The Hotel Elysée (www.elyseehotel.com), on 60 East 54th Street, between Madison and Park Ave, is offering an ‘NYC Luxury Shopping Package’ for $350 per night per room, which includes deluxe accommodations, pink champagne upon arrival, one pound of Leonidas Cocoa dusted truffles, NYC Zagat shopping guide, day at Bergdorf Goodman including a complimentary tea for two in the BG Restaurant, a complimentary facial on the beauty level of the store, a personal shopping consultation, and an incentive gift card, the latest issue of Vogue Magazine, complimentary breakfast each morning, complimentary fruit, cookies, tea and coffee throughout the day, complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres each weekday evening and complimentary passes to the NY Sports Club. Read the full press release.

I think a few questions are in order here. What the heck is a free shopping consultation? And the package includes a whole bunch of complimentary stuff, but is it all worth it? I mean, C’mon - Pink Champagne? One pound of Leonidas cocoa dusted truffles? A copy of Vogue…? Gimme a break. The only value is see in the offer is for the free breakfast and the visit to Bergdorf Goodman, although I would have preferred gift vouchers for Macy’s instead. There’s also a minimum two night stay requirement. Meaning you’ll probably end up spenging around a $1000 on hotel charges for a weekend, when you tote up the taxes and add-ons and room service and the rest of the schtick. Is it worth it? Well….Let’s see what the hotel has to offer, shopping and freebies notwithstanding.

Location wise it’s not so bad, with everything from Times Square to Central Park to Bloomingdale’s and the Theatre District within walking distance. From the outside, it looks quite New Yorkish, with the awning and the green doorman. The lobby, while ornate, chandelier and all, seems to be slightly worn and in need of a little sprucing up. There are 101 rooms at the hotel, including 86 guest rooms, 3 junior suites, 10 suites, 1 royal suite and 1 piano suite.  In-room amenities include hair dryers, safes, mini bars, complimentary wireless internet, work desk, cable TV and VCR, and marble bathrooms. Some of the suites have direct access to seperate terraces, kitchenettes or solariums.

But the biggest attraction which draws both NYC residents and visitors to the Elysee is the Monkey Bar, a well-known watering hole on the Big Apple social scene. The Monkey Bar serves cocktails and drinks around the $10 range, along with an eclectic range of virtuoso Asian fusion cuisine. Room service orders are also taken by the Monkey Bar.

In summary, the Elysee has seen better days and it is slightly overpriced, but its still quite up to the task, and you’ll enjoy the stay there. Besides, its a boutique hotel with only 101 rooms, which makes the service a bit more personal than the monster New York family hotels you find peppered on Fifth Ave.

Info: Hotel Elysée - 60 East 54^th Street  New York NY 10022; (212) 753-1066

If you’re planning a religious trip to New York, no time like the present. I believe that faith is a personal matter, something that’s between you and your Maker, so I don’t like to throw religion in anyone’s face. But I’ll make an exception here, because Pope Benedict XVI is visiting New York and Washington between April 15-20. His NYC plans include a speech at the United Nations, a visit to Ground Zero and mass at Yankee Stadium. He’s also scheduled to visit Manhattan’s Jewish Park East Synagogue on April 18th. Also on his list is a stopover at St. Joseph’s Church, a German-speaking Church  on East 87th Street at First Avenue.

I thought this is as good an oppurtunity as any to focus the spotlight on the rich history and heritage of the Catholic Church in NYC. The Big Apple will be decked up and primed for the Papal visit, and in addition to following the Pope’s itenerary, you might want to visit some of the major attractions listed below for a Catholic tour of New York City.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The biggest attraction, with over 5 million annual visitors, is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This imposing and magnificient structure on Fifth Ave between 50th & 51st, is the HQ of the New York Archdiocese, headed by Bishop Edward Michael Cardinal Egan.  Photo credit - Cambridge 2000 Gallery

Take a gander at the Gothic architecture, the stained glass windows, the marble sculptures, the  magnificient altar, the Kilgen organ and most of all, the very immensity of the Cathedral and the aura of peace and serenity which fills the air in and around the Cathedral, and that too in a city like New York where being a hard-nosed cynic is a prequisite to survival, and you can understand the attraction that St. Patrick’s provokes, in both New York residents and visitors.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine: Located at 701 Fort Washington Avenue, in the Washington Heights neighbourhood, this shrine holds the remains of the first American to be beatified, Francesa Cabrini, or as she is better known, Mother Cabrini, in a crystal coffin. The shrine’s gift shop contains an exhibition of her belongings and her death certificate.

Mother Cabrini was an Italian immigrant who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and upon coming to New York, she established hospitals, orphanages, nurseries and schools. Its a well established tradition for immigrants applying for Green Cards to visit the Cabrini Shrine and ask for her help. Today’s visitor to New York might just ask her for help with safe cab rides and a hassle free departure from the airports without Airport Security flagging you onto a no-fly list.

Other notable points of interest on a Catholic religious tour of NYC might include Fort Tryon Park where the Cloisters contain famed art works, paintings and manuscripts; St. Malachy’s Church at 239 W. 49th Street known for being frequented by the artistes and theatre crews on Broadway and The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue near 84th Street, where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ funeral was held.

I’m not sure if this an April Fool hoax, but even if it is, it’s well worth a read. Apparently its not enough to be crazy to get admitted into Bellevue nowadays. You also hafta book a room and pay for it, cause the City wants to turn Bellevue’s psyciatric ward into a luxury Hotel…Talk about a room with a ‘vue, as the NY Post delicately puts it in an article titled ‘Loony (B)Inn Bellevue Eyed As Luxe Hotel’.

Guests at Bellevue will soon be given bathrobes instead of straitjackets, if the city can convince a developer to turn its most famous nut house into a luxe hotel. Originally, officials considered turning the 1931 Italian Renaissance-style building on First Avenue between 29th and 30th streets into condos, but oddly, the layout of a mental institution is better suited to a hotel, Melissa Konur, vice president of the city’s Economic Development Commission, told The Post. “There are long corridors, and the rooms aren’t very big,” she said.

And this is the original story from the NY Observer, which started the ball rolling on this nuthouse story. Includes the full proposal from the NYC Economic Development Corporation. And some more juicy bits from FoxNews. Not many hotels can claim Norman Mailer, Edie Sedgwick and Charlie Parker all spent the night, but the psych ward housed fewer sax players than ax murderers, said Dr. Frederick Covan, who for 14 years was its chief psychologist.

If you’re not from NYC, please tell me something. Do we look as crazy to you, as we look to ourselves? Maybe its the water, or the gas leaking from the subway or something like that…

The Wolcott Hotel, NYC, located on 31st Street, is 3 blocks away from the Empire State Building on 5th Ave. And its also supposed to be one of New York’s best kept hotel bargain secrets. Now this is no idle boast. The New York Times lists the hotel in its featured list of six bargain NYC hotels. The editor of NYCTourist.com, New York’s official tourism website, picks the hotel as his best pick for NYC lodging. With impeccable references like this for being a decent bargain hotel, its worth taking the trouble to find out what makes the Wolcott so attractive.

For starters, like all good Fifth Ave hotels, the Wolcott is a stroll away from the New York you see in the tourist brochures - Macy’s, the Garment District and Braodway, Javits, Penn Station, Madison Square Garden and the Rockefeller Center. Being so squarely situated in downtown Manhattan also makes it very convinient if you want to take a bus or the subway to other points of attraction in New York or the outer boroughs.

The ornate lobby of the hotel makes it seem more like the ballroom of the Titanic than a budget hotel, and you wonder how they can afford to keep all that brass and the solid wood furnishings and the chandeliers polished and clean. For business travelers, the hotel offers a business center, conference and exhibit rooms, a theater for presentations and a classroom. There’s also a fully equipped fitness center.

All rooms and suites at the Walcott feature television with cable, in-room movies and a Nintendo for games. Amenities include an in-room safe, hairdryer, iron/ironing board, with free coffee and muffins in the hotel lobby available every morning. Minimum booking is for two rooms (which is one the reasons the hotel is so affordable), since they collect at least $600 plus taxes from each guest. That basically means that the room rates start at $150 per room per night. For families, the Wolcott offers the ‘Triple Room’ with two connection rooms, one with twin beds. This ‘triple Room’ costs $320 for two nights, or $160 per night.

In summary, New York family hotels don’t come cheap, and its a good bet that you won’t find a more balanced deal, which has just the right mix of economy and luxury. If you’re looking at a family vacation in new York, you can save hundreds of dollars by putting up at the Wolcott, without your kids and spouse starting to grumble that you’re Uncle Scrooge’s second coming. Besides, you have a chance to win two free nights in New York. Click here to enter the contest (please enter Cango.com ion the field which asks where you heard about the contest).

Info: 4 West 31st Street New York, NY 10001; (212) 268-2900

There are times when New York begins to bite. Everything seems to be going horribly wrong, and you feel so very alone, walking against the tide of humanity flowing out of Grand Central or jostling with the well-heeled shoppers on Fifth Ave. Everybody seems to be so busy and having such a good time in the Big Apple - Except for poor you with nothing to do and no money to do it even if you wanted to. At times like these, when you’re in the dumps, I usually retreat from the merciless inhumanity of Downtown Manhattan and seek comfort in Harlem with some real soul food and quiet jazz.

Life here is still simple, and you’re not expected to have a gazillion tucked away in stock options. Whatever you may or may not be, you’re still welcome at M & G’s at the corner of 125th & Morningside near St. Nicholas Ave, for a heaping plate of fried chicken and then hang around for a couple of hours nursing a cup of iced tea and nibbling on a short rib sandwich. You can perch on your stool and yak with the regulars about what’s happening in Harlem. They’ll happily talk to strangers, and all you have to do is nod along and listen, with the jukebox belting out an excellent selection of jazz, soul and R&B tunes. There’s something comforting about the place, which makes you forget all about your pathetic existence, and just flow with it. 

And it helps that the food is great and prices are still cheap, inspite of all the fame the M & G has recieved recently. I’d much rather prefer to cure my blues with some 20 odd dollars at M & G’s, than visit a therapy hack who charges by the hour…You can, of course, visit the M & G Diner, if just like soul food or you’re just looking to get acquainted with New York and Harlem. Info: 383 W. 125th St., New York, NY 10027; (212) 864-7326  

Another place I used to hang out at in Harlem until recently is Amy Ruth’s, located at 113 W 116th St., New York, NY 10026. Right now, it’s a bit over-rated and the waiting lines for a table are getting longer than I’m used to, which is why I shifted base to M & G’s, but it’s still pretty good, if you’re looking for soul food in NYC. The meals are named after famous folks like the Rev. Al Sharpton, and they serve up a smashing dessert - The Inez Bass, a red velvet cake. It feels good to be able to stick a fork into the good Rev. Sharpton, if you know what I mean… 

Other notable soul food joints in Harlem include Miss Maude’s on 547 Lenox Ave, Charles’ Southern Style Kitchen on 2841 Frederick Douglass Blvd and the nearby Londel’s Supper Club on Striver’s Row, which also features live jazz performances during the weekend. Londel’s chicken and waffles aren’t too bad either, and their Sunday brunch spread is a pretty good example of what Harlem soul food is all about.