The Harbor Column:

I mentioned last week that I was off to Times Square in New York City for my wife’s birthday. The trip was great.

I plan to chat in more detail on my Saturday radio show about the whole adventure, but I will give you some of the highlights to tease your travel bug.

We stayed at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel and the New York Marriott Marquis, both excellent hotels.

I have to confess that I liked the much larger Marquis better than the more boutique feeling of the Renaissance.

Our room at the Marquis was situated perfectly on the 41st floor, directly overlooking Times Square where the New Year’s celebration is held. Through the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows we could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

We enjoyed dinner at the Hotel’s View Restaurant, which is the only revolving roof-top restaurant in the city, and we were told that it takes one hour for a complete revolution.

We plan on staying at this hotel again when our travels take us back to the Big Apple.

Speaking of restaurants, I have found my new favorite special occasion restaurant in North America. Dan Marcheano’s Arches in Newport Beach held the title for years, and hopefully he is opening his new restaurant soon to vie to regain the title.

However, on this trip, my taste buds and overall dining experiences were narrowed down to the two famous Manhattan midtown establishments of Del Frisco’s and Maloney & Porcelli.

After traveling to the opposite coast to sample the cuisine and test the service, I have chosen Maloney & Porcelli as my new favorite restaurant. I have marked this restaurant as my favorite — must-do stop — whenever I am visiting New York.

Of course, boating is always included in my travel plans, and I would like to extend a thanks to Hornblower’s Statue Cruises ( www.statuecruises.com) for the cruise to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

I enjoyed the invitation to ride in the pilothouse with the captain and first officer, and another thanks to Capt. Greg who left us tickets that we had to pick up at the ticket booth’s secret door. Always be careful when you ring a bell at a secret locked door in the big city.

MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating columnist. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to [email protected] or go to www.boathousetv.com .