How can one top John's getaways? Nevertheless, we like to take the train to New York City from Boston (and fly back). We often travel with another couple and we play either Trivial Pursuit or Travel Scrabble enroute. The former usually lures a crowd of fellow passengers who want to join in the game, so we often just read the questions and forego the points. We are fortunate to have a friend with an often vacant condo in the Metropolitan Tower next to Carnegie Hall, so that is our base while in the city. Then it is catch as catch can. We look for little restaurants in Soho or the East Side; sometimes we catch a play buying tickets at the last minute from one of those discount kiosks. Sometimes we go to the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts or others. On our last trip we dined at Peter Luger's while a ferocious, but brief storm raged outside (unfortunately killing a pedestrian up the street when a piece of a façade blew off in the storm). We rarely plan ahead for anything on these excursions, rather just going and then trying to find out what is going on. We have attended some great street fairs by chance. We have not been disappointed yet.

Regards Tom in Carlisle.