New York's Best-Kept Secrets

Rent with somebody you trust. Most likely, that means renting via a worldwide service like HomeAway, or with city-specific specialists such as Rentals in Paris or Haven in Paris. With these sites, you can read feedback on rentals from other travelers, and you can rest assured that any would-be scammers will quickly be sniffed out and booted. If you're unsure of a company, look to see if consumers have filed complaints about it at the Better Business Bureau. As for finding a rental via Craigslist, proceed with extreme caution—we've all heard stories of people being ripped off on Craigslist. Always pay with a credit card. Sending a check—or worse, sending money via Western Union—is unwise. Use plastic instead, because your card company provides several layers of protection, namely a safeguard to reimburse you for services not rendered. Ask specifically about the owner's right to rent. If you're at all concerned that the owner may be violating local housing regulations, ask directly what's up—and whether the owner can prove there's no lawbreaking going on. Owners who list properties with a major service like vrbo.com are required to abide by local laws and will be kicked off the sites if they're found in violation. Get everything in writing. You need a contract, and you need to read it carefully—especially when it comes to components regarding cancellation rules, the terms and schedule for the return of your deposit, and any fees above and beyond the rental rate (e.g., cleaning fees, taxes, etc.). Monitor the news. And pay particular attention if you're renting a place in New York City after May 1, 2011, when new rules go into effect—and when no one is completely sure how, when, why, and what rentals will be affected. Be a considerate guest. Housing authorities hear about short-term rentals from the complaints of neighbors. So if and when regulations are enforced, it stands to reason that authorities will target apartment buildings and pseudo hotels where there's a frequent turnover of loud, unruly transient guests.

For years, we've been advising our readers to rent short-term apartments whenever they plan to spend more than a few days in expensive cities like Paris and New York. Short-term apartment rentals can help travelers save money on both lodging and meals, while providing a more authentic experience. (Learn everything there is to know about vacation rentals.) Regardless of recent headlines concerning new rules—or supposed new efforts to enforce old rules—for short-term rentals, we still endorse the option as a smart, fun, and safe way to stay. While there may be new implications for owners seeking to rent out their properties in these cities, renters themselves face no possibility of fines or problems of any kind with the local authorities. "There's nothing illegal that the traveler is doing when staying in a vacation rental," says Carl Shepherd, chief development officer of direct-from-owner rental specialist HomeAway. "None of these cities have any penalties for renters." The announcements of lawmakers and housing officials seem to imply otherwise, hinting that because some home owners may technically be violating unenforced local ordinances by renting out their properties, renters are somehow guilty by association. The truth is that based on years of precedent—and the fact that restrictions are vaguely worded and that the municipalities involved are uninterested or incapable of enforcing them—the risks encountered by renters are extremely minimal. So fear not. Arm yourself with our 6 Tips for Safer, Smarter Rentals, and read on for specific advice about Paris, San Francisco, and New York. PARIS Here's the deal: Late last year, city officials started to enforce a 2005 law that restricts owners from renting at their properties for periods of less than one year. Citing a lack of affordable housing in the central city—always a popular topic among voters, and, yes, this began in a run-up to elections—Mayor Bertrand Delanoë ordered a local housing agency to warn some of the estimated 38,000 offenders that they were violating the law by renting flats for shorter spans. How many warning letters did the housing authority send out? As of midsummer 2010, about 25. "For the moment," says one property owner who prefers to remain anonymous, "any enforcement of this law is minimal to the point of being invisible." If enforcement efforts are ever ramped up substantially, short-term rentals could be harder to come by in Paris. Even though no owners have been hit with the maximum €25,000 ($32,304) fine for violating housing regulations, the possibility of such a fine will probably be enough to turn some short-term listings into long-term rentals. Bottom line: In Paris, there has been no noticeable drop-off in owners posting short-term apartment rentals. At last check, homeaway.com listed an all-time high of 1,605 properties in Paris. SAN FRANCISCO Here's the deal: San Fran's obscure, long-ignored law prohibiting rentals of less than 30 days is nearly 30 years old, but few people thought about it until news arose about crackdowns on tourist rentals in other cities. Rather than inquire as to the legality of such rentals, the city has traditionally preferred to subject owners to the local 14 percent hotel tax, bringing in millions annually that would not have been raised had the properties been occupied year-round by owners or long-term renters. For the sake of the city budget, there's an obvious incentive to keep ignoring the ordinance. NEW YORK CITY Here's the deal: Of the trio of cities, New York is the only one to actually pass new rental legislation. As in Paris and San Francisco, the primary target is not the small-time owner who rents out a place from time to time. Instead, the focus is on "illegal hotel" operations: large-scale attempts to convert residential apartments intended for permanent occupants into travel accommodations. So how will the law be enforced, and exactly what rental scenarios will be deemed illegal when the rules become effective as of May 1, 2011? No one's entirely sure. State Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, the cosponsor of the bill, was quoted as saying, "Somebody who is going away on vacation and once in a blue moon rents the apartment is probably not going to be affected by this." Probably. That's right: Even the bill's cosponsor can't say exactly how the law will play out. Nominally, the purpose behind the legislation is to provide more affordable housing for city residents and to protect travelers from sketchy quasi hotels. But the law might not have become a reality had it not been for the lobbying of hotel and motel associations—which obviously compete with vacation rentals, and which would obviously benefit if travelers turned away from short-term rentals en masse. Among all the confusion and uncertainty, one thing is clear: Travelers want their vacation rentals. In the second quarter of this year, HomeAway recorded a 104 percent increase in inquiries for New York City apartments compared with the same period in 2009.

Growing up in one of the world's most beautiful cities is a strange thing. You can't help but become a bit blase when a sight like the Golden Gate Bridge is best known as just another place you get stuck in traffic. I guess that explains why, when Budget Travel readers voted San Francisco, my hometown, the most beautiful city in the world, I went through a range of emotions: surprise (it beat Paris!), curiosity (how could it beat Paris?), and, finally, begrudging acceptance (it beat Paris—I guess I get it). Yet as I sat back and thought about our poll—and the fact that readers voted overwhelmingly domestic in most categories—it occurred to me that it's human nature to overlook what's closest to us. And sometimes it takes other folks to snap some sense into you. When I was a kid, I didn't walk the curvy part of Lombard each morning, climb the street so steep it has stairs, or catch a cable car to get to orchestra practice. In fact, I really only thought about San Francisco's most beautiful spots when I had occasion to play guide, during those weekends when cousins or friends came to town and I'd happily embark on my tour of the city's greatest hits. We'd start at Twin Peaks, where we'd get a panoramic perspective I considered equal to, if not better than, what you'd take in at Coit Tower. We'd careen down the steepest street in the city, 22nd between Church and Vicksburg, which, according to the Willdorf family, was just as steep as the legendary 1100 block of Filbert (and also much more convenient to our house). We'd then set off for a cup of coffee in the Mission. Swinging past the Embarcadero, through the Civic Center, via Market Street, we'd dutifully check out the cable car turnaround at Powell. And by sunset, I'd make sure we'd found our way to Ocean Beach to watch the surfers ride the waves. For all the friends and family I took on this tour, I never had a disappointed customer. More to the point, I loved giving it. There was something gratifying about seeing my town with fresh eyes, tapping back into my own sense of wonder. And I liked to think that, as a local, I was able to share something more nuanced than a garden-variety guidebook hit list (Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.). What's most special about San Francisco is often what you don't find published anywhere else—the surprises over the next hill, and the ones known only to the folks who live there. We thought it would be nice to craft a tour of just those spots, from the perspective of the people who know San Francisco's beauty best: seven local photographers. For them, seeing the city in unique ways is a profession, and this collection of their favorite places helps capture San Francisco's many sides. It's the farthest thing from your standard-issue tour, and that's precisely why I'll be incorporating it into mine—the next chance I get. HOW I SEE IT Seven local photographers share their visions of the world's most beautiful city Carmen Winant "In San Francisco, you come across spots that are so beautiful and unlikely you're surprised that they exist. I snapped this shot at Louis', a 73-year-old diner on the cliffs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The building is so close to the edge that you're afraid it could tumble into the water. People come more for the scenery than for the food, so it makes sense to stick to something simple, like a burger. You expect a place with a view this stunning to be cutesy and overrun. But Louis' has somehow remained perfectly preserved." Louis' Restaurant, 902 Point Lobos Ave., 415/387-6330, burger $8. [SEE THE PHOTO] Jen Siska "I've always thought of San Francisco as a free-spirited place where people come to find themselves. The women here were in a band called Rad Cloud. I was shooting pictures for their MySpace page. During a break, we scrambled to the top of Bernal Hill. I like the spontaneity in their interaction, but I'm also drawn to the setting and the light as it plays off the hills." The trailhead to Bernal Hill is located at Ripley and Folsom Sts. It's about a 15-minute hike to the top. [SEE THE PHOTO] Ericka McConnell "The Golden Gate Bridge has to be one of the most photographed landmarks in the world, but the design is so stunning it never looks cliche. I shot this from Cavallo Point, a hotel on a former military base in Marin County. The vastness of the sky and the absence of urban congestion show the kind of open spaces that surround the city. And then you've got the bridge. It's not the centerpiece of the picture, but it pokes its head up as it does from so many points around San Francisco. One glimpse of it, and you have no doubt as to where you are." Cavallo Point, 601 Murray Cir., Sausalito, cavallopoint.com, doubles from $265, hiking-trail access free. [SEE THE PHOTO] Ron Koeberer "Despite being a tourist destination, Chinatown has managed to maintain its traditional character in the face of change. Most of us imagine it as bustling, crowded, and crazy. So I wanted to catch it at a different moment, early in the morning, when the light is soft and the streets are empty—a kind of island of sanity amid the madness. I took this shot at 6:30 a.m., on Grant Avenue near Bush Street. To me, the image captures Chinatown at its most magical, with those mystical red lanterns repeating themselves into the distance until they begin to fade away." A gate marks the main entrance to Chinatown at Grant Ave. and Bush St., a short walk from the cable car turnaround at Powell and Market Sts. [SEE THE PHOTO] Brown Cannon III "This shot was taken at breakfast at the Grove Fillmore in Lower Pacific Heights. From the outside, there was nothing particularly notable about the restaurant. But when I opened the door, a surprising scene emerged. The woman clutching her dog gives you a sense of San Francisco's quirkiness. And the light and movement in the background are an indication of the kind of energy you might discover behind any door." The Grove Fillmore, 2016 Fillmore St., 415/474-1419, macaroni and cheese, made with fontina, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and blue cheese, $10. [SEE THE PHOTO] "It may sound strange to say this, but when you're surrounded by the action of downtown San Francisco, it's easy to forget that there's an ocean only a few miles away. What I like about this shot is that it describes just one of the many ways San Franciscans enjoy the beach. On any given day, you'll see bikers, walkers, surfers, hang gliders. And people will often just stop, like this couple, to appreciate the sunset in stillness and quiet." Ocean Beach stretches for more than a mile along San Francisco's western edge. For more information, visit 511.org or nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/ocean-beach-accessibility.htm. [SEE THE PHOTO] Aya Brackett "People often describe San Francisco as a European city. It's old-world without being stodgy. This shot was taken in North Beach, a historically Italian neighborhood, outside Caffe Trieste, which is a landmark in itself. It's where Francis Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay for The Godfather, and where beatniks like Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti hung out. What draws me to the image is the way it reflects the city's traditions. The sky is blue, and the guy in the photo is taking a break, enjoying the good life, pausing to appreciate time passing by." Caffe Trieste, 601 Vallejo St., 415/392-6739, caffetrieste.com. In North Beach, street parking is tricky and garages are expensive. An affordable alternative is North Beach Parking Garage, 735 Vallejo St., $3 an hour. [SEE THE PHOTO] Hal Bergman "There's a drama to the geography of San Francisco that you don't find in other cities, and this really graceful way in which the buildings match the contours of the land. From every hill, you see things in a different light. I took this picture at sunset from the fire escape of a Chinatown hotel, looking toward Coit Tower. I like the scope of the shot and what it takes in, with the light playing off the Marin Headlands in the background, and the brightly colored buildings that are so much a part of the city's character." Coit Tower, 415/362-0808, open daily 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m., adults $5, kids 5–11 $1.50. [SEE THE PHOTO] Interviews by Josh Sens More from BudgetTravel.com Think you know San Francisco? Take our trivia quiz! Check out San Francisco's best street food. Wine country confidential: Napa's top secrets.

A cruise is a cruise is a cruise, right? Not if you're a highly selective Budget Travel reader. By a margin of 494 votes, BT readers declared Royal Caribbean International (RCI) king of the cruise lines, praising its cheery staff, good value, diverse itineraries, and whale-size roster of activities. RCI's larger-than-life ships may have something to do with it. The Allure of the Seas, which debuts this December, will share the title of world's largest superliner with its slightly older sister, the 2009 Oasis of the Seas. Meanwhile, nine other ships in RCI's fleet are roughly double the size of the Titanic, with at least 15 decks, plus novelties such as mall-like promenades, water parks, ice rinks, and full-blown parades. Up on the pool deck, a daily carnival takes place with blissed-out septuagenarians in hot tubs, mobs of women doing the Macarena, and parents teaching their kids how to dog-paddle. Hard to imagine, right? We set sail on the 3,114-passenger Explorer of the Seas, part of the company's midsize Voyager class, and on a five-night journey from New Jersey to Bermuda, we asked a range of passengers for their insights into why—exactly—everyone and their mother loves this line. royalcaribbean.com, rates start at $379 per person, double occupancy, for a five-night sailing but more typically are $750 to $1,200 depending on the season, itinerary, and ship. THE GOOD SPORTS Angelyn, 16; Bret, 23; Leanna, 20; and Ryan Caldwell, 25; of Thousand Oaks, Calif. It's no surprise that the four Caldwell kids utterly dominated the Explorer's 34-foot-high rock wall: The southern Californians are accustomed to a steady diet of biking, surfing, and bouldering. Though the gang has rented vacation houses in Mexico and Hawaii, this cruise—their first—surfaced as an ideal way to gather the extended clan, including parents, grandparents, and cousins, following Ryan's graduation from Drexel University in Philadelphia this June. Team Caldwell and friends, all 15 of them, hit the high seas running. "We feasted and exercised round the clock," says Ryan. In addition to daily gym sessions, the family also managed to squeeze in plenty of entertainment, including karaoke and an adult scavenger hunt. On one of the last days, the Caldwells were spotted on the sidelines of a parade headed down the ship's simulated Main Street; they were high-fiving and even hugging employees dressed as monkeys and elephants. Says Ryan: "At that point, we'd all become friends." Best Tip Bring walkie-talkies. "We didn't have them," says Walt, the Caldwells' father, "and it would have helped us find each other." THE NEWLYWEDS Wendy Champion, 29, and Vito Ciancia, 31, of North Brunswick, N.J., minutes after their shipboard ceremony The fact that Wendy Champion and Vito Ciancia decided to make things official after a 13-year courtship was reason enough for a special ceremony. "We wanted to do something memorable—and affordable," says Vito, a systems administrator at New York University. "And we loved the idea of celebrating with our closest family and friends for several days," adds Wendy, a sales manager for a technical publishing company. So while the Explorer was docked in Bermuda, the wedding party gathered in the white chapel at the top of the ship and the Ciancias said their vows (the legal documents had been signed a few days earlier at City Hall in North Brunswick, N.J.). Wedding pictures were snapped on the pool deck, and then the party of 32 piled onto a chartered catamaran for a day of champagne toasts and snorkeling. Wendy was dressed for the occasion in a white bikini with mrs. ciancia spelled out in rhinestones across the bottom and a veil that somehow managed to stay perfectly in place—even after several jumps into the water. Later that night, as the Ciancias cut their wedding cake in the ship's dining room, the veil remained on, looking remarkably fit for the occasion, especially with traces of seaweed still stuck in it. Best Tip Pack a watch. "We had a hard time finding clocks on the ship," Wendy says, "and since we weren't using our cell phones, we almost never knew what time it was." THE CAROUSERS Matthew Pascarelli, 30, and Lauriel White, 25, of Merrick, N.Y., drinking Lava Flows (a piña colada/strawberry daiquiri combo) Matt Pascarelli and Lauriel White set off on their first cruise together with a strict schedule in mind: Eat, sunbathe, nap, drink, and dance. Joining the couple—he's an accountant at BNY Mellon, she's an account executive at a pharmaceutical company—were Matt's parents, who were celebrating their 30th anniversary, and his three siblings and their mates, all from upstate New York. This was everyone's first time on RCI (some had taken a Disney cruise before), but it wasn't long before everyone fell into a groove. Each morning about 11 a.m., the group would descend upon the pool deck to lounge on towel-covered chairs and enjoy the ocean views. Every evening, they made the most of the ship's nightlife. Matt and Lauriel belted out Billy Joel songs at the piano bar ("Hey, no need to be too cool," says Lauriel); Matt and his father came out $400 ahead at the blackjack table. And as a capstone to an incredible trip, Matt's mom and Lauriel had their own bonding moment: doing lemon-drop shots until 4 a.m. Best Tip Turn on the TV. "There's so much happening on the ship, you can't get to everything," says Lauriel, "but events like the belly-flop contest and the kids' pirate parade get recorded, so you can watch them right in your room." THE CRUISEAHOLICS Melvin, 81, and Betty Luce, 80, of Ridley Park, Pa., at the ship's Schooner Bar It was a passion for The Love Boat that inspired Betty Luce to book her first cruise with husband Mel back in 1984, and it's been smooth sailing ever since. This Explorer of the Seas trip was the couple's 45th cruise, their 32nd aboard Royal Caribbean. Over the years, the Luces have tested the waters on several lines, passing through the British Isles, Greece, Norway, Hawaii, Alaska, and all of the Caribbean in the process. But when RCI started sailing out of New Jersey in 2004, just two hours from their front door, it became their favorite. Along the way, the Luces have found a rhythm: Betty reads novels on the balcony while Mel walks the ship ("The helipad is always the best forward-looking view except for the bridge, and almost no one knows about it"). And they usually book their next cruise before the end of the current one, a clever loyalty tactic that earns them a $250 discount and a $100 shipboard credit per person. Even dinner—always the 6 p.m. seating—has its own comforting routine: "We don't have to look at the dessert menu," says Mel. "We get ice cream every time: two scoops of vanilla for me, two scoops of chocolate for Betty. What can I say? We know what we like." Best Tip Check out cruisecritic.com for the latest cruising news and reviews. And for a look at the underbelly of the industry—illness outbreaks, garbage dumping—Mel's go-to is cruisejunkie.com. THE RAUCOUS RETIREES Sue, 62, and Mike Boyd, 61, of Parkersburg, W.Va., with seven fellow recent retirees They streamed onto the ship in matching fluorescent T-shirts. The retirees, as they called themselves, all live in Parkersburg, W.Va., where 9 out of 10 worked for the Wood County school district; several, including Mike Boyd, the director of secondary schools, and his wife, Sue, a seventh-grade geography teacher, had wrapped up their careers just days before. Along with Mike's niece and her entourage of family and friends, the party topped 39. At breakfast, Mike, Sue, and crew would look over the ship's broadsheet, the Cruise Compass, and plan out their activities (trivia contests, stand-up acts). Naturally, the educators couldn't help but absorb some new lessons, such as how to uncork champagne without creating a pop. On the last day in the hot tub, chanting, "No more Mondays, every day Sunday!" they reveled in the fact that this was just their first taste of a very bright future. Best Tip Pay the extra 20 percent for a balcony room, advises Sue: "The water view from your bed reminds you that you're on the ocean." THE FAMILY AFFAIR The Nooitgedagts, of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, on formal night: Heather Zaleski, 27; Hippy Nooitgedagt, 72; Colton Hummer, 15. Center: Pete Nooitgedagt, 39; Gavin Hummer, 9; Nanci Nooitgedagt Hummer, 44. Bottom: Griffin Hummer, 12; Janet Nooitgedagt, 70; Bill Mills, 32 For years, vacations for the Nooitgedagt (pronounced noy-ka-dot) family consisted of all-American road trips; Hippy, a retired trucker from Pennsylvania, would take his wife, Janet, and their kids, Nanci and Pete, to hear country music in Tennessee, or to commune with history at Valley Forge in honor of the bicentennial. Then, in 1991, Janet won a trip for two on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norway, and the couple converted to cruising for good. On their most recent outing—their seventh with Royal Caribbean—Janet and Hippy were joined for the first time by the entire clan. The group was gathered for Janet's 70th birthday and tested just about every service on the ship. That ranged from the kids' clubs to the restaurant options ("They brought us as many lobster tails as we wanted in the dining room!" Gavin says). The family's whopping bar bill perhaps best speaks to how much fun they had—and explains how all-inclusives find their profit margins. The Nooitgedagts hope to return to RCI next summer, for a nine-night Caribbean cruise. "Where else can you find a floating resort that offers such a great vacation for such a good value?" Janet asks. Best Tip Going as a group? Don't be shy about asking for discounts. When the Nooitgedagts booked their trip a year out, it cost over $13,000 for their party of 11, but they paid closer to $10,000 in the end, thanks to last-minute negotiations. —additional reporting by Caroline Patience and Megan Stride