Enter for a chance to win a trip as distinctive as the all-new Infiniti FX To enter, simply choose a city and fill out the form

Pointswizard.com Spin: click here to enter

BestParking.com is a free tool that enables drivers to find parking garages and lots, compare daily and monthly rates, and book “Reservations” and/or “Rate Guarantees” at participating facilities. By using the site, it is possible to quickly narrow a search to a particular New York City (Manhattan), Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington DC neighborhood or address and then view the best parking deals on both a map and sortable list. Other displayed information includes the garage’s/lot’s name, precise NYC/Boston/Philadelphia/DC address, capacity, phone number (when available), hours of operation, general standards and rules, and any additional rates that are omitted from the automatic calculations (e.g., event, restaurant, or visitor specials).

They list all prices, including early bird specials and weekend specials

The Pointswizard.com Spin: Also for mobile phones and PDA’s click here to go to the site
We recently used this site and found a parking lot that was only $18 while lots nearby were $40-$50.

“NEW YORK—An American theater critic must cover Broadway. Here at the Tribune, the bosses like you to do so on the cheap. Thus, from the Shoreham to the Gorham, the Quality to the Hampton, the Best Western to the hotel of last resort, I’ve stayed at almost every tourist-class joint the theater district has to offer.

I’ve booked through Quikbook, Hilton, Orbitz, Hotels.com, the old-fashioned telephone and, once, a Web site aimed at South Americans. And having done this now for some years—and coupled with a travel nerd’s love of getting the lowest possible price—I’ve learned some useful strategies.

If you’re headed to Manhattan this spring to see some shows or the tourist sights, here are 10 of my personal rules about Midtown hotels. And the first thing you have to know is that most of the usual rules don’t apply in Manhattan.

Rule No. 1: In New York, the chains are your friend

Many frequent travelers abhor the standardization of chain hotels. Well, save that love of the quirky hostelry for your next trip to Napa Valley. In Midtown, boutique is mostly code for smaller rooms, bigger attitudes and higher prices.

But chains have national standards to which even New York franchisees must adhere. And thus they tend to have bigger rooms, better service and more amenities. There’s one caveat: The hotels have to be new, and you have to snag a room on a high floor for noise reasons.

But take the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square (790 8th Ave.; 212-581-7000; www.stayhgi.com)—my favorite Midtown Hotel and the place where I am typing these words. The rooms have refrigerators, microwaves, flat-screen TVs. There’s room to work. Almost every Broadway theater is within five blocks. And it’s cheap. Relatively.

Rule No. 2: In New York, brand status means nothing

The Hampton Inn at 50th Street and 8th Avenue (212-581-4100; www.hamptoninn.com), another of my favorite New York hotels, has a concierge, a terrific staff and quite luxurious rooms. A Hampton Inn, you say? That’s the cheapest of the Hilton brands and best known for sitting on the exit of a freeway. True. But in New York, it’s got better service than the Sheraton. Which brings us to:

Rule No. 3: In New York, prices depend on timing, not quality

That Hampton Inn I just mentioned often charges well over $350 a night. You have to adjust your expectations in Midtown; a room under $250 is a cheap room. Everyone knows hotels vary pricing based on sophisticated predictors of demand. But in New York, the contrasts are eye-popping. The difference between pricing on different dates far eclipses the difference in pricing between hotels. In other words, the Waldorf Astoria on a low-demand night will charge less than the Four Points by Sheraton on a high-demand night. So what should you do?

Rule No. 4: Sundays are your friend

Try to stay on a Sunday night. Midtown hotels are the cheapest on that night; you can stay most Sundays for less than $200. In general, the most expensive nights are Wednesdays and Thursdays, although weekend rates don’t drop significantly. At certain times of year—the spring-break weeks in March and weekends in the fall—hotel rates in Midtown are stratospheric as hotels fill with school groups and shopping Europeans. You can easily pay $400 a night for the crummiest joint. Best to stay in Chicago and go to New York instead in January, February, late April and May. The summer isn’t bad either. And Thanksgiving weekend is a bargain.

Rule No. 5: Prices usually drop nearer the stay

Don’t assume advance booking serves you well. Using chain Web sites, I recheck prices right up to cancellation deadlines. I switch hotels as prices drop nearer the night. Except for those peak times, room rates tend to fall. By significant amounts.

Rule No. 6: If you want an independent, use Quikbook

Most of the big hotel booking sites churn out the same rates in Midtown. And using the so-called opaque sites such as priceline.com is a sure way to get stuck with a room on the second floor—or, once, in my experience, the basement. For chains, use their own Web sites for the best deals. But Quikbook.com, a site that works with independent hotels, offers genuinely lower rates and a high degree of service and reliability.

I use Quikbook at high-demand times. I ended up recently at the Duane Street Hotel in Tribeca (130 Duane St.; 212-964-4600; www.duanestreethotel.com) for about $260 a night. Although the staffers were friendly, it was a classic boutique—trendy, tiny and noisy. Better independent choices in Midtown include the sedate, renovated Belvedere Hotel (319 W. 48th St.; 212-245-7000; www.belvederehotelnyc.com) and the hipper-than-thou but oft-cheap Time Hotel (224 W. 49th St.; 877-846 3692; www.thetimeny.com)” ( via chicagotribune.com ) by Chris Jones |Tribune Critic

Pointswizard.com Spin: read more -click here

New York, NY / May 31st
An exclusive Eagles VIP experience, including a private dinner reception with the band’s co-founder, and environmentalist Don Henley, followed by the Madison Square Garden concert from your premium seats. Prior to taking the stage. Don will join you during dinner for a photo opportunity. In addition, to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime experience, each guest will be presented with an Eagles autographed guitar.

Pointswizard.com Spin: Click here for details then choose -Eagles VIP- then choose New York and then search or Call 800-321-RSVP (7787)

8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET, seven days a week.On sale now. Pay with cash or AMEX Membership Rewards® points;

“The country’s effort to move away from a dependence on foreign oil and embrace green initiatives appears to be behind a change in one of New York’s purest traditions, the menu of the classic steakhouse.

The production of ethanol, which is made from corn, is one major reason classic cuts of prime beef are becoming more and more expensive, an analyst at the cattle market analysis firm Cattle-Fax, Tod Kalous, said.

“It’s getting worse,” the owner of Ben Benson’s Steakhouse, Ben Benson, said. “The problems the ranchers are having are making it more difficult because feed is getting more expensive.”

Brooklyn’s Peter Luger Steakhouse now serves a rib eye. On some nights at Ben Benson’s in Midtown, diners can order buffalo steak. The Old Homestead of the meatpacking district serves one of the city’s best Kobe burgers.

The new menu items at some city steakhouses are a result of an increase in the price of top-notch beef and a decrease in its availability.
Corn is the primary feed for cattle that produce USDA-grade prime beef. Corn is also the main ingredient for what many believe is the fuel of the future, ethanol. The production of ethanol has not only increased the demand for corn, it has made harvests more profitable for farmers, who receive the fruits of government subsidies when it is sold to ethanol producers.” [Via NYSUN.COM]

The Pointswizard.com Spin:
Well, There’s always Ranch1 for chicken.

Silverjet is the new all-business class airline with service between New York and London. It offers a truly wonderful private jet-like experience that includes:

- A 30-minute, stress-free check-in at a private lounge in Newark airport and a private terminal in London
- Outstanding in-flight service aboard Boeing 767’s fitted with 100 award-winning, 6’3’’ flat beds that feature laptop power, privacy screens and a seat back massager
- Freshly cooked meals served restaurant-style (when you want to eat) on china crockery with glassware and metal cutlery.
- Use of a personal digital in-flight entertainment system with noise reduction headsets

The sale ends at midnight on April 1 but is valid for a limited number of seats on all flights from April 1 through April 30, 2007. The fare is subject to availability, which means you have to act fast to ensure that you can get a seat at this fare.

Why is Silverjet doing it? They simply wanted to have some fun around April Fool’s Day and offer a fare so amazingly good that you would have to be a “fool” not to try it! They are so confident that you’ll love the experience that you won’t be able to fly to the UK any other way. Standard round-trip fares start at just $1,798 round-trip, which is also pretty fabulous.

You can log on to www.flysilverjet.com to see the exact rules and restrictions and to book your ticket.

Enjoy and feel free to pass this offer along to anyone you think would like a ticket.

The Pointswizard.com Spin: keep trying different dates as needed - it comes up as a Saver fare.