Before you leave home, your best information source (besides this guide, of course) is NYC & Company, the organization that fronts the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau (NYCVB), 810 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019. You can call tel. 800/NYC-VISIT to request the Official NYC Guide detailing hotels, restaurants, theaters, attractions, events, and more. The guide is free and will arrive in 7 to 10 days. (Note: I've received complaints that they sometimes take longer.)

You can find a wealth of free information on the bureau's website. To speak with a live travel counselor, call tel. 212/484-1222, which is staffed weekdays from 8:30am to 6pm EST, weekends from 8:30am to 5pm EST.

For U.K. Visitors -- The NYCVB Visitor Information Center is at 36 Southwark Bridge Rd., London, SE1 9EU (tel. 020/7202 6367). You can order the Official NYC Visitor Kit by sending an A5-size self-addressed envelope and 72p postage to the above address. For New York-bound travelers in London, the center also offers free one-on-one travel-planning assistance.