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CAR SERVICE TO THE CITY
As soon as we landed (on time) I called 212-777-7777. The Dial 7 car service, a clean, comfy Town Car, rolled up seven minutes later. What's great is that it cost the same amount as a taxi ($45 without tip or toll) and you don't need to wait in line. TIP: If the operator asks if you want to pay extra for a luxury car, say no. Chances are you will still get the same car I did. The other inexpensive car service that you can take to the city is Carmel (212-666-6666). But I don't call them very much because the phone number reminds me of the devil. Am I a freak or what?

THE ALEX HOTEL
For the first time since my cousin AJ's wedding in 2003, I stayed in a New York City hotel room. I was in town this week to do radio interviews for AXE about the best and worst airports in which to make a love connection. Can you believe that I did 18 interviews in one day – including Maxim Radio twice?) They put me up at the swanky, four-year-old Alex Hotel. It's located in Midtown Manhattan at 45th between Second and Third Avenues. It's centrally located and is just three blocks from Grand Central Terminal. The hotel has 203 guest rooms, suites and apartments designed by David Rockwell and feature custom furnishings. For $480 night (that's what the room rates begin at), guests get free broadband Internet and two flat screen LCD TVs. One is tiny and hangs in the small bathroom at an angle that makes it utterly useless unless you're 8 feet tall and sitting on the pot. But the 26-inch TV in the bedroom makes up for it as it's connected to a DVD and CD stereo system. It's so nice that I woke up to my neighbors in the room above me enjoying it as well. FYI: Hallway traffic is another noise problem. But more importantly, the beds are comfy with Frette linens and I got lost, swimming in the six pillows. The bathroom is clean with a limestone bath, a rain showerhead and Frederic Fekkai toiletries. No wonder so many celebrities stay here; I saw Harry Connick Jr. and Renee Zellweger.

RINGO IN THE ALEX
The mini bar is stocked with gourmet goods from Dean & DeLuca. Woohoo! But you won't be so excited when you read the pricelist; a small pack of nuts will set you back $12. Or how about some $8 Gummi Bears? I don't think so. What's also a rip is the Alex's Ringo Restaurant, adjacent to the lobby. Can you believe that a small glass (and I'm talking teacup-sized) of semi-fresh-squeezed OJ is $5? I figured refills were free (like they are at Norma's) so you should've seen my face when they brought the bill! Next time, I won't keep signaling the slow waitress to bring me the goods. Other than that, my $9 oatmeal was good. The Alex Hotel, 205 East 45th Street, New York, NY; Tel: 212-867-5100.

BIG DADDY'S
I forgot to mention that my allergies started acting up on the plane so when I landed, I wasn't feeling all that spiffy. I called my cousin AJ and he was in the same boat. We both agreed that instead of spending a night out on the town, we would go to the first diner that looked decent. Big Daddy's Diner was bright, colorful and busy ... always a good sign. We were seated right away and on the walls above us were countless pictures of cast members from every TV show we had grown up watching. Each table also had a handful of Trivial Pursuit cards from the original game. So we broke them out and challenged each other between coughs. It was hilarious. We just kept laughing, saying, "Are we that dumb?" The wait staff was young, alert and our soups hit the spot. But my banana oat bran pancakes were truly the worst pancakes I have ever had. I told the waitress, assuming she'd take them off the bill since there were only two small bites eaten. (One of those bites was AJ's; I had pretended they were the most delicious pancakes and he took the bait immediately, then spit it out!) The clueless girl didn't take the dish off the bill but instead of stiffing her on the tip, I just won't be a returning customer. Big Daddy's, 239 Park Ave South (Between 19th & 20th) Tel.: 212-477-1500.

LES HALLES
I can't just tell you about a sub-par eatery so let's step it up a notch and walk up the street to 28th and Park. At Les Halles you'll find a typical Parisian brasserie that's packed with young, mostly good-looking people. The last time I ate here was about 15 years ago with my sister when they had first opened but it wasn't that crowded back then. This time, we had a 9pm reservation and we still had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I figured it was bustling because Chef-at-Large Anthony Bourdain (host of The Travel Channel's No Reservations) owned the place but our waitress informed us he just worked there six years ago, made a cookbook about the eatery and while he shoots some of his TV segments there, that's about it. It's amazing what some good marketing and food will do. Either way, my friends and I were still impressed with the food and the speed with which it came out. We figured that since we'd waited so long for our table, our food would take a long time to come, too. But that wasn't the case. My classic French onion soup ($8.25) and Filet de Boeuf ($26.50) and warm chocolate banana tart ($8.25) came out lickety-split and I licked the plate clean. Les Halles Park Avenue, 411 Park Avenue South (between 28th & 29th), New York, NY; Tel.: 212-679-4111.



FEAR: THE WORST FOUR-LETTER WORD
To say that I was excited to be going to South Africa would be an enormous understatement. It's been a lifelong dream of mine, but a few days before the trip a not-so-funny thing happened. I started to get nervous about the trip. I know, I know. How or why would someone who has literally traveled the world, get nervous about going to South Africa? Well, I grew up with a lot of fears and none greater than not being able to breathe from asthma attacks that usually gripped me during this time of year (November and December). Those effects still freak me out on occasion, particularly when I'm visiting a country for the very first time.

MINI-PHARMACY
My biggest fear, besides digesting the fact that my doctor had suggested I get a hepatitis shot and take malaria and typhoid pills, was what if something in the South African air triggered my disease? And if it did happen while I was out in the bush, what would I do? Those of you who have subscribed to Johnny Jet's Travel News for a while are probably thinking, "But weren't you cured of asthma by a Chinese doctor in Malaysia last year?" (Here's the link to that story.) I was indeed cured and since then, the only asthma medication I've taken is my inhaler, maybe three times. Prior to that, I was hitting my puffer at least four times a day. But to me, the name Africa alone conjures up images of danger; it seems so far and remote. Yes, I was in Morocco about a year ago, which is obviously North Africa, but it's not the same as South Africa. It's completely different and not even in the same hemisphere. The good news is that I was able to suck it up and one way was by getting my doctor to help prescribe me a mini-pharmacy to combat anything that may have come my way.

AIR TRAIN
My next battle was getting to JFK. Traffic is unpredictable and getting there during peak times is not easy (unless you take a helicopter) ... especially when there's a parade, marathon or a head of state in town. Fortunately, I had read in the morning paper that there were going to be road closures so I knew my best bet was to go underground. I ended up taking the subway to the E-train to the Air Train. I'm glad I did because it took less than an hour to travel door-to-door and cost just $7. NOTE: The key is to pack light because you'll need to walk a few blocks (all under ground or covered roof) and up stairs, escalators and elevators. Here's a step-by-step description of the last time I did it from Grand Central Terminal.

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