We will be driving to Stamford Connecticut in a few weeks and would like to know what to do there for fun and food. We will also be going to NYC, should we drive our car into the city or can you recommend a better way to get from Stamford to NYC safely.

Take the train into Manhattan if your not familiar with the metro area's roadways. Metro North trains are quick and easy and take you directly to Grand Central Station which is a sight itself. Stamford is a great city too. The mall is nice to wander around as is the rest of the downtown area. For great Chinese food try Uncle Dai's.

Definitely take the train into the City. A car in NYC is much more trouble than it's worth. The train from Stamford to Grand Central is express and takes about a half hour or so. Stamford itself is kind of dull, but pleasant. I don't know how much spare time you will have, but if you get the chance drive up to New Haven--abt. an hour north on I-95. Tour the beautiful campus of Yale University, check out the funky shops on Upper Chapel Street, and sample some of the world famous pizza on Wooster Street. USA Today rated Pepe's the best pizza in the U.S. a few years back.

And if you really have some time, head to Litchfield County, CT. Head east from Stamford to Norwalk and take Route 7 North. Kent Falls State Park (in Kent) has falls in three cascades; West Cornwall has a quaint covered bridge you can drive through and you can go canoeing or rafting or tubing in the Houstatonic River there. Litchfield (a bit off Route 7) is your typical New England town with the white church on the green. Enjoy!

I work in Stamford, and lived and worked in NYC for a long time. I would not spend any of your sightseeing time there, since you are 45 minutes from NYC by train, and do take the train, it will be much easier for you. Round trip off-peak tickets are about $8 per person, and about $12 at peak (rush) hours. There is a regular schedule, and many of the trips are non-stop. As for NYC, there's so much to see and do there, many good ideas already posted on this bulletin board. Have a terrific time.

There's a restaurant in downtown Stamford in what once was a bank building; the name of it escapes me but the word Bank is part of it. We stopped there for dinner a few months ago and were pleasantly surprised not only with the food but the decor as well.