Eartha Kitt will be showing who's boss at the Cafe Carlyle
until October 27.
Photo: The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

by John Oseid

I was minding my own business at Manhattan's Cafe Carlyle bar last night when the lights dimmed and I heard a deep purrrrrrrrrr behind me. Ms. Eartha Kitt was warming up her vocal chords inches from my ear. What do you say to the sexiest 80-year-old on the planet when she throws off her shawl and declares the room chilly?

"You'll heat it up right away," I said, of course. She let out a shriek, thumped me on the chest, and strode to the stage. Excuse me as I go frame the shirt I was wearing.

Eartha Kitt has just kicked off the fall season at the Carlyle Hotel's legendary cabaret on the Upper East Side.

Here's how you can get smacked by Ms. Kitt in New York's hottest show:

You don't have to put on the red light! Sting rocks out at
the 2007 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Photo: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

by Beata Loyfman

If you think New York City is all about big business and loose morals, think again. Residents of the formerly grungy and increasingly gentrified Lower East Side have recently banded together to stop the opening of a swanky burlesque club backed by aging rockers Sting and David Bowie. Earlier this year, Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce excitedly announced its foray into New York, promising a classy entertainment experience and late-night burgers. Then community activists took up arms, claiming that Forty Deuce would be nothing more than a glorified strip joint. The project was unanimously rejected today. The irony of conservatives fighting for the integrity of the Lower East Side was clearly lost in the midst.

With the future of Forty Deuce in jeopardy, where does one satisfy that late-night burlesque fix? Glad you asked. Read on to find out where the tassels are still swinging.

By Beata Loyfman

If you've ever dined at Planet Hollywood, you know that a celebrity-owned restaurant does not necessarily mean good food. So when I heard the brouhaha about Justin Timberlake's new New York restaurant, Southern Hospitality, I was skeptical (here's the menu). Call me old-fashioned, but I think a kitchen has to earn its chops (ha!) on the plate rather than on the marquee. And while the star-struck hordes are lining up to overpay for Justin's lukewarm southern hospitality, I'll be savin' my dough and eatin' the best vittles this side of Balt'more in these tried and true waterin' holes: 

The first on the list is The Pink Tea Cup. It comes highly recommended by The Materialist food blogger Mollie Chen, an expert in all things edible. This West Village gem serves no-frills southern cookin' with a side of real down home hospitality. As soon as you smell the freshly-baked cornbread and fried chicken, you'll forget all about Justin. I'd like to see his kitchen match these grits!

Read on for more finger lickin' goodness.

Smells like chicken: At the award-winning "Sammy's Halal" in Queens.
Photo: Beyond the Buffet

By Tara Kyle

New York City's summer tourist season is gearing up, which means the sidewalks will soon be crawling with even more people looking to stretch their dollar in our famously expensive city. Wendy recently highlighted a list of things to do in town for free, but even if you spend nothing on activities, a meal or two in Manhattan's pricey restaurants is enough to blow a travel budget.

Fortunately for those of us without an expense report, there's a great way to get a taste of New York's global flavors without breaking the bank. Just as Manhattan has some of the best and most varied restaurants in the world, it also has a veritable fleet of international street food stands to write home about. Where to find them and how much will they set you back? I talked to Sanjay Surana, Conde Nast Traveler's Ombudsman (and resident street food expert) for his top three picks around Times Square, home to the magazine's offices, and tourist central ...

Our September 2006 cover, shot by Jonas Karlsson.

by Wendy Perrin

A couple of days ago I posted a thank-you to National Geographic Traveler's Web site for compiling a nifty list of great things to do in New York City for free.  Then I removed it because a cyberrific reader pointed out that the site that actually deserves our thanks is NYCVisit.com, the home of New York City's tourist board. NGT's list is remarkably similar to the tourist board's, only less comprehensive. 

As a native New Yorker born and raised in midtown, I grew up doing many of these free things myself -- from Friday-night films at the Museum of Modern Art to afternoons at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab to evening concerts in Central Park. The list includes many attractions, museums, walking tours, cultural institutions and events you should not miss -- even if you've got money to burn.

For a list of NYC activities that cost money but are well worth the price -- from kayaking on the Hudson River past the Statue of Liberty to flying through the air on a trapeze with views of Manhattan's skyline -- see Conde Nast Traveler's Insider's Guide to New York City. You can also see the slide show that tells the story of how we managed to shoot movie star Naomi Watts standing on one of the Chrysler Building's gargoyles for our September cover.

Erika Christensen, Kevin Connolly, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lukas Haas at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Gardener of Eden.
Photo: The Associated Press/Jennifer Graylock

By Beata Loyfman

Every spring Robert DeNiro's baby arrives in New York City. No, not an actual baby, but the Tribeca Film Festival, which the Taxi Driver star created in 2002 as a way to bring business back to downtown Manhattan after 9/11. The festival's done that and more, becoming one of the hottest draws of the year and making the trendy Tribeca even cooler than before.

But you don't have to be a high-wattage celeb to join the party. Read more after the jump.

Where did I take WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? contest winner CoralsO (above, center) to lunch two days ago?

by Wendy Perrin

Remember how the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? prize was lunch with me at the restaurant of the winner's choice?  Well, can you guess from the photos which restaurant CoralsO, the first of the three winners, chose?

What's amazing about CoralsO is that she managed to guess my WHERE'S WENDY? locations not because she's been to them but because she is unbelievably Web-savvy and knew which magic cybertools to use to pinpoint where I was. A student in Chicago, she was able to respond to the clues so quickly because she is on her computer in class all day.  Because her classes are such a yawn, she sits there behind her laptop, listening to the professor with half her (substantial) brain and exploring cyberspace with the other half.

"Elevages Perigord" Foie Gras: Terrine with Four Story Hill Squab and Spring Vegetables -- the first course of our five-course tasting menu.

The aperitif served with the foie gras was a Pineau des Charentes (J. Normandin-Mercier, Reserve Privee).

Rockettes impersonating toy soldiers at Radio City Music Hall, Dec. 23, 2006

By Wendy Perrin

Never in a million years did I think I'd end up at Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Spectacular. Then I had kids.

Tim and I took them to see it yesterday and, to my amazement, I can assure you that the show truly is spectacular.

Corner of Broadway and 112th St., Manhattan, December 18, 2006
Photo: Rebekah Kebede

By Wendy Perrin

One of the most popular Perrin Report columns I ever wrote is the one about common street scams worldwide:  The "broken" ATM, the phony parking-lot attendant, the camera snatch, the baby toss . . . .

So last night I was in N.Y.C. having dinner with friends at Cafe Fiorello across from Lincoln Center and heard this one, which is happening in Manhattan on the far Upper West Side near Columbia University:  You're walking down the street and suddenly you trip over something and hear a crunch beneath your feet. You've just smashed a man's eyeglasses. He accuses you of ruining his glasses that cost $180 and gives you such a sob story that you feel terribly guilty and reach into your pocket to reimburse him.

What's really happened, of course, is  that he's tossed his already broken eyeglasses at your feet just in time for you to step on them.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons Hotel New York

By Wendy Perrin

Last week I wrote about how to nab an upgrade at a luxury hotel.  Leslie Lefkowitz, Director of Public Relations at the Four Seasons Hotel New York, posted some further tips:

"If you are celebrating a special occasion, we want to know about it so we can make it even more special for you by sending an amenity. Be sure to let us know your arrival time too so your champagne stays chilled!  As for an upgrade, if there is availability it certainly is possible.  So don't be afraid to ask. And while you're at it, request a corner room (more windows and light) and as high a floor as possible if you're checking into the Four Seasons New York."

I also asked if anyone knows how to snare a seat at the hotel's hot new restaurant, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, which is not yet taking reservations. Writes Leslie,

"Seating at the counter is first-come, first-served for most of the night. Go solo and request a counter seat. It's easy to squeeze between a party of two or three on either side of you and it also happens to be great fun to dine alone at this communal style seating option. Bon appetit!"

By Wendy Perrin

On a recent Sunday evening, my husband Tim gave me a surprise.  He dropped off the kids at Granny's and announced we were going to the Four Seasons New York for the night.

The view from our room on the 41st floor

Our getaway was only 12 hours long, but it seemed much longer and more therapeutic, probably because it felt like we were beamed to another planet.  The Four Seasons' elevator shot to the 41st floor, and my normal life -- that of a frazzled working mother with two preschool boys -- vaporized.  We stepped into a schmancy suite (yes, suite!!!) overlooking Central Park.

This strange planet had no pizza stains anywhere, no screaming or crying, no phones or TREO ringing, no deadlines to meet, no flights to catch. There was enough time for a nice hot bath (with Bulgari bath amenities rather than rubber duckies).  There was even the possibility of an uninterrupted night's sleep!

THE SUNDAY-NIGHT UPGRADE
Now, we are NOT the sort of people who can afford a five-star hotel suite. But we DO know about the Sunday-night upgrade at city hotels catering to business travelers during the week and leisure travelers on weekends. 

Because Sunday nights are slow, because we had checked in so late in the day (few guests would be arriving later than us), because we were staying only one night, and because Tim had mentioned when making the reservation that we were celebrating a special occasion--our first night alone together without the munchkins in a year and a half--we had been upgraded to an executive suite. 

THE BLISSFUL BED
I collapsed into the dreamy king-size bed, burying myself in the softest, crispest, coolest Egyptian-cotton linens I've ever felt and gaping at the nighttime skyline.  I drifted off, wondering how much it would cost to wrap up the bed, linens and duvet and all, and take them home with me. (Apparently you can buy them from the hotel's gift shop.)

A SPA OF ONE'S OWN
At 8:00 a.m. I was off to the spa, which I had entirely to myself.  I grabbed a cup of coffee and a newspaper, climbed into the whirlpool, and lay on my back, the jets massaging my shoulders.  An attendant came around and placed a rolled-up towel under my neck where it hit the edge of the hot tub.  In case I got too warm, a handy-dandy basin filled with ice and cold wet washcloths sat next to the tub.  I wanted to move in.

A CHANGE FROM CLIFFORD CRUNCH
Next came breakfast at the hotel's Restaurant 57: a tall glass of fresh sweet mango juice, then chicken hash with poached eggs and cilantro, then a giant cappuccino.  I don't think it's just because my usual morning routine is to scarf down the kids' leftover Clifford Crunch cereal before running to catch the train that my leisurely hash tasted so sensational.

TIME TO BEAM OURSELVES BACK TO EARTH
It was 10 a.m.  Tim raced to Granny's to rescue her from the boys.  I raced to a meeting with my editor-in-chief, who asked:  How would I feel about starting a blog?  What would I envision for it?  The entries needn't be highly researched, in-depth columns like "The Perrin Report", she said. They could be whatever timely travel advice and insights popped into my mind as I went about my job.  Could I work it into my schedule?  And, by the way, where had I been all morning?

When I told her about my 12-hour vacation, she said that that's exactly the sort of thing I should blog about.  It could be my first entry. 

And so it is.

The moral of this story:

SCORING THE FREE UPGRADE
You can increase your chance of nabbing a better hotel room for free by  going at the hotel's off-peak time and politely requesting if there happens to be a room available that is on a top floor or has an especially  good view.  If you happen to be celebrating a special occasion, mention it:  Smart hoteliers want your time at their property to be as memorable as possible, so that you'll tell your friends about it and come back often.

TIPS WANTED
Got any tried-and-true tips for snagging a free hotel-room upgrade?  Post them here.

And, speaking of the Four Seasons New York, if anyone has managed to get into its hotter-than-hot new restaurant, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, tell me how you did it.