Well HallGall, I'll share all I can think of, perhaps others will come along & add to it. Of course, it's hard to know/guess what's available to you locally in order to suggest other than that, but here goes. W. 28th St., btwn 6th & 7th Avenues is what remains of what used to be our Flower District; you might look around there, they do wholesale & retail. The name is deceptive, there's houseplants, succulents, tropicals, large size floor plants & trees, all kinds of stuff (other than 'flowers'). In particular on W. 28th (just past the McDonalds as I recall, on that same side of the street) is a crowded but interesting plant shop who often displays lots of his plants at curbside. He's of special interest to me as he often has a large array of succulnts (don't know if you're into them). Try going down to 14th St/Union Square Green Market; Friday's a good day for plant vendors, look for Fantastic Gardens (you may have to ask, their name on their truck's not always visible). They have an interesting & varied plant selection, both on tables, but also be sure to look below. This all depends on what the weather's going to be at end Oct. since I write this 3 wks before you arrive. It finally got cold here in NYC today, 1st day it felt like Fall (I was at the beach in the ocean last Mon at 6:00 pm) temps dropped into the 60s today. If you want, I even have a favorite shop in Brooklyn, if you'd be open to try the subway. LMK & feel free to EM me privately, just put something planty in the subject line so I don't mistake it for junk). The GW EM facility seems to be working, otherwise, pls. post back here. Anybody else (Xero, Gabro14?), who else is around from NYC??? (PG) Karen

I noticed that my Trachys (while still not looking great), ARE looking much better than just a few days ago. So, don't panic if your Trachys are showing signs of discoloration or those characteristic rings. Some of the leaves will return to normal, and as long as the bud is firm, they should be good to go for the growing season. I finally broke down after those predictions of 0 F and ended up providing some protection (regular, small X-mas light, bubble wrap, and an relatively light weight (insulating blanket) I picked up at the nursery. I used the blanket more as a scarf draped around the midsection (including the growing bud but leaving the leaves at the top and the base of the palms exposed. I tugged gently at them today and they seem very firm. Careful, for those of you that are protecting with lights. I was surprised at how efficient this little set up was. The air inside the bubble wrap felt very mild (not hot, not too warm, but relatively mild). I opened it up a bit as I don't want to encourage growth at this point. TZ, it would take a monsoon to quickly melt all the snow I have in my yard. I would go out with a yard stick to measure it, but I would have to climb the glacier that borders by driveway area (it was built with all the snow accumulations we've had. I got sick of shoveling and ran out of space for the snow so now my "blacktop" is covered in a few inches of snow. I really am expecting another big time weather 'event' from this latest storm.--And though I am sick of the snow, I like it much better than the arctic cold. I certainly hope Feb. is milder, but expect it to be just as stormy--along with that other notoriously stormy month--MARCH!!

The great thing about NYC is that there's so much to do (and eat) at every budget level. Hotels (in or out of the city) are the biggest challenge but with Groupon, Travelzoo and some of the nontraditional lodging options and a little research work, you can find something that is affordable, clean and safe. Many years ago, I stayed at the Belvedere Hotel (around 49th and 10th?) for under 200 a night. I've seen even lower rates on the discount newsletters. Research/recommendations are the best way to find places to eat on a budget. I used to know a consultant who made it his mission to find the best budget meals in the city. I wish I had stayed in touch -- or even remembered some of his hot recommendations but I am sure you can track down good deals that fit your tastes. I DO remember that there were a few noodle shops high on his list.. generally a good low budget option in any urban city. Unfortunately, my two favorites for a decent priced nice meal have closed-- but the city surely isn't lacking in great restaurants for any budget. Something else to consider is going to a fine restaurant for lunch when prices are lower and then go light on dinner (a slice of coal fired pizza or a light salad from a small cafe?) We did lunch at one of Mario Batali's restaurants (Lupa) for a fraction of the cost dinner would have cost-- and it was ALL we needed (and then some) for the whole day! Another "celebrity" restaurant I've enjoyed is Cafe Boulud. I dined there because it was next to my hotel.. but it was a very nice and affordable meal from the chef of Daniel fame. Often times if you go to the lesser known or new projects from the well-known chefs, you'll find better prices (and sometimes not.. again, you have to research!) One note: wherever you go, I find it expensive to drink alcohol in the city. I just accept it as the price for a drink with dinner lol.. but it might be worth your while to check out BYOBs if you like wine with dinner! I definitely recommend the Met Museum-- it's a full day experience (even multiple days) for just the admission price. I have some other favorites but what will most interest you depends on the time of year and your own interests. There are many great museums and botanical gardens that are free or offer free limited access on specific days/times. Check this out to see if there's anything of interest on the days you'll be traveling: http://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/35/free-museum-days-or-pay-what-you-wish. I definitely recommend going beyond the "budget travel" books.. personal recommendations and blogs are great sources of info. Maybe start a new thread here on cheap eats and free things to do in the city? Enjoy your trip.. and enjoy the planning!

KLI_6B: Also brandywine plants were huge and I want a smaller productive type if possible. The average tomato plant is very large. It's quite normal for tomato plants to get to be 8-10 feet tall. Don't believe the puny "tomato cages" you see online and in big box stores--most experienced tomato growers use those for eggplants or peppers. Unless you are specifically growing compact varieties, you should be prepared to offer at least 6 feet of support structure for a tomato (when the plant gets taller than that, you can let it drape over back down toward the ground). Compact varieties exist, but many are determinate (this means all of your fruit will form and ripen all at once, and then your plant is done--no more tomatoes after that) or not as productive. And even plants that are supposed to be compact can surprise you over a long growing season. IMO it's better to just prepare adequate support. There are also "dwarf" varieties (2 feet to 4 or 5 feet tall) that are indeterminate (keep producing fruit gradually all season), but they will not be nearly as productive. I think you can fit 3 plants in that bed without ending up with overcrowding issues that lead to disease and general frustration. If you select some good hybrids, you should have plenty of tomatoes for fresh eating. You probably can't go wrong with Big Beef F1 - large, beefsteak-style slicers with very decent taste, good for sandwiches Juliet F1 - saladette (larger than a cherry tomato) size plum shaped tomatoes, meaty but still tasty for fresh eating, good taste, good for salads, snacking, cooking Mountain Magic F1 - saladette globes, excellent taste for a hybrid, good for salads, cooking, snacking, etc. Sungold F1 - orange cherry tomato, very sweet and fruity, excellent for salads and snacks (F1 = hybrid. Some people sell "open pollinated" versions of these, but they are usually inferior in taste and production) In your situation, I would personally plant a Big Beef, a Sungold, and choose between the MM and Juliet depending on which shape I prefer. The nice thing about these varieties is that you can usually find plants for them at big box garden stores, so if you're not really sure about starting plants from seed, you can purchase transplants. They also have some disease resistance bred in. It sounds like you're growing tomatoes year after year in the same bed, which means you need to select varieties with soil disease resistance. Sungold is the least disease resistant of these, but if you like cherry tomatoes, they are among the best tasting and routinely show up on lists of people's favorite tomatoes. KLI_6B: 1st have decent crop (at least for me). I was happy I harvested home grown tomato. But this year, there were blossoms, but only few tomatoes actually formed. May be it was weather and may be it was something else. 1) Did you grow from seed or transplants? 2) How often did you fertilize and what kind of fertilizer did you use? 3) What is your watering routine? 4) What is the date you planting out (planting transplants out in your bed)?