City: Garden City, NY

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (800) 547-0400

Address: 45 Seventh St.

Description: While the Garden City Hotel is located just 25 minutes outside of Manhattan in Nassau County, you feel as if you’ve been transported far away as you enjoy the luxury accommodations this hotel offers. Thanks to its award-winning hospitality and upscale accommodations, it’s ideal for weekend getaways. On the property, you’ll find a fine-dining restaurant, plenty of meeting and function space (for business travelers), plus 280 luxurious guestrooms, 16 suites, and 4 penthouse suites, all housed within a traditional high-rise hotel that’s been in operation since 1874. Of course, everything has been fully renovated and modernized, yet the hotel’s decor provides for a timeless and classic ambiance. As a full-service hotel, 24-hour in-room dining is available, though the hotel offers a wonderful restaurant. The guestrooms and suites all offer Wi-Fi Internet access, a fully stocked minibar, multiple telephones, and luxury linens and bedding. This is a pet-friendly hotel, but an additional fee applies.The Garden City Hotel is rich in tradition and history. It offers a vastly different and more upscale experience than staying at a run-of-the-mill chain hotel. In addition, the hotel is located across the street from the Long Island Railroad’s Garden City station, so getting there from NYC by train is quick (under 45 minutes) and inexpensive (less than $12 per person each way).

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (516) 227-2720

Address: 700 North Ave.

Description: If you’re looking for more affordable accommodations in the Garden City area, the Hampton Inn offers clean, comfortable, but no-frills accommodations that are ideal for budget-conscious leisure and business travelers alike. Included with each night’s stay at this low-rise hotel is a hot breakfast, Wi-Fi Internet service, parking, local phone calls, unlimited coffee, access to a fitness center and business center, and use of an indoor pool. What’s nice is that this Hampton Inn is located within walking distance to the Roosevelt Field Mall, which is the largest indoor mall on Long Island. In addition to shopping, you’ll find a wide selection of restaurants and dining options nearby.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Education

Telephone: (800) 233-5744

Address: 1 South Ave.

Description: Adelphi University is one of the oldest educational institutions in New York State. The school was founded in 1863 as Adelphi Academy, a private preparatory school in Brooklyn, New York. However, the school ultimately transformed itself into Adelphi University and became the first private coeducational institution of higher learning on Long Island. Today Adelphi University is composed of multiple colleges and schools, which offer a wide range of academic paths to pursue. For example, there’s the College of Arts and Sciences, the Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the School of Business, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Social Work, and University College. As of 2009 more than 8,600 students were enrolled at Adelphi University and participated in classes at the school’s main campus in Garden City, as well as its satellite campuses in New York City, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Education

Telephone: (516) 572-7501

Address: 1 Education Dr.

Description: As of 2009 more than 22,000 day and evening students, and almost 15,000 continuing and professional students, of all ages and backgrounds were enrolled at Nassau Community College, which offers a 225-acre campus in the center of Long Island. The school is proud of its high academic standards and first-class facilities, as well as a highly distinguished faculty. Nassau Community College offers one of the best teacher-to-student ratios in New York State. All enrolled students have access to the latest technology in the classroom and laboratory facilities as they pursue more than 60 fields of study, including business; fine, graphic, and performing arts; health-related sciences; liberal arts and sciences; mathematics and computers; natural sciences; engineering technologies; office technologies; and social sciences.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (516) 877-9385

Address: 45 Seventh St.

Description: As the main restaurant within the upscale Garden City Hotel, Rein transforms throughout the day. Offering a relatively small dining room that’s tastefully decorated to create a cozy, pub-like setting (complete with a full bar and multiple large-screen televisions scattered throughout the room), Rein serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurant’s design was conceived by world-renowned architect and designer Robert DiLeonardo. During the day the restaurant offers a business casual setting, which becomes somewhat more formal for dinner, although the dining room and main bar share space. The menu offers typical, all-American fare and a handful of entree choices for each meal. Hotel guests will appreciate the food quality, which is much better than a typical restaurant located in a hotel. Steak, chicken, and seafood dishes are highlights on the dinner menu.Rein is open seven days a week and offers a special late-night bar menu. Reservations are strongly recommended for dinner. Offering a business-friendly setting, this is a wonderful place to enjoy a business lunch or dinner. It’s also suitable for adult couples, but is not overly family friendly.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (516) 222-0200

Address: 600 Old County Rd.

Description: Especially in Nassau County, you’ll find virtually every popular restaurant chain in existence, from fast food to fine dining. In this latter category, Ruth’s Chris Steak House is a top-quality chain restaurant that offers the utmost fine-dining experience. Like all of the Ruth’s Chris locations, this one in Garden City serves a selection of mouthwatering “signature” steaks, including a fillet, rib eye, New York strip, porterhouse for two, and a popular T-bone. In addition to steak, Ruth’s Chris offers barbecued shrimp, lamb chops, stuffed chicken breast, fresh lobster, ahi tuna steak, and at least one vegetarian entree selection. Complementing the delicious top-quality food is superior and highly personalized service, along with a sophisticated and comfortable dining room. This is definitely a business-friendly restaurant, although it is also a wonderful place for couples to enjoy a romantic dinner or for friends to gather for fine food and drinks. Full bar service is available. Especially for dinner, reservations are strongly recommended.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (516) 248-6161

Address: 825 Franklin Ave.

Description: If you’re in the mood for a modern, fresh, and affordable twist on Pan-Asian cuisine that’s expertly prepared and beautifully presented, look no further than Asian Moon. Entrees are offered in the $10 to $20 range, and the menu is rather extensive. The dining room’s atmosphere is tastefully decorated with an Asian motif, which includes a relaxing waterfall.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (516) 742-8000

Address: 630 Old Country Rd.

Description: When it comes to shopping in Nassau County, you won’t want to skip a visit to the Roosevelt Field Mall. It’s by far the largest and one of the most upscale indoor malls on the entire East Coast (and the fifth largest in America). The mall itself encompasses 2.2 million square feet. In addition to offering a handful of major department stores as anchors, including Bloomingdale’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy’s, and Nordstrom, this massive mall features 270 specialty stores, including virtually every chain store in existence that you’d find in malls elsewhere in America, such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, the Apple Store, Banana Republic, Brookstone, the Disney Store, Gap, the Limited, and Victoria’s Secret.The Roosevelt Field Mall is also home to a handful of upscale designer boutiques, including Ann Taylor, bebe, Coach, Diesel, Mont Blanc, Movado, Timberland, and Tumi. The mall’s offerings also include unique “concept” stores and one-of-a-kind shops not found in any other mall or shopping center. Within the mall you’ll also find multiple full-service restaurants and a massive food court, plus a state-of-the-art movie theater. Special events, including designer fashion shows, are held at the mall throughout the year.Regular (non-holiday) mall hours are Mon through Sat, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sun, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. When you visit the Roosevelt Field Mall, plan on doing a lot of walking, as this mall is massive. And don’t forget where you park your car (write down the location).

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (516) 747-7474

Address: 1399 Franklin Ave.

Description: Red Door Spas is one of the more prestigious chains of day spas, offering locations throughout the United States. All are full-service spas and beauty salons that combine luxury facilities with both traditional and more exotic spa treatments and services. The goal of all Elizabeth Arden spas is to enhance life through “beauty, harmony and well-being,” which is the focus of most of the treatments offered here.In addition to individual treatments, which are all top-notch, this Red Door Spa is known for its half-day and full-day spa packages, which range in price from $99 to $482. As you’d expect, a variety of different massages, facials, and full-body treatments are offered. For example, a 50-minute Red Door Signature Massage is priced at $120, while an Ultimate Arden Facial is priced at $180. Like many full-service spas, Red Door caters primarily to women, but also offers a handful of treatments designed specifically for men, including a Gentlemen’s Facial ($110), Gentlemen’s Manicure ($27), Gentlemen’s Pedicure ($65), and a Deep Tissue Massage (starting at $145).

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (516) 572-4177

Address: 1 Davis Ave.

Description: Within this museum you’ll find firefighting equipment from throughout the history of Long Island’s fire departments. The objective of the museum is to provide interactive displays that will interest people of all ages about the proud traditions upheld by Long Island’s local fire departments and their accomplishments when it comes to saving lives. Some of the exhibits are also educational and focus on the importance of testing and using smoke alarms, and what someone should do if he or she is caught in an actual fire. Visitors can also learn about the volunteer opportunities that may be open to them at their local fire department.The museum is open Tues through Sun from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., except for July to mid-Aug, when it’s open seven days a week. The Firefighters Museum is part of Long Island’s “Museum Row,” which also includes the Cradle of Aviation Museum, an IMAX theater, and the Long Island Children’s Museum.

City: Garden City, NY

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (516) 224-5800

Address: 11 Davis Ave.

Description: Designed to appeal to kids between the ages of 2 and 12 (and their families), the Long Island Children’s Museum offers a wide range of fun and interactive activities. Back in 1993 it originally opened as a private, not-for-profit institution, within a 5,400-square-foot site donated by KeySpan Energy (formerly Long Island Lighting Company). After receiving more than 25,000 visitors during its first four months of operation, it was obvious that the community’s response to the museum was overwhelming. It wasn’t long before expansion plans were under way for this innovative and highly popular museum. Within a short time, Nassau County approached the museum’s board with the idea of moving the Long Island Children’s Museum to Museum Row, a 15-acre cultural site at Long Island’s historic Mitchel Field. To facilitate the move, the county offered a 60-year, rent-free lease to a 40,000-square-foot former aircraft hangar, which has since become the new and permanent home for the museum.The Long Island Children’s Museum opened in Feb 2002 in its current location. It houses 14 hands-on, interactive exhibit galleries, a 145-seat state-of-the-art theater, and 3 classroom-size learning studios. In addition to providing opportunities to have fun and learn through exhibit exploration and participation in performing arts programming, the museum offers a wide range of educational and culturally diverse public programs, including the annual “From Generation to Generation” folk arts series; daily early-childhood programs; art-, music-, and science-based workshops; and parenting workshops. A family membership to the museum offers unlimited admission for up to four people, as well as participation in various special events. Nonmembers pay a daily admission fee. The museum is open year-round.