• Added: 6th of February 2008
• Area: Bath
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Bath BA1 2EN
01225 333448

Holster said
Like a comfortable pair of shoes
The Porter is a great down to earth pub serving delicious vegetarian food. I recommend the Nachos or one of the toasties. The atmosphere of this place is so laid back its almost vertical, so while it can sometimes look a bit shabby, its somewhere that you can take a breather and enjoy a pint with friends.

The cellar bar downstairs takes it up a notch, and it gets busier at night being a popular student destination, but we're still only talking 45 degrees here...

• Added: 6th of February 2008
• Area: Worcester
• Category: Restaurants

Worcester WR1 2NA

Holster said
Unpronounceable beer by the litre!
A great and individual pub, apparently the oldest pub in Worcester. The Cardinal's Hat now serves up Austrian beers by the litre, in ceramic Steins which weigh more than your head! The Austrian owners are friendly and have battled for the right to serve beer in metric measurements.

A lovely old building and a great pub, gets pretty busy and can be loud at the weekend, but if you are looking for something a bit different give it a try.

• Added: 6th of February 2008
• Area: New York
• Category: Restaurants

New York 10001
212-465-8750

Holster said
Over easy in NYC
We were shattered from an intense shopping trip to the huge B&H Photographic store over the road and laden with heavy camera equipment we needed pancakes and we needed them fast.

We went to the Cheyenne Diner twice during our stay in New York, it was a great place and we stayed longer than necessary both times, ordering a refill and sitting there just that little bit longer amid what seemed to be a genuine piece of Americana among the bustling city.

We tried the eggs, pancakes and fry up. All the food was great, the portions generous and the staff friendly. If you are in the area, make your pitstop there, you'll be glad you did.

• Added: 6th of February 2008
• Area: New York
• Category: Hotels and Travel

New York 10022
800.742.5945

Holster said
Style and convenience in NYC at a reasonable price
We had left it far later than I would have liked before we booked somewhere to stay for our trip to New York. We'd trawled the bargain websites, rang the travel agents and seemed to see the same few 'budget' or 'affordable' places everywhere. The thing is, we'd stayed in places like that in the past and had not been impressed.

Then we found The Pod Hotel. Apparently it used to be called The Pickwick Arms, but then someone thought that if they renamed it after an MP3 player, gave it a lick of paint, a snazzy website and then put a speaker for the aforementioned MP3 player in every room then they'd be onto a winner. We were wary of somewhere which looked so superficially nice but was still affordable, but as it turned out, they were right.

The Pod Hotel was a great place to stay for our trip. We were on a tight budget, so we chose a bunk room without an en-suite bathroom, but it was perfectly adequate and far better than we expected. The hotel lobby was stylish with places to sit indoors and out, and the staff were helpful whenever we asked for anything. The main feature for us was a great roof garden where we ate a couple of times and enjoyed the amazing panoramic view of Manhattan. There are no bells and whistles, no bar, no breakfast etc., but there are plenty of places for those things only doors away, and we drank liberally, ate well and enjoyed fantastic bagels for breakfast without hassle in the immediate neighbourhood. This is a budget hotel after all.

In our room, we had a TV each, a sink and some storage, an iPod speaker thingy and A/C. The shared bathrooms were only across the hall and were immaculate. If you have a little more money to spare you can get a double room with your own bathroom facilities, but as it turned out ours was perfect for us. After all, who goes to NYC and spends all their time in the hotel room listening to their iPod?