No, that’s not a typo. The film, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, is named ‘When Harry Met Sally’, but did you know the places and spots in New York, featured in the movie? Well, follow me along on a Where Harry Met Sally tour of New York.

Katz’s Deli: First up is th Deli where they’re having this discussion about women faking orgasms and men not realising it (youtube video), and Sally gives a vocal display of how its done. This famous scene was shot at Katz’s Deli, one of New York’s oldest and most famous delicatessen’s, and the gold standard for Jewish Deli’s. You can even sit at the same table, which has a taped sign which says “You are sitting at the table where Harry met Sally.” 

Katz’s pastrami sandwiches are the stuff of legends, and the frankfurters, knockwurst, knishes and other Jewish deli dishes are equally enticing. But more than the food, it’s about the New York experience. Eating at Katz is more of a ritual, than just about kosher food. Its a meeting place, a place where you can hang out, and be a regular and josh with the counterguys. Info: 205 E. Houston St., New York, NY 10002 at Ludlow St.; (212) 254-2246

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The pecan pie scene, where Harry asks Sally discuss dating, was filmed in the Egyptian Exhibition section at the Met, in the temple of Dendur, to be specific. There’s a lot you can do at the Met, other than gawking at the artifacts and exhibitions. The Met organizes events and programs, and there’s some fine cafes and restaurants, including the fifth floor Roof Garden Cafe which gives you an excellent view of Manhattan.  Info: 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street NYC New York 10028; (212) 535-7710

There’s a lot more of Manhattan in the film, including a stroll through Central Park in the autumn, when they talk about their sex dreams. There’s also glimpses of the Rockefeller Center Christmas display and the decorated windows of Saks Fith Ave.

Minor points of interest include The Plant Shed, on West 98th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave, where Harry and Sally buy Christmas trees, and then there’s a scene in a bookshop where they meet with one of Sally’s friends in tow, which makes for an interesting turn, as…Well, anyway, point is the bookshop featured in the movie is a branch of Shakespeare & Co., located at 79th and Broadway.

This is all I can remember offhand, but if you know of any more interesting NYC spots where Harry met Sally, do tell.

The Vu Hotel in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood (that’s NYC speak for Midtown West), like every hotel in New York City worth its salt, offers a sweeping view of Times Square and the Manhattan skyline, and is located within walking distance of all the major attractions and ‘visitable’ points of interest in Manhattan. The Vu is also the closest hotel to Pier 94 and the Manattan Cruise Ship Terminal, with the Javits Convention Center, Fifth Ave shopping, the Rockefeller Center and Times Square attractions a short stroll away. Its slated to open its doors to guests early summer.

The Vu is run by Kimpton Hotels (www.kimptonhotels.com). Which means that this hotel could very well end beating all the other NYC family hotels, when you factor in the KimptonKids program run by the group at all its hotels and the ‘tourist-friendly’ location of the hotel.

For the uninformed, KimptonKids sets the standard for family vacations, offering everything a family needs in a hotel, for kids of all ages, shapes and sizes, in their own words - Cribs and high chairs in rooms and restaurants and concierge services including accredited baby-sitting, 24 hour on-call pediatrician, car rentals with child friendly seats and rental of strollers. To top it off, the hotel offers special welcome gifts for all kids, and a list of kid-friendly activities and outlets near the hotel including parks and restaurants. 

And just in case you’re still not decided, the Vu is also a green hotel which relies solely on eco-friendly services and products, and is pet-friendly with special services and amenities deoted to pets. Amenities for the pets’ masters include wireless internet throughout the hotel, free coffee and tea, a luxury spa, valet and laundry services, complimentary overnight shoe shine and newspaper, valet parking and 24 hour room service.

The 222 rooms and suites at the Vu hotel each come with an expansive view of either the Manhattan skyline or the Hudson River through large windows, with wi-fi internet, flat-screen HDTV cable and over 150 channels, on-demand movies and games with Nintendo 64, an ‘essential travel kit’, iron & ironing board, hair dryer, stone tiled bathrooms and oversized showers stocked with signature bath products, in-room spa services, and some of the rooms feature a Fuji soak tub.  Room rates are expected to be pricey, starting from $425, but the hotel will be providing specials for family stays.

Dining options at the Vu include a first-floor restaurant adjacent to the hotel, which features casual dining with a regional cuisine prepared with local produce, and there’s also a 15th floor rooftop bar perefect for a warm summer night date with an unobstructed view of the City on the West and the hudson River on the East.

Info: 653 11th Avenue at 48th, New York, NY 10036; Reservations: (877) 843-8869;
Front Desk: (212) 757-0088 Web: www.vuhotel.com

Kathleen Lucadamo, NY Daily News, has some startling revelations in an ‘ Obecity fat study’ regarding New York’s collective waistline.

New Yorkers collectively gained more than 10 million pounds in two years, according to Health Department data released Wednesday. During the same period, between 2002 and 2004, obesity rates and diabetes cases swelled 17% and 173,500 of New Yorkers moved into the obesity range, health officials found. Health bigwigs blamed syrupy sodas in part for the city’s fat surge, saying that 27% of New Yorkers drink nearly two sodas a day - 300 nutrition-free calories. The survey of 10,000 adults showed that obesity ballooned 20% among whites in the city compared with 7% nationally. Obesity rates here grew 14% among Hispanics but nationally didn’t rise significantly for groups other than whites. Foreign-born New Yorkers experienced the sharpest increase in obesity at 33% since 2002, meaning that 22.4% of that population is obese.  

10 million pounds in 2 years…I have this mental picture of a fat waldo named New York who just gained 10 million pounds. Wow! Time to dust off the old nike and join the fitness freaks at central park. But seriously, exrecise and diet is just one-half of the equation. Fact of the matter is that New Yorkers are exposed to much more culinary delights than other cities. There’s so much more to eat - so many restaurants, so many diners, so many tempatations, and the food is so cheap (some NYC residents might disagree, but it is cheap, if you know the right places…). In fact, I’d say that New York, along with a lot of other awards, also takes the cake for being the biggest food fanatic in the nation.

As Exhibit A, I present to you yesterday’s New York Times column by Henry Alford, whose sole mission is to explain how you can prepare delicious dishes and eat tasty stuff by buying ‘only at 99 cent stores and outlets’.

In fact, he labels his column as a primer on ‘How to survive in New York on 99 cents’. Here’s some brief excerpts.

 There are 99-cent stores, and then there is Jack’s. It’s Closeout Central, an off-brand oasis. Located at 110 West 32nd Street, near Herald Square, with satellite stores at 16 East 40th Street and 45 West 45th Street, Jack’s has not only lots of freezer cases and five or more aisles full of food, but also an upstairs gourmet section with more upscale items — Buitoni and Bertagni prepared pastas, Lindt and Ferrero chocolates, Hero jams — at prices ranging from about $1.99 to $4.99…I visited 21 more 99-cent stores in Manhattan, including 12 in Harlem and Washington Heights, 4 in Chinatown and 1 in Spanish Harlem.

And this is just in addition to all the cheap eats in Brooklyn and Queens and the dimsums and rice bowls Chinatown, and the low priced greasy soulfood and juicy New York steaks and ubiquitous burgers and hotdog stands and pizzerias. All this comes with the who-gives-a-shit nutrition-free abondon which poverty forces one into, washed down with sodas and draft beers which further set the calorie counters clanging.

This proves that it’s a crime to be poor or rich in New York, and not just because you have to pay more taxes than your fair share. Its also because you’re exposed to higher calories. The rich because they have the money to throw away at parties and stuff their faces from dawn to dusk, besides not having to do any work to burn thoise calories, and the poor because they have no choice - They have to eat cheap fatty foods and they have no jobs to burn the calories. The middle-class never had it so good…

Robert DeNiro, Hollywood’s favorite mafioso…Make that Oscar winning mob actor…is all set to launch the Greenwich Hotel (www.thegreenwichhotel.com) in New York’s Tribeca District on April 1st 2008.

Why New York? You talkin’ to me? Well, in his own words, “I go to Paris, I go to London, I go to Rome, and I always say, ‘There’s no place like New York. It’s the most exciting city in the world now. That’s the way it is. That’s it.”

Review from Los Angeles Times staff writer Jane Eagle quotes Robert Deniro as saying that the new eight-story 88 room Greenwich Hotel, which sports eclectic decor and a handmade brick facade, will offer “sophistication and authenticity.” And gourmets, take note: Its restaurant is the latest outpost of chef Agostino Sciandri’s Ago empire. Also coming later: a 2,500-square-foot penthouse and a spa where guests can lounge under the roof of a 250-year-old farmhouse, reconstructed by Japanese craftsmen. Hotel furnishings range from hand-loomed Tibetan rugs to Italian terracotta floors.

Photo Credit: special HoodWatch photographic correspondent Will Femia. More specifics on the Greenwich hotel’s facade and rooms from HotelMotel.com.  

There are 88 rooms, of which no two are alike. The hotel has thirteen suites - some with saunas, others with working fireplaces. There are two duplex suites: the Greenwich, designed by Grayling and the N. Moore, designed by The Rockwell Group. Conceived as artist ateliers, both have soaring 30-foot skylights, chef’s kitchens, two master bedrooms with 2 S bathrooms, stone fireplaces, and offices with separate entrances. Each of these duplex residences can be expanded to accommodate up to 5 bedrooms. Behind the hand-made brick facade, DeNiro and Drukier [Real Estate Developer Ira Drukier] have created an intimate and welcoming retreat that reflects the warmth and personality guests would feel if they were staying at the home of a good friend. Shibui, the Greenwich Hotel’s spa is a true haven for relaxation and rejuvenation.

The hotel offers babysitting/child services, business center, and concierge 24 hour front desk and laundry/valet services. There’s a very comprehensive and through list of the Greenwich Hotel’s amenities, room information, directions and miscellaneous information at MetroTravelGuide.com. 

Info: 377 Greenwich St New York NY 10013; (212) 941-8900; E-mail: info@thegreenwichhotel.com

The newly renovated NYC Milburn Hotel, located in a cozy tree-lined residential neighbourhood,  consistently ranks in the top 10 lists of family hotels in New York, and its appeal can be summed up in three words - budget, family and location.  

Inspite of being located in a quiet and sedate section of the big city, the Milburn is conviniently accesible by bus, subway and taxi and minutes away from downtown Manhattan, the Theater District and Fifth Ave. shopping.

One bedroom suites for a full family are available for between $239 to $399 (taxes extra), and include wireless internet, a fully equipped kitchenette with microwave and refrigirator and stocked mini-bar, flat screen LCD television, cable TV, a VCR and CD player, hair dryer, iron/ironing board and coffee maker.

Includes a special VCD collection for kids and use of a heated swimming pool next to the hotel. Children under 12 are free. In addition to use of the kitchette, the hotel also offers a compimentary European style breakfast, discount access to a next door cafe which serves complimentary wine and Artisanal cheeses. Also included in the package is access to the New York Sports Club, along with overnight shoe shines.

What makes the Milburn hotel family friendly is not what it offers, but what it does not - A Times Square location, lots of swanky add-ons and gizmos in the rooms, a trendy bar with a crush of NYC patrons and hundreds of rooms (things which you normally associate with NYC hotels). The Milburn parleys the lack of these ‘NYC must-haves’ into an advantage with personalized service to the limited number of guests, low room rates and a peaceful stay on a quiet street insulated from the downtown rush and bedlam.

Even the decor has a certain understated charm with wide open spaces, soothing colors, solid furnishings and a homey feel, which certainly adds to the charm when you compare it the harsh edges, artsy cubicles and crazy multi-hued modern art adorning the walls of designer hotels.

Add to that the fact that the paint is still fresh, the bedsheets and carpets spotless and a host of new amneties and in-room services recently added after the renovation, and you have a pretty good deal if you want to explore New York with your family in a safe, comfortable and reasonable environment. In their own words, it’s a home away from home.

Info: The Milburn Hotel, 242 West 76th St, New York, NY 10023 (Btwn West End Ave. & Broadway); (212) 362-1006