfortable corner in the main dining room, which turns into a bar/lounge after 11:30 PM.

The food was fantastic and well-prepared, and far better than I expected from this hotspot. I enjoyed a delicious appetizer of tuna shashimi prepared four different ways, and for the main course, I had a fresh lobster cassoulet with sweet spring vegetables in a slightly spicy broth that still makes my mouth water. Ally had a great squab appetizer and a lamb dish that was one of the best I had ever tasted. Dessert was a great chocolate pyramid with a dark chocolate exterior and hazelbut-chocolate mixture on the inside. The dinner was a fixed-priced menu at $55 per person.

All the while while we enjoyed great food, trendy club music played in the background and the crowd at the bar buzzed louder, which made it a bit tough to have an intimate conversation, but it made the dinner both delicious and sexy, which doesn't happen often (even in New York!).

A simple, clean store concept- just the donuts and some coffee is allyou need to start the morning happy. I look forward to them every Friday,and eat about 6 of them on my way back to work. It's a refreshing find for NYC.

This Muscial Version of the The Full Monty takes the setting to Buffalo, New York, but the good-natured humor and entertaining interactions of the misguided strippers remains.

From a muscial standpoint, there aren't a lot of very memorable songs, while the movie soundtrack is full of 70's classics like "You Sexy Thing" and "Moving on Up." The are several funny songs in the musical and the singing is general good, but you won't leave humming them in your head.

The Full Monty is a very fun and playful musical though not really appropriate for little kids. You definitely won't be bored with this one, as the story closely follows the funniest scenes of the movie version. I would recommend it, especially if you are generally not into more serious type of muscial theater.