Our room at the Sheraton Brooklyn

Finding a reasonably priced pet-friendly hotel in New York is a challenge.  Sure, there are plenty of pet-friendly hotels lining Central Park but we didn’t feel inclined to break the bank for a three-night stay at the Loew’s Fifth Avenue or Four Seasons.  We looked for our usual cheap pet-friendly standbys--- Red Roof Inn or Best Western --- but the Best Western was around $200/night and Red Roof Inn Manhattan does not allow pets.

I found the Sheraton Brooklyn using BringFido.com and booked on their site at a web rate of $145/night for a Club Room, which included breakfast, afternoon cocktails, and unlimited drinks (which probably made up the extra difference in price for us).  Regular rooms ran at $125/night, which is an absolute steal in New York.  The hotel opened in April 2011 and its sister hotel, the Aloft Brooklyn is also pet-friendly and right next door.

We loved the hotel.  Our room was quite spacious, especially given New York space limitations, with a king-sized bed, a small closet, a big desk/armoire area, and a huge bathroom.  We especially appreciated that the room had a small hallway in it, which we used to keep the dogs’ water and food bowls.  The rooms have excellent sound-proofing and we never heard our neighbors throughout our stay, which is important when staying at a hotel with our dogs, because they tend to bark if they hear lots of noise. 

Chewy looking at the Statue of Liberty from our window

Best of all, we had a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn cruise terminal, and the Statue of Liberty.  We woke up on our last day at the hotel to see the Queen Mary 2 (our cruise ship) docked at the terminal.

. . . keep reading Pet Friendly New York: Sheraton Brooklyn after the jump

Chewy and Abby at one of the many ornate gates

We never know whether a city or a state will be pet-friendly until we visit it.  For us, pet-friendly means that a city must have two important things: excellent on-leash walks and off-leash areas. 

On the on-leash front, Savannah succeeds.  The city is meant for walking.  If you’re not walking, you’re not seeing much of the city.  So, pack a comfortable pair of shoes, a sturdy leash for your dog, and head out into the Historic District.

Pets and their owners haunt the large greenspace in the center of the city at Forsyth Park.  We also walked the dogs through the smaller greenspace at Colonial Park Cemetery closer to the riverfront and through all of the very green squares that intersect the city in a grid.

Dogs are also welcome at Bonaventure Cemetery, one of Savannah’s most beautiful attractions. 

. . . keep reading Pet-Friendly Savannah: Gardens and Cemeteries after the jump

People without dogs often seem to think that dogs don’t have personalities.  But, if you’re a dog owner, you know that every dog is as unique as every person. 

Some, for example, love fenced-in dog parks.  Our dogs don’t really like them. 

Chewy gets intimidated by the large dogs running in crazy circles at the big dog parks, and Abby gets bored. 

Instead, they prefer woods and fields in which we can take long walks.

Once you enter, you could forget that midtown Atlanta is only a few miles south and Emory University is less than a mile to the west.  The neighborhoods disappear in wide pathways of pine needles and giant trees.

 . . . keep reading Pet-Friendly Atlanta: Herbert Taylor Park after the jump

Dog friendly patio at Bistro 17

Hilton Head is meant for dog lovers.  What with their gorgeous pet-friendly beaches and nice dog parks, we weren't surprised to find that many restaurants are also pet friendly.  We ate at three that are worth mentioning:

Our Favorite: Black Marlin Bayside Grill

Black Marlin Bayside Grill

The word "patio" does not even begin to describe the vast outdoor space with tiki bar and tables facing the water that is the patio at Black Marlin Bayside Grill.  Most of the restaurant patrons were outside, either at the bar or the tables, enjoying the weather under the shaded trees.  (Keep in mind that sand flies and june bugs are common in Hilton Head; we wished we  had put on bug spray before leaving the hotel.)  The bar and restaurant were obviously pet friendly as there were several other dogs at Black Marlin, from a tiny chihuahua to a tall Weimaraner. 

Chewy and Abby relaxing at Black Marlin Bayside

Service was, in a word, fantastic.  We never waited for water or our food and I think every waitress at the restaurant stopped by to pet Chewy and Abby.  They brought out a water bowl for the dogs and a small bowl with Milkbone treats. 

We shared gooey panko crusted fried mozzarella, which was better than the usual version because the panko added a thick crispy crust.  Patrick had the grilled local tilefish, with a dungeness crab and avocado salsa, doused in a spicy chile sauce, with a creamy yucca puree and crisp Mexican style corn on the cob.  I had the Primavera Pasta with shitake mushrooms, snow peas, spinach, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese tossed with angel hair pasta.  Everything was delicious and it was, without a doubt, our best meal in Hilton Head.  It is a bit on the pricey side . . . but, frankly, everything in Hilton Head is expensive so don't go there unless you're willing to shell out a bit of money.

The Cheap Option: Main Street Cafe & Pub

Chewy eyeing a sandwich at Main Street Cafe & Pub

Main Street Cafe & Pub is fine.  Just that.  It's not bad by any means but rather a fairly standard cafe with decent food, a decent patio, and nothing particularly exceptional.

Seating at Main Street Cafe

The patio area overlooks the parking lot of a grocery store so the views are, understandably, uninteresting but, the space is quite large with ample space for our dogs to settle down.

. . . keep reading Pet-Friendly Hilton Head Restaurants after the jump