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THE CARLYLE HOTEL
It really hasn't been a great summer for my sister. First, there was the news about my brother; then a wild animal killed their beloved pet duck. And her brother-in law, Steven Calicchio passed away. My family was there for his funeral and we decided to get some rooms at a hotel to be near the funeral home. The 187-room Carlyle Hotel, which also has 60 residential apartments, has to be one of New York City's finest. It's been around since 1930 and is located at Madison Avenue and 76th Street in the Upper East Side. The hotel has incredible service but of course, it doesn't compare to hotel service in Asia. But hey -- they have white-gloved men whose only job it is to operate the city's slowest elevators. Seriously, the tiny original elevators are really cool until you have a room on the 19th floor and are in a hurry. It sometimes took five to 10 minutes just for the elevator to arrive.

OUR ROOM
The Carlyle is obviously not cheap and I was glad I wasn't footing the bill. I shared a room with my dad so he took the bed and I slept on one of the most comfortable cots around; the sheets, blankets and pillows were divine. Some highlights and lowlights: The bathrooms are stocked with swanky Kiehl's amenities, including lip balm. Heck, that bad boy alone must have cost $5. However, the maid doesn't restock them if you try to be slick and pack them in your toiletry bag before they come in to clean. The bathrooms have white marble and a sterling silver wastebasket. What stinks is that they don't give guests the option to reuse the same towel. Twice a day, they come in and take the dirty towels, even if it's hanging on the door. I also didn't love the fact that I could hear hallway traffic but the bedroom, where my dad was sleeping, was in a separate room, so you can't hear it unless you're sleeping on a cot in the living room like I was. I passed on paying $14.95 a day for Internet access by using my RovAir.

NYC LAUNDRY TIP
Instead of paying the jacked up prices of a hotel's laundry service, grab your dirty clothes and walk a few blocks. You will be sure to find a dry cleaner that will charge a fraction of the price at hotels. To get my shirt and jacket dry-cleaned and pressed for cheap, I walked four blocks to CarePlus Sophia Cleaners (150 East 79th, Tel: 212-879-5887). Not only did I get same-day service for the pressing, but I brought them my dirty clothes the following day for them to wash. They charge only a dollar a pound ($8 minimum). It sure does make it easy to have someone clean your dirty knickers for cheap.

ONE LUCKY DUCK
I don't eat much fast food, if ever, actually. But I did happen to notice that law now requires all of New York's fast food chains to list the calorie intake on menus. Hmm ... that 540-calorie Big Mac suddenly doesn't look too appetizing. If it's time to change your eating habits, there are numerous places to try in NYC. Two fine options are the famous Candle Café on 75th and 3rd and One Lucky Duck down on 17th Street, between Irving Place and 3rd. One Lucky Duck is one expensive raw and organic cafe but they have the best tasting smoothies (the Strawberry Blonde is insane at $8.50!) and wheatgrass will set you back $4.50 for a two-ounce shot.

EXPENSIVE CHINESE FOOD
New York has some of the world's best and most diverse restaurants. When I'm in a hotel, I like to log on to MenuPages.com to find menus for places in the city (and other locales, too!) One menu you'll find there is for Philippe Chow's. It's one of the city's best and most expensive Chinese food restaurants. It's as loud and pretentious as can be but there's plenty of people-watching to keep you occupied if you go. Philippe Chow was born in China, worked in various kitchens in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. in 1979, when he started working in the kitchen of Mr. Chow. He left Mr. Chow's in 2005 and opened his own place. Check out the website for more information and to drool over their menu.

NYC WATER FALLS
Did you know that from now until October 13, New York City is hosting an exciting art exhibit featuring spectacular man-made waterfalls that are between 90 and 120 feet high? The project is Danish artist Olafur Eliasson's brainchild. The four waterfalls are located on the East River and New York Harbor. The locations are: under the Brooklyn Bridge, between Brooklyn's Piers 4 and 5, Pier 35 in Manhattan and Governors Island. For more information, log on to NYCWaterfalls.org.

HOT AIR BALLOONING IN CENTRAL PARK
I (sort of) conquered my fear of heights last year when I went on not one but two hot air balloons. The first was in Albuquerque and the second was in South Africa for an early morning photo safari; it was one of the coolest things I have ever done! Well, my third time may very well be in Central Park. That's right. From now through August 22, AeroBalloon is offering a birds-eye view of the 843-acre park. It costs $25 per adult and $17.50 for kids. Flights go up between 7am and 10pm, weather permitting. Don't worry about hot flames and lots of noise because this balloon doesn't operate on hot air; instead, it's filled with helium and the 45-foot-diameter envelope is tethered to the ground and raised and lowered by a winch for the 10-minute hover above the park. FYI: The FAA does not permit balloons in New York City to soar above 500 feet.

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