In New York City, I have recommended hotels like Soho Grand Hotel.  Let me take this opportunity to also suggest that you try to stay at least for one night in the world-famous Plaza Hotel right on Fifth Avenue and walking distance to Central Park.  I took this photo of the hotel and the surrounding skyline from the park.

Here in New England, one of the things that we know and really appreciate is good (and that generally means warm) weather.  Each day when the temperature is warm for that time of the year, we like to enjoy it, preferably outdoors. 

New York City is the same.  For all whose people holed up in their tiny apartments of cubicles in high-rise offices, each weekend day of sunshine is worth as much as a trip to Nevis Islands. 

That is why it is nice to see people shedding their clothes and changing into swimsuits to get that perfect tan (I want to warn, though, that you should always wear sunscreen and overexposure to direct sun accelerates aging).

In Boston area, where I live, it is common to see such sights in Boston Commons or on the Esplanade next to Charles River.

In the skyscraper below, the public is welcome in the sense that it is the Trump Hotel and Tower, but if you are intimidated by the idea of going inside a luxury hotel if you are not staying there (my technique to check out hotels that are too expensive for me to afford is to go for a cup of coffee during daytime (I did that at the Omm Hotel in Barcelona) or to the bar at night), you can still admire it from the street.  It is right in the Columbus Square area.

If you don't know where to eat, take my advice and try the Little Italy neighborhood.  The prices are really good at lunch time and be careful while ordering.  I like Ristorante Italiano Da Gennaro.

I also like Sal Anthony's restaurant where they specialize in gnocchi, if that is your favorite Italian dish.

The other place to get awesome food is Il Fornaio and right next to it, the Sorrento.

Kira Plastinina was a Russian teenager who designed some playful clothes for teens and young women, and the marketers made her into a star.  Suddenly, she was everywhere and was intereviewed on TV as if she was Warren Buffet.  After hearing all the hoopla, I went to her boutique in New York City and I must say that while clothes were interesting looking but some of them looked as if they came out of an Old Navy (these people will not design and sell such garments because vast majority of American women will not be able to wear such funky clothes) factory.  The prices were outrageous too and I didn't see the value. No surprise then that Kira is back to her Russian roots and has pretty much disappeared from the rest of the world.

Thankfully, during my trip to India, I learned that there is lot more to Indian cuisine than what you eat in your neighborhood lunch place.  And since people like me complained, entrepreneurs are stepping in with more sophisticated restaurants and that is where I put Leela Lounge.  It has the ambiance of an upscale restaurant in a metropolitan city in India, and while they could improve the service, it is overall an exotic experience.