Did I tell you about the restaurant in New York with the country's largest selection of cheese?

        Okay. You're not thinking cheese right now. That's understandable. But one of these days you may have a hankering, and this is the moment for guilt-free consumption.

        In a recent column, I suggested helping New York's recovery by going there. A number of readers responded with stories about their own trips to the city.

        Here are some tips from these readers and me, including a few “finds” that may not be obvious to tourists.

        • Artisanal, Park Avenue and 32nd Street

        This is the cheese place, a bistro that sells 250 varieties and specializes in delicious fondues. The staff includes a professional fromagier, also known as, “cheese person.” During my ill-timed vacation to New York last month, a kind waiter at Artisanal brought me chocolate for comfort.

        • South Street Seaport, Financial District

        Madeline and Mark Kufka of Madeira recommend this neighborhood, which dates to the 1600s and includes a seaport museum.

        Mr. Kufka suggests facing west on the boardwalk around Pier 17 for one of the city's best views: “In the foreground, old, historic preserved buildings along cobbled, car-free streets, and modern skyscrapers gleaming in the background.”

        • Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave.

        The Kufkas also like this converted warehouse of 20 shops. Food purveyors line a meandering hallway, each specializing in a different item. Most have areas where you can observe the preparation.

        • Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Bleeker and Carmine streets

        Stopping here is a must for Mary George of Deer Park. St. Patrick's Cathedral is New York's most famous church, but this one in Little Italy is beautiful and more intimate, Mrs. George says.

        • Washington Square Park, West Fourth and MacDougal streets.

        Fairfield resident Linda MacKay, formerly of Queens, loves grabbing an espresso and watching the people in this Greenwich Village park, which draws everyone from orange-haired youths to chi-chi ladies walking their poodles.

        • Hyde Park (day trip from NYC)

        The boyhood home of Franklin D. Roosevelt sits along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. It also features the Culinary Institute of America, where Joanne and Lee Niehaus of Fort Thomas were happy to taste-test meals this year.

        • New and Almost New, 65 Mercer St.

        This is a boutique of designer clothes, some worn once by runway models, others consigned by rich people with too many outfits. Nothing runs much larger than an 8, but owner Maggie Poon also sells one-of-a-kind accessories and dispenses friendly advice for free. If you go, tell her I said hi.

        • The Taft Itinerary

        In part to support tourism, Ky. Gov. Paul Patton and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft both visited New York after Sept. 11. Mr. Taft called the destruction worse than the Xenia tornado.

        But through a spokesman, he also shared his ideal New York trip: “Hope and I like to eat dinner in Chinatown or Little Italy and go to a show.”

        Coming from the Midwest's most modest citizen, that's quite an endorsement. Still, I say you can't beat the fancy cheese.

        E-mail ksamples@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/samples

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