New York

You can do anything and everything in this city. New York has got every kind of restaurant you could want. There are also Broadway plays and clubs, bars, and lounges that never seem to close. There are space shows at the Hayden Planetarium and ruises around the island of Manhattan on the Circle Line. The opportunities are endless.

Quick Tips:

Nightlife in New York is true to what they say--this is the city that never sleeps. Don't go out until at LEAST eleven. No one will be out yet, and the places will be moderately empty, unless it's Friday and the bars have some happy hour leftovers. For Broadway plays, if you want to buy tickets for a performance on the day of the show, go to Times Square to the red and white booth in the center of it (across the street from the Virgin Mega Store, approximately 44th Street and Broadway). The tickets for same-day shows will be discounted as much as half-price.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're going in a group or not too far, cabs can be the way to go. It's .50 upon getting into the cab, then .50 for each additional 1/5 of a mile. If you're going more than ten blocks, walk or take the subway. Manhattan is laid out in a grid, so it's very easy to find your way if you're walking... and avenues and streets run in numbers. Numbers go up as you go east to west, and down as you go downtown. The subways seem confusing but aren't. Get a map, and you'll figure out how to transfer soon enough. It's only .50 to ride this train. Get a Metrocard for free transfers to buses then.

Okay, before I write this report on The Iroquois hotel, I have to be honest. This hotel is not for budget travelers, and under normal circumstances, we would have balked at the price of a room in which we would be spending very little time. However, the lowered prices straight after 9/11 made this hotel affordable to us, and we got to sample how the other half lives. The hotel's website will give you a better idea of room prices than I can, but I would say expect to pay between $200 and $400 a night.

I must say that I loved this place. It’s a smaller boutique hotel, and though the original 1920s limestone exterior still remains, the inside was given a complete $10-million overhaul in the late 1990s. Located in Midtown, you can’t get a better position for seeing the sights. Times Square, 5th Avenue, and Broadway are all just a 3-minute walk. You're just 5 minutes to Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, and the Empire State Building was 10 minutes away.

There are just 109 rooms, and we stayed in the standard room. The bedroom was small (though big by New York standards), but the bathroom was very large, all done in marble and brass, with a pedestal sink and Jacuzzi bath. Being November, the Frette down comforters were a treat, as were the luxurious bathrobes. The room had all the usual appliances--phone, in-room safe, cable TV, radio, and Nintendo--that you would expect in an upscale hotel. Molton Brown toiletries, a CD player, and chocolates on our pillow each night, however, were their own personal touch.

The lobby has a laptop where you can check email for free. Other freebies include a morning newspaper and shoe cleaning.

Being Thanksgiving, there was a beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby and a pot of hot apple cider available at any hour. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. They recognized us within minutes, greeting us by name at the door and turning a blind eye when we sneaked takeout Indian food to our room one stormy night.

Ellis Island was the entry point for millions of soon-to-be Americans in the late 1900s and early 20th century. It has a fabled place in American history as the landing spot for people from all over the world, but especially Eastern and Western Europe. The museum itself is located in the original building, rebuilt after a fire, with amazing views of downtown New York and Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey. It is a very popular destination for visitors to New York, and the lines for the ferry on holidays and weekends can easily exceed 1 hour. Plan to go early in the day if you are traveling during a peak time.

Newly renovated, the Ellis Island museum accurately reflects the experience that many immigrants had in coming to America while providing a great deal of statistical information through audio tours, displays, and interactive exhibits, as well as offering visitors a chance to do some genealogy research. While at Ellis Island, you can also purchase a plaque for the American Immigrant Wall of honor. Facilities on the island are basic, and there are restrooms and snacks available. You can also picnic on either Liberty or Ellis Island.

Let me first say that I think the Ellis Island museum is very well done. It kept my attention throughout the 3 hours I was there. However, the material is a bit dry, and we saw a number of younger children clearly chomping at the bit from boredom. If you will be coming as a family, keep that in mind. There are guided tours, which may be more appropriate for families with younger children. The exhibits are roughly divided into three areas: the Ellis Island experience (which replicates the process newly arrived immigrants went through), the films, and the genealogy project (which has an additional $5 fee).

Getting to Ellis Island requires taking the ferry from either Battery Park (the southernmost part of Manhattan) or Jersey City. The Circle Ferry line runs these ferries, and they cost $10, which includes your admission to the museum and also to Liberty Island. Audio tours are an additional fee. From Manhattan, Ellis Island is the second stop. The first stop will be Liberty Island, where you can see (but not go inside) the statue. Sit on the right side of the ferry and you will get great views of the statue for picture-taking. On the return trip, you are brought directly back to New York.

There are two types of bars in Manhattan. The first kind is a place where beers are $8, the service is snotty, and you are surrounded by tourists and chichi locals. The second kind offers $3 beers, dingy decor, and gibbering drunk locals. Bellevue is firmly in the latter camp. The name alone should clue you in, though this bar terms itself an "alcohol abuse center" rather than a psych ward. Long a favorite of Hell's Kitchen locals, Bellevue's recent accolades as one of the city's best dive bars have won it new fans.

The interior of Bellevue is dark, and that's just the way patrons want it. Ragged furniture and bar stools hold you up as the waitresses serve drinks for ridiculously low prices. An average mixed drink (rum and coke) will run you around $4. Every so often, they'll thrown one in for free if you're in it for the long haul. The decor is in the early heavy metal style. Posters all over the walls and ceiling attest to Bellevue's fame. Try to catch the script where Rob Zombie hosted Headbanger's Ball live from Bellevue. The lights are red and dim. Thrown in some "borrowed" signs from long-gone businesses, an Ozzy bobblehead doll, Betty Page videos on the TV, and other assorted weirdness and you've got Bellevue.

Aside from the cheap beer and laid-back atmosphere, people come here for the music. The jukebox has consistently rated tops in the city. The selection is superb if your taste runs toward metal and goth. Bellevue is the only place *I* know in the city where I can program Sisters of Mercy and Korn in the same set. The clientele reflects the diversity of music, with everyone from pierced punkers to local hobos calling Bellevue home. This is certainly not the bar to visit if you're in the mood for some classy entertainment. It is the place to stop if you need a quick drink (or three) on your way back to New Jersey, as the Port Authority is right across the street, allowing for a quick getaway.