New York City with Philip Nolan

Where to Eat:

Maze the Gordon Ramsay restaurant at the London NYC Hotel on West 54th street.

- amazing value at lunchtime, just $35

Café Boulud owned by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, on East 76th. at Maze

- $40 for a three-course lunch menu.

Where to Drink:

PJ Clarke's on 3rd Avenue

PJ Carney's on Seventh.

There's a very nice new cocktail lounge called the Empire Room in the Empire State Building

The Carnegie Club, on West 56th Street, is a real find, and has a brilliant Frank Sinatra tribute show

Where to stay:

The Beacon Hotel on Broadway and 75th is a real find. In January and February, rooms cost $205 (€145) a night, and suites, which sleep up to four people, cost $255 (€181).

Getting there:

Continental Airlines operates twice-daily, non-stop services from Dublin to Newark Liberty International Airport. Continental also operates a daily flight from Shannon, and connections to over 200 destinations in the US. Return fares start from around €440, including tax, based on travel from Christmas Eve to March.