Best Bus to the Big Apple? And where to stay when you get here...

Hullo, all. Happy Bear comin' to you from NYC. Starting out our Bear Squad tour of NYC with a couple of service reviews.

To get the Bear Squad to NYC, we took the new Bolt Bus by Greyhound. I have to recommend this as an excellent mode of transportation. The prices are low (our tickets were about $36.00 round-trip from Boston to New York), and the seats are very comfortable. What's more, the buses have clean restrooms, wi-fi, and power outlets for each seat. If you're looking for a nice way to make that commute for a rock-bottom price, this is a great way to go.

Right around the street from where the Bolt Bus lets you off (and right across the street from Madison Square Garden) is the Stage Door Deli. This is great place for breakfast or lunch, with excellent omelettes and incredible deli sandwiches. I strongly recommend any of their special sandwiches, which are vast and delicious. And you gotta love a place that brings out pickles when you sit down, as opposed to bread. For dessert, the traditional cheesecakes are available, and they're very good.

Once you've eaten, you'll need a place to stay. We were lucky to have some friends offer to host the Squad, but we've gotten hotel rooms here before. While I can't direct you to luxury accommodations, I can offer a suggestion if you want to save some money. For a fairly inexpensive hotel, you could do worse than the Cosmopolitan Tribeca. The location, right next to the Chambers Street metro stop for the 1, 2, and 3 trains, is extremely convenient, and the rooms, while small, are comfortable and well-appointed. Off-season, you can get a room for about $100.00 a night, and it's not much more on-season.

Those are my recommendations, and I stand by 'em. Next, I'll tell you about a couple of unique places to eat.

- The Happy Bear